The Hispanic Vote

            “Mankind is facing a crossroad - one road leads to despair and utter hopelessness and the other to total extinction - I sincerely hope you graduates choose the right road”   
―    Woody Allen,    Mere Anarchy   

   I thought about writing about California - top income tax rate raised to 12.3%; sales tax raised to an average of 8.25%; corporate taxes raised $1 billion; Republican registration below 30%; Republicans in Assembly and Senate below one-third needed to block anything; exodus accelerating - but I decided to take the other road.

    The unequivocal message of Tuesday's vote is that Republicans cannot win presidential elections without a fundamental change in the approach to Hispanic voters. "W" got some 40 % of this vote; McCain 31%; Romney under 30%. The good news is that most of the illegals are here to work and to provide a better life for their families. If the Republican Party cannot connect with that, we are done.

    What is needed is not just outreach and marketing, and being the party of small business is not enough. There is, however, a set of positive policy prescriptions available that should not offend conservatives:

    - Expanded use of e-verify to enable employers to confirm the status of those they hire, with penalties for non-compliance.

    -  A renewed "guest worker" program for seasonal workers;

    -  Long term residency cards without citizenship or voting rights;

    -  Citizenship for military volunteers, and perhaps some similar other groups;

    -  Access to schools, drivers licenses, and healthcare for those here legally. Full tax payment required.

    Fortunately the Republican Party has a core of prominent leaders who could formulate a plan, sell it to party activists, and market it to the public - Governors Susana Martinez, Brian Sandoval, and Luis Fortuno; Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz; former Governor Jeb Bush; Governor Rick Perry. Those in the border states get it; Northerners and Californians do not.  

    The Democrats? They have have no Hispanic governors and but one senator. Cynics would like the status quo which works well for them; others might demand full citizenship. They are beatable.

    For those who doubt the need for urgent change in the Party's policies affecting Hispanics, we have seen the future - and it is California.

                                               -----   

    Here's the most important person in the Republican Party speaking about Hispanics. One hopes that he has learned something betrween August and November.

bill bowen - 11-9-12

 

Comments

[Al B]

A few comments after digesting aftermath of the election:

1. The Republican Party would be well advised to let the Democrats increase taxes on those making more than $250,000 (or whatever number they opt for) and take ownership of the consequences. Paul Krugman and other Dem economists are convinced that we can run $1+ trillion deficits indefinitly, with no inflation or $ devaluation. The Democrats are most unlikely to sponsor any significant spending cuts. They won the election. Lets see whether they are right. If so, they are financial alchemists and should be reelected forever for achieving the counter-intuitive. If not,Congressional elections will be held in two years where the Democrats would have no excuses whatsoever about Republican interference with their management of the economy. It will be even more difficult then, six years after attaining power, to blame everything on Bush/Cheney/Rove.

2. "Voter Supression"--Saw an interview of the African-American Speaker of the Rhode Island legislature explaining their voter ID law prior to the recent "complaints" about similar new Southern legislation--he said that voter photo ID was essential to retain legitimacy of the electorial process. After Eric Holder gave the Black Panther Party immunity on voter place violence, a large number of Philadelphia precints reported not a single vote for a Republican for any position. Coincidence?

3. Leviticus 20:13 says that a man who lies down with another man, like a woman, should be put to death (at the time, this was by stoning). Maybe the Biblical interpretation was misinterpreted? Our recent referendums/legislation say it is OK to use marijuana, and gay marriage is certainly OK. Maybe the proper reading of Leviticus is that a man who has sex with another man should be out-of-his-guard high?

4. Watched Chris Matthews and ex-mayor Davis last night explain that McCain/Graham were bigots for challenging Susan Rice's account of the Libyan disaster five days afterwards. Wow!! If she indeed was an innocent accomplice, who gave her those WHOPPERS to repeat five times on TV? And, why attack those who properly said they were WHOPPERS, giving a total pass to the falseness of an account that defies credibility? I guess that the reaction of avoiding the truth, by accusing anyone asking questions of bigotry of some kind, has become so ingrained in the Administration and accepted by Main Stream Media that it has become the norm.

[Bill McCormick]

SO MUCH FOR bipartisan solutions and open hearings. WOW--what a week for bipartisanship, cooperation and open hearings on Libya. More like a post election war or words and threats of inaction than anything the American people wanted. Hopefully, the is the STORM before the CALM! Barney Franks said today that we should expect a lot of posturing and partisan fighting before the agreement so both parties can say they fought as hard as they could to protect their positions before compromising for the common good. Interesting how politicians think.

[DickG]

T-PARTY/ REPUBLICAN FILLIBUSTER; A reading in detail of each and every spending program (a la Boener's part & parcel reading of the Constitution in 2011): it's author, value, abuses, and reason for reconsideration. Readings both in the Congress and outside by the T Party, conducted coincidently. Additional organizations such as the Am Legion, VFW, 'Oathkeepers',Rotary,Lions etc to assist with local radio station readings.
As the pol's are apt to chime in;"ARE WE NOT ALL IN IT TOGETHER".

