Obama’s belated Hispanic outreach

[Duekster]

I found this interesting.


Written by Clara Reyes.
Thursday, 26 June 2008

Three weeks ago, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Joe Baca got a phone call. Some 18 months into his presidential campaign, Senator Barack Obama wanted to meet with caucus members.

The meeting, attended by some congressional Hispanics, occurred last week. It was the first time they’d been invited to meet personally with the Democratic presidential nominee.
Late last week, Obama’s campaign announced a forthcoming ad blitz on Spanish-language TV and radio stations and a “significant increase” in Spanish-speaking staffers.
It’s no wonder Hispanic voters – about nine percent of the national eligible electorate -- are either unfamiliar with the candidate or look on his belated courtship as arrogantly self-serving.

A lack of familiarity among Hispanic voters isn’t the only sticking point. There’s the thorny matter of Obama’s voting record; his lack of executive and foreign policy experience; and his longtime association with a clergyman many perceive as an unpatriotic, racist extremist.

While drawing his $169,300 annual salary to represent the people of Illinois on Capitol Hill, Obama’s missed nearly half of all votes in the 110th Congress. (Colorado’s Senator Ken Salazar hasn’t missed any, and New Jersey’s Senator Robert Menendez has missed only 11.)
Obama has so far cast only 339 votes, while Salazar and Menendez have cast 592 votes and 581 votes, respectively, on bills concerning national security; funding for war, farmers, national disaster relief and domestic violence programs; and federal court appointments.

Many Hispanics, who are characteristically patriotic and account for about 10 percent of U.S. military personnel, distrust Obama’s patriotism while relating to McCain, a decorated war veteran and former prisoner of war. And they point to Obama’s longtime association with Reverend Wright, seen on TV this spring calling on God to damn America.
Many Hispanics are also familiar with McCain’s sponsorship of comprehensive, humane immigration reform despite strong party opposition and long before it was politically expedient. He crossed party lines to sponsor one immigration reform bill with Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy.

http://dosmundos.com/welcome/index.p...25&Ite mid=69



It does not sound good for Obama and the Hispanic voters from the sound of this Kansas City Spanish News Paper.

[Fiz]

with all do respect to whatever paper that is, national polling is not consistent at all in that.

That's not great news for the presumptive Democratic nominee, given all the factors seemingly weighing against the Republican Party (most obviously President Bush's in-the-tank approval ratings). But Obama should be heartened by a new poll that focused solely on Latino voters in 21 states.

The survey, conducted by Pacific Market Research and political scientists at the University of Washington, found Obama's level of support approaching what Democratic presidential candidates -- until the 2004 election -- had come to count on.

Obama swamped McCain in the survey, 60% to 23%, with 16% undecided. The poll's margin of error was plus-or-minus 3.5 percentage points.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/wash...f-latinos.html

I haven't found the cross tabs for it (they may not have posted it), but it's consistent with a gallup poll from may


so either that paper just has an agenda, or they're woefully incompetent.

[Fiz]

ahahaha, never mind.

You posted an editorial from some uninformed author with an axe to grind.

[Duekster]

So he is within shouting distance of what Gore got. We have a winner!

I did not say Latinos nor did she, would not vote democratic, as they always have, what she is saying is Obama is running a little late on looking at them as a fair share don't trust him and Obama has not pulled all of those that have voted for Hillary. We don't want to talk percentages again.

[Fiz]

Originally Posted by Duekster

So he is within shouting distance of what Gore got. We have a winner!

Gore had massive support from the hispanic vote that any candidate would die to have.

I did not say Latinos nor did she, would not vote democratic, as they always have,

you said it doesn't sound good. Unless you're insinuating that it doesn't sound good because they ARE going to vote for him, I can't imagine what you're talking about.

what she is saying is Obama is running a little late on looking at them as a fair share don't trust him and Obama has not pulled all of those that have voted for Hillary. We don't want to talk percentages again.

I'm saying that her opinion is ignorant and uninformed, as polling overwhelmingly shows.

[cookinwithgas]

Duek,


What the hell do you care about this for?

[AKPantherFan]

[Duekster]

Originally Posted by cookinwithgas

Duek,


What the hell do you care about this for?

You are right! I don't.