Morning NewsTaco
Tuesday June 20, 2012
Arizona SB 1070: Latino media unite in ‘Hoy Somos Arizona’ (Voxxi): In an unprecedented display of solidarity, 23 competing media outlets are showing a united front as they team up to air produce a special immigration program that will air simultaneously on all of their television and radio stations in Arizona.
Parsing the Latino vote (Politico): With a new Bloomberg poll out Tuesday suggesting heavy support (64-30) for President Obama’s decision to halt deportations of young illegal immigrants, the New York Times’ Nate Silver looks more deeply at what the decision could deliver in terms of Latino votes in November.
Hispanic Voters Less Plentiful in Swing States (The New York Times): Almost 40 percent of the Hispanic vote was in one of just two states – California and Texas – that don’t look to be at all competitive this year. The fact that Democrats are winning clear majorities among Hispanics is one reason that California is no longer competitive, of course. And perhaps Texas will become more competitive in another 8 or 12 or 16 years. (Although note that many Hispanics in Texas have been there for generations and might not be thought of as immigrant communities.) But voters in these states just aren’t likely to sway the Electoral College outcome in 2012.
Republicans refine immigration message after Obama’s scoop (CNN): Caught off guard by the Obama administration’s shift in immigration policy last week, Republicans on Tuesday refined their response in an effort to lessen any political bounce for the president at what had been a tough time in his campaign.
Romney Spanish language ad slams Obama on the economy (CBS News): Days after President Obama announced a possibly game-changing immigration reform, Republican Mitt Romney is reminding Latino voters of a more pressing issue than immigration reform: The economy.
Republicans Push for Latino Vote (ABC News): Despite President Obama’s advantage with the Latino voters, boosted after his immigration announcement Friday, Republicans are not ceding the Latino electorate, focusing instead on how the country’s sluggish economy and high unemployment rate has been especially hard Latino voters.
Obama is Using Latinos As Pawns in His Game of Political Chess (U.S. News & World Report): President Obama surprised the political world with the rollout of his mini-DREAM Act. It had become another Etch A Sketch moment for the president, mostly because he had vigorously defended his inability to enact any similar executive orders due to constitutional constraints. The political chess move would render two objectives: getting those “Dreamers” protesting outside his campaign offices into the office as supporters, and also giving him a shield for his meeting this coming Thursday with Latino political powerhouse NALEO, where he had promised four years ago that he would enact comprehensive immigration reform. He could not just have walked into that convention empty handed.
Obama Immigration Policy Favored 2-to-1 by Likely Voters (Bloomberg): President Barack Obama is winning the opening round in the battle over immigration, according to a Bloomberg poll released today, putting Republicans on the defensive with his decision to end the deportations of some illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.
Was Obama’s move on immigration legal? Lawyers’ memo makes the case (Christian Science Monitor): President Obama’s decree to allow certain illegal immigrants to remain in the United States follows broad historical precedent, according to a memo prepared by proponents of the president’s move.
Obama’s Immigration Move Puts Pressure On Latino Groups To Deliver In 2012 (Huffington Post): After urging the president for years to push for immigration reform and to end some deportations, Latino voters and immigration advocacy groups now want to prove that it was worth the political risk.
New Asian immigrants to US now surpass Hispanics (Associated Press/San Francisco Chronicle): For the first time, the influx of Asians moving to the U.S. has surpassed that of Hispanics, reflecting a slowdown in illegal immigration while American employers increase their demand for high-skilled workers.
Cuban-American to head National Council of La Raza (Boston Globe): One of the nation’s foremost Latino civil rights organizations has selected for the first time a Cuban-American to chair its board. The National Council of La Raza was expected to announce Wednesday that Miami native and public relations guru Jorge Plasencia, 38, will lead its board. He is only the third non Mexican-American to serve in that role in more than four decades. Plasencia replaces Phoenix attorney Daniel R. Ortega.
