The Republican Party needs to build a relationship with the Hispanic Community in the United States. The Democrats have exploited class warfare to obtain Hispanic voter support but it needn't be that way.
The GOP has failed the Hispanic community in a number of politically important ways. They have refused to reach out to Hispanics at a grassroots level – a failure that began to surface in the south western states during the 2008 election. They have not punctuated the premise that Hispanics and conservatives share many of the same moral precepts – a component vital for a genuine and lasting alliance. And they have failed to address the fabricated image of being the party of and for the rich. If Republicans expect to capture more of the Hispanic vote in future elections, they need to take these problems seriously and resolve them quickly.
According to the 2003 U.S. Census Bureau, the national median income level for Hispanic households was $34,241, about $15,000 less than non-Hispanic households; 21% of Hispanic households fell below poverty level, which was twice the level of non-Hispanic whites; and the uninsured rate for Hispanics was at 32%, about three times the level of non-Hispanic whites. The statistics suggest that the Hispanic community continues to be an underprivileged demographic, a fact that has been exploited by the Democrat Party for decades.
The most recent example of class exploitation was fueled by Politico's interview with John McCain when they asked how many homes he had owned, an answer he deferred to his staff. Notwithstanding, Obama exploited the gaffe defining McCain as out of touch with working families. Taking a similar cue, the AFL-CIO hurried out bulk mailers that highlighted McCain’s wealth and a presumed inability to identify with the working class.
This example is no exception to the rule of liberal politics. By dividing the nation into a neat, rich-poor dichotomy, Democrats have taken a play from the Marxist handbook. During hard times, they use their media accomplice to overstate crises in order to mobilize the proletariat masses for radical change. In particular, business owners take the brunt of the onslaught. They are not viewed as those who provide jobs and financial stability to working families; they are the “other” that routinely manipulate, harass, and greedily exploit their employees for unadulterated profit.
In November of 2008, Barack Obama secured 67% of the Hispanic vote, besting John Kerry's 59% four years earlier. The disparity has caused many to reconsider the Democrat Party's continuing success with Hispanic voters; a notable achievement despite fundamental differences in their traditional values like faith, family, and freedom. In particular, foreign born Hispanics stand to be the more serious problem for the GOP. This demographic represents 33% of all Hispanic voters, and they are 50% more likely to register as democrats.
The statistics above suggest that conservatives need to formulate a good plan of attack to address the Hispanic community. The first step ought to include a widespread grassroots effort to make a meaningful connection. Distant or lazy marketing will not work, but rather reinforce the stereotype of GOP elitism. Just as discussion is easier among those who share interests, a grassroots effort can only work by expressing and reinforcing common values.
As it stands, conservatives and Hispanics share a culture of Christian faith, the right to life, a traditional family structure, and a solid work ethic. If the Christian faith is the common connector, then it's logical that a grassroots effort is best served at church-sponsored gatherings. This means that conservative politicians need to reach out to Hispanic pastors who are willing to serve as a liaison to congregants – not to promote a particular candidate, but to provide greater clarity to a politician's moral and civic positions. Importantly, politicians ought not to wait for election season to get familiar with Hispanic groups. They should be treated like part of the family. This means that when Hispanic non-profits or other community organizations invite politicians to events that are mutually beneficial, Democrats shouldn't be the only ones showing up. This is one of the more disturbing problems in GOP leadership today.
The second stage of attack should include a focus on exposing democrats for their role in class exploitation; in particular, their assault on those who provide jobs. It is often said that the GOP is the party for the rich. This is not true. The GOP is the party for entrepreneurs and businesses; this distinction is important and should be reinforced. Entrepreneurs and small businesses turn the economic wheel, not unions and not government.
Each minority group has developed their own unique hang up with the GOP. For African-Americans it is racism, and for Jews, Christianity. These obstacles are deeply ingrained into their collective conscience through family and culture, and they are not likely to go away soon. For Hispanics, however, their loyalty to the Democrat Party is not deeply ingrained through family or culture, but is rather a response to the behavioral tendencies of the GOP and an unchallenged stereotype grounded in class divisiveness.
Far too long, the democrat party has divided our country for political power. A populist message designed for the unlearned ear can only be defused by proper education and wise marketing. But this must occur at a local grassroots level. Hispanics need to know that there is someone in their corner, providing them with the right tools to fight against today's adversity. With liberals at the helm of Congress and the White House, there isn't a better time than the present to fight for the soul of the Hispanic community.
As long as Hispanics as a group generally see themselves as a victim class, they will be exploited for votes by the party of the victim class – the Democrats. Same goes for other minority groups (as well as majority victim groups, like “the poor”, or union workers, etc) who tend to vote Democrat. Blacks were emancipated by a Republican president hauling the nation into Civil War and affiliated themselves with the Republican party for decades. That is, until the Democrats sold them on the fact that they were a victim class and therefore entitled to free goodies off the backs of the victimizer class. People are much more easily swayed by perpetual victimhood combined with the promise of something for nothing than by being treated like adults. The unfortunate thing for conservative and libertarian ideology is that it treats everyone equally. That is not what Hispanics, or blacks, or Asians, or any other self-identified socio/ethnic/religious group wants. They want a hero to swoop down and elevate them above others. The group who tells them that they deserve to be elevated above others and promises to elevate them above others is the group that will win their votes. “We’ll give you an equal shot at success, just like anybody else” doesn’t go down as smoothly as “You have been victimized, we will avenge you by taking from *insert convenient leftist scapegoat here* and giving it to you instead”.
Aaron,
Notwithstanding the many excellent points you present on the subject, there is one factor in the national elections which you fail to acknwoledge directly, namely empathy with illegal Hispanics. My own direct, personal conversations with illegals and their friends and acquaintances in the immediate community reflected a pereception at the time that Obama, if elected, would somehow initiate a sanctioning of their presence and, more expeditiously than McCain, facilitate their transition to legality. The very bonds of family which you accurately identify as a chief value among Hispanics also expanded a favorable dispostion among the the wider Hispanic community toward expedited citizenship. Coupled with another belief among the less educated, that greater public largesse would somehow also be bestowed upon the “less privileged” members of their community following Obama’s election, the Democrats successfully achieved their majority status among Hispanics.
Sorry, typo: “acknowledge.”
“The GOP has failed the Hispanic community in a number of politically important ways.”
Maybe so Aaron, but one thing I noticed in the recent past was the appointment of Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General and his subsequent ouster. Where were the cheers from the Hispanic community when he was appointed and where were the objections when he was attacked by the Democrats?
Having worked in Mexico and met many fine people, I’m somewhat amazed at the perception of Americans toward Hispanics and visa-versa. Democrats have painted Mexicans and all Hispanic people as an underprivileged race and many have embraced this image. I see only three races in this world, blacks, Asians, and whites. Mexicans obviously fall into the later group, being mainly a mixture of Spanish and Native American. Native Americans having descended from those who crossed the Bering Straight some 12,000 years ago also enjoy the DNA of most so called whites. So, what makes these people different? Is it the self-imposed disrespect of the English language and thereby an implied disrespect for English speaking Americans? I did not find this within Mexico! The problem of the GOP is also the problem of Hispanics. If each side wants progress then they both need to open up to each other and fight for the values you speak of together.