Mustang
Gold Member
There's been a lot acknowledgment that swing voters (Independents and groups other than traditional political supporters) will determine the outcome of this (and future) presidential election(s).
To that end, it's usual for political parties to engage in outreach to swing voters by addressing issues that these groups find as a higher priority than the general electorate. After all, neither political party wants to be seen as tone deaf to a significantly large part of the electorate if that group could turn the election either for or against their candidate.
But lately, many people have noted that the GOP seems to be alienating significant segments of the electorate (women and Hispanics, for example) in its shift to the right. It's even more pronounced this year since the GOP nomination process is dragging on and the GOP hopefuls are engaged in an extended appeal to the GOP conservative base.
Well, it's one thing to bash unions when union membership numbers are down and still declining. But is it wise to alienate Hispanics which is the fastest growing segment of the population?
So, here's the question: Will traditionally conservative red states see a shift to Democrats and become either blue or purple states in national elections because Democrats are doing a much better job of outreach to Hispanics?
To that end, it's usual for political parties to engage in outreach to swing voters by addressing issues that these groups find as a higher priority than the general electorate. After all, neither political party wants to be seen as tone deaf to a significantly large part of the electorate if that group could turn the election either for or against their candidate.
But lately, many people have noted that the GOP seems to be alienating significant segments of the electorate (women and Hispanics, for example) in its shift to the right. It's even more pronounced this year since the GOP nomination process is dragging on and the GOP hopefuls are engaged in an extended appeal to the GOP conservative base.
Well, it's one thing to bash unions when union membership numbers are down and still declining. But is it wise to alienate Hispanics which is the fastest growing segment of the population?
So, here's the question: Will traditionally conservative red states see a shift to Democrats and become either blue or purple states in national elections because Democrats are doing a much better job of outreach to Hispanics?
"A lot of it was SB 1070 [anti-illegal immigration act] and what [Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio] was doing in our communities that really triggered it," Guevara tells Raz. "Also, tuition increases and a lot of our Dream Act students basically got kicked out of school because of a proposition that increased tuition significantly."
Critics say Arizona's new immigration law encourages profiling. Republican Sheriff Arpaio's office was cited by the Justice Department for "pervasive culture of discriminatory bias against Latinos." And the Dream Act, which proposes paths to citizenship for some undocumented children of immigrants, is largely opposed by Republican lawmakers.
The issues Guevara mentions among others mobilized so many people in western Phoenix that it eventually inspired a recent Time Magazine cover story.
"In the end, we witnessed the greatest grassroots effort in the history of Phoenix politics," Valenzuela says.
The success prompted the Obama campaign to send an operative to Phoenix to learn more about Valenzeula's game plan and how to apply it nationwide; Valenzuela says he believes Arizona is in play this election.
"The Latino voter turnout increased by nearly 500 percent in one particular district," he says, "but over the city of Phoenix, which is the sixth-largest city in the country mind you, it actually increased by over 300 percent across the board."
Latinos like the ones who voted in Phoenix people who had never voted before could turn out across the country in such numbers this year that they might hold the power to swing the presidential election.
The way things are looking now, that's bad news for Republicans.
"When I hear some of the policies and the rhetoric that's coming out of the GOP debates, I hear very little other than anti-immigration reform," Valenzuela says. "And those things bother me, personally, and I know that I'm not alone."
Who Will Win Over America's Latino Voters? : NPR
Latino Voters Favor Obama Over Any Republican Candidate Six To One
A poll released this week by FOX News Latino indicates that Latino voters favor President Obama over any other Republican candidate with a six-to-one margin.
Considering the results of the Latino Decisions/ImpreMedia survey last December -- in which, 27 percent of those surveyed said that the GOP was Being hostile towards Hispanics, while only 8 percent said the same of Democrats -- perhaps this comes to no surprise.
Latino Voters Favor Obama Over Any Republican Candidate Six To One (POLL)