Morning NewsTaco
Monday September 17, 2012
Romney to pledge to fix troubled U.S. immigration system (Reuters): Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will pledge to Hispanics on Monday that if elected he will fix the troubled U.S. immigration system in an appeal to a rising voter bloc that overwhelmingly favors Democratic President Barack Obama.
Romney to hit Obama on immigration in key speech (USA Today): Mitt Romney will vow to “permanently” fix the nation’s immigration system, as he courts Hispanic voters who are solidly behind President Obama. In a speech today before the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the GOP presidential nominee plans to stress themes of creating jobs, balancing the budget and building small businesses, according to excerpts of his remarks released by his campaign.
As Romney makes another push for Hispanic voters, rivals call foul (CNN): Mitt Romney’s speech Monday to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will include the promise to “permanently fix our immigration system,” the latest in a series of attempts to appeal to Hispanic voters, despite polls showing the Republican presidential nominee facing a sizable deficit among the key voting group.
Craig Romney says Mitt can relate to Latinos (Voxxi): Craig Romney is going door-to-door in several swing states next week and making the case that his father is one who will fight for Latinos. He finished campaigning for his father this morning in North Carolina as part of a Hispanic business roundtable. Next several weeks, Craig will be heading to Nevada, Colorado, Florida and New Mexico. Considering the heavy criticism surrounding Romney’s image among Hispanics, Craig is often sent as a top surrogate to woo Latino voters. He appears in Spanish language ads inviting the Hispanic community to get to know his father.
Hey Mitt, this is no way to win over Latinos (Los Angeles Times): Doesn’t it seem as if GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney might benefit from, well, a little distance from Mitt Romney? In recent days he’s demonstrated a certain knack for saying the wrong thing. Take, for example, Romney’s endorsement of U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) last week in Orange City, in which the former Massachusetts governor enthusiastically threw his support behind King, telling the crowd, “I want him as my partner in Washington, D.C.”
Latinos Believe in the American Dream, Poll Says (Fox News Latino): Even with an unemployment rate hovering at around 10 percent, a struggling economy and a slew of states implementing strict immigration law, Latinos still have faith in the American Dream, according to an exclusive poll released by Fox News Latino.
This Week’s Voting Rights Victories: Colorado and Florida Halt Their Voter Purges (The Nation): As we approach Election Day, the push back against voter suppression efforts is paying off. Innovative social media based registration schemes, coupled with legal victories may encourage more voters to participate in November. And while voting rights advocates remain “cautiously optimistic” about Pennsylvania’s voter ID Supreme Court heading, other states already have reason to celebrate legal victories. Here are some of this week’s voting rights updates—including some major triumphs.
Voter Registration Groups Racing Against Time In Post-Purge Florida (Reuters/Huffington Post): Voting-rights groups that virtually stopped registering voters in Florida for a year as they challenged the state’s new restrictions on elections now are scrambling to get people there registered for the Nov. 6 election.
Rangel: Texas’ voter ID, district maps battles continue (Amarillo Globe-News): Despite two recent setbacks for the state of Texas in separate federal court rulings, the hard-fought voting battles continue. But, at least for now, those prolonged fights have nothing to do with Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s decision to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse both lower court rulings.
Texas senator undaunted by federal court knocking down his voter ID law (Abilene reporter-News): A thumbs-down by a three-judge panel on the voter identification law he authored has not changed state Sen. Troy Fraser’s mind about the measure’s constitutionality and its need.
In Pennsylvania, Voting Rights on Trial—Again (American Prospect): Hey—remember Pennsylvania’s voter-ID law? The really strict one that could disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters? The controversy over the law died down in mid-August, when a commonwealth court ruled the law would stand. Since then, however, the voting rights advocates who’d filed suit appealed to the state’s Supreme Court. There, on Thursday, justices heard the case. But it garnered little in the way of headlines.
Activists Make Push To Get IDs To Pa. Voters (NPR): Earlier this summer, Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court upheld the state’s polarizing voter identification law. With Election Day nearing, the state’s Supreme Court is considering a challenge to that decision. But voting rights activists are taking no chances, and are now trying to put a million photo ID cards in the hands of residents.
Hispanic Heritage: Latino Contributions To American History (Huffington Post): The United States is a melting pot — a stew concocted from different flavors found around the world; a dish made to be savored. And Hispanic Heritage Month is a time when the country celebrates one of those ingredients: Latin flavor. So what’s there to celebrate?
U.S. Says Fast Pace Continues on Reprieves for Young Immigrants (New York Times): More than 82,000 illegal immigrants have applied for a two-year reprieve from deportation in the first 30 working days of an Obama administration program, and 29 have been approved, officials from the Department of Homeland Security said on Friday.
Arizona Immigration Law Opponents File Emergency Request (Bloomberg): Opponents of Arizona’s immigration law asked a federal appeals court for an emergency order halting enforcement of the “show me your papers” provision that had been left standing by the U.S. Supreme Court in June.
UCLA Shuts Down “DREAM” College (The New American): A branch of UCLA set up to educate illegal aliens and turn them into immigration activists won’t get off the ground. According to Fox News, the National Dream University, which plays upon the name of the failed DREAM Act amnesty for illegals, won’t open its doors, thanks to pressure from a lawmaker who didn’t think it was such a bright idea.
ICE employee arrested on illegal immigrant smuggling charge (Associated Press/Fox News): A Douglas woman who works for a federal immigration agency has been accused of using her home to stash illegal immigrants being smuggled into the U.S. A federal criminal complaint obtained by The Arizona Republic shows Stella Peterson was arrested Aug. 31 after three illegal immigrants were found in her Douglas home. She is charged with harboring illegal aliens for profit. Her son was also arrested.
Awards to honor Lochte, other Latino US Olympians (Associated Press/Yahoo): Ryan Lochte is among the Latino U.S. Olympians to be honored at this year’s ALMA Awards. Eva Longoria and George Lopez are returning for the third time as co-hosts of this month’s awards, which celebrate Latino achievements in music, television and film.