[Bill McCormick]

THE PRESIDENT---I listened with great interest at the President's call today for agreement on the fiscal cliff and a grand bargain. But, all I really heard and I think the market heard was "I" have a mandate for a Tax the rich legislative package and since we both agree that we do not want a tax increase for the middle class let's do it now. i.e. Let's pass an extension of the Bush tax cuts for every one except those making over $250k and then we can negotiate a Grand Bargain on the other things. His contention was that he would compromise to reach a consensus on entitlements,sequestration and discretionary spending. But, for now it was "trust me" (I won) let's just put a partial solution to the Fiscal Cliff in the basket.

Somehow I don't think Republicans are going to give away their leverage based on a trust of the President to negotiate and we are going to have to negotiate our way to more than a tax rate resolution by Dec 15th or so. The market voted after the conference and did not seem convinced the President had a deal yet.
For me the campaign was still on. No matter the question from reporters or the subject of the talk it sounded more like the canned positions for the base than a leader ready to sit down and negotiate and saying let's get to it. Let us hope somewhere in the inner circles of the Capital there are Americans meeting to come to agreement in the spirit that voters split 48-50 would expect them to. How much wealth does this have to cost the struggling pension plans before sanity prevails?

[Bill McCormick]

SMALL BUSINESS-- I would say about 150 employees. It could go as high as 250. All of my businesses have been small businesses and I have had anywhere from 15 to 200. The government uses 50 for some determinations and uses sales figures for others sometimes $5M and sometimes $10M over the years. Or one could look at it as owner/operated businesses. For purpsoes of doing statistics/and for doing search business I look at it as generally less than 150 employees.

[lsbowen@roadrunner.com]

Bill M -
To me "small" business is 20 or fewer employees. What does "small" mean to you?

[Bill McCormick]

MEETINGS: Today the President will meet with labor unions and Progressives. Tomorrow he will meet with CEO's of America's large corporations (except Banks). Following that meeting he will have a press conference. If I were looking for some accommodations in order to get Congress to come to some form of agreement on the major issues our country faces I would need a little time to digest and think about what I had just heard. It scares me that the President can walk from the CEO meetings to the press conference. No bias here just a little concerned.

76% of Americans work for SMALL BUSINESSES. Small business owners (CEO's) are the major creators of new jobs and have been that way for a decade now. And, small business owners are the ones who are most concerned about the issues of tax increases (personal, payroll,capital gains, internet taxes and estate taxes), medical cost increases hitting them as Obamacare is implemented, regulations creating more impediments to their day to day operations, the lack of LOC's and capital loans/investments available to them to expand (or survive), the surge in bank fees, credit card interest rates on the only debt available to them and the levy of a 3.5% capital gains tax on the sale of their business/stock payable to Obamacare. And, when is their day with the President? How many are at the table with the CEO's of the large corporations?

You want to know why America is in trouble? Because no one is listening to the people who make this country go: the small business owners and it didn't change on Novemember 6th. Mark my words: without America's small business owners on board there will be no solution to our problems.

[DickG]

VOTER SUPPRESSION X 10 ;welcome to the 3rd world. Here's an 'exerp' from the Nov 11 article by Jane Alexander on swing state fraud. Also included was reference to Rep J Morans' (Va)Campaign Mgr son,Patrick, making instructional video on the fabr of 'utility bills'.

"So how did Romney lose a race that numerous reputable polls and pundits predicted would be an easy win, based on historical patterns? The most realistic explanation is voter fraud in a few swing states. According to the Columbus Dispatch, one out of every five registered voters in Ohio is ineligible to vote. In at least two counties in Ohio, the number of registered voters exceeded the number of eligible adults who are of voting age. In northwestern Ohio's Wood County, there are 109 registered voters for every 100 people eligible to vote. An additional 31 of Ohio's 88 counties have voter registration rates over 90%, which most voting experts regard as suspicious. Obama miraculously won 100% of the vote in 21 districts in Cleveland, and received over 99% of the vote where GOP inspectors were illegally removed."

[DickG]

BUDGET 'BLACKOUT', (HUH ?) . Normally, (there is only the abnormal when it comes to 'BUDGETEERING' in this Administration)if your goal was revenues, you wouldn't dare approach an ELECTORATE (a rational one)without first assaulting WASTE, FRAUD and ABUSE. Ever wonder why it's never done ? It's occurd to me that there are only two things that motivate this Administration: MONEY & VOTES. Who and what do you suppose might be lost thru the EXPOSURE of Itemized Budgetary spending and to predominantly what Party ?
Sen. J. Coburn MD, (R)- Oklahoma, spent a little time and EXPOSED a whopping $100. billion in Waste & Duplicate programs,one Senator. The Effort went the way of 'Simpson/Bolles'; and 50% of the U.S. think this Administration is honorable .

[DickG]

"WHAT A COUNTRY";On 'Limbaugh' yesterday he mentioned our "State Dept. Advertizing Agency". They actually 'tout' the generosity of entitlements available here on Mexican Soap Operas. Thank you Hillary; probably our next Nominee.