Kicking Latinos to get white votes
Did Rep. Bob Beauprez do this intentionally? (Thanks Luis).
Late Wednesday, Beauprez's office issued an apology for his "poor choice of words" in comments to the Rocky Mountain News about what he called the "painfully slow" three-year time frame for extradition. "I've vacationed in Mexico before. I know exactly what 'Mexican time' is," the newspaper quoted him as saying.But earlier, the Arvada Republican defended his "Mexican time" comment to The Denver Post, saying, "That term's used in Mexico all the time. It means 'Time to kick back, or take it easy.' This is not the time to kick back or take it easy."
If so, he would be following a well worn path of California governors (both Pete Wilson and Arnold) of making themselves look unapologetically anti-immigrant and anti-Latino, and therefore increasing their share of the white vote. Luis tells more:
I think we need to consider the possibility that this so-called "gaffe" was part of a very intentional political strategy for 2006, which I'll call the Pete Wilson strategy after the governor of California who won re-election in 1994 in a campaign that was viewed as virulently anti-Latino and anti-Asian-American. That campaign was based on the idea that if Wilson could pick up 60% of the white vote, he would win no matter what. He picked up 61% and won. If you don't believe me, check out Pat Buchanan's argument praising Wilson's 1994 strategy and arguing that future GOP victories in California and nationally depend on mobilizing the white vote on the issue of immigration.
This is a sick way to do politics. Not only do the GOPers play racial politics to get votes, they also drive down turnout.
Emmett O'Connell | June 21, 2005 | Comment on This Post (6 so far) |
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Comments
It is people like Pat Buchanan who marvel at this as a strategy, and it is people with character who wish this kind of speculation didn't get any press time. It condones racism to those who feel the ends justify the means, anything to win.
Posted by: Gregor | Jun 22, 2005 2:54:21 PM
It is people like Pat Buchanan who marvel at this as a strategy, and it is people with character who wish this kind of speculation didn't get any press time. It condones racism to those who feel the ends justify the means, anything to win.
Posted by: Gregor | Jun 22, 2005 2:54:25 PM
oops. Stuttered there.
Posted by: Gregor | Jun 22, 2005 2:55:21 PM
The Pete Wilson strategy may have permanently damaged the Republican Party in California. See http://www.gilroydispatch.com/opinion/contentview.asp?c=161878
Wilson may have won his battle, but he cost the GOP the war. California had voted for Democrats for president in only two of the previous eight elections, but it has now gone Democratic in the last four. What’s more, Schwarzenegger’s election in the 2003 recall marks the only time since Wilson’s 1994 victory that a Republican won a top-of-the-ticket race for either governor or the U.S. Senate. The steadily-increasing Latino vote decided many of those races - including Sen. Barbara Boxer’s victory last year over Republican Bill Jones. Governor Schwarzenegger is falling in the polls. Remarks about sealing the border may be partly responsible. See the link above and http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-cap23jun23,1,6607657.column?coll=la-headlines-politics Only 37% of registered voters approve of Schwarzenegger's job performance, a free fall from 65% last September. That's comparable to Gov. Gray Davis' unpopularity at the low point of the energy crisis. Moreover, an anti-immigrant campaign pits two GOP constituencies against one another. Business needs and wants the immigrant labor. The social conservative base feels threatened by it.
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