Congressman Labrador Talks About Growing up in Puerto Rico and Economic Mobility

During a speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Labrador (ID-01) detailed his upbringing in Puerto Rico and the economic mobility achievable through hard work. He also discussed the truth about America’s unemployment figures.

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New Census Figures Show Higher Hispanic Poverty Rate

The Pew Research Center just reported on new U.S. Census data that provides an alternative measure of poverty “that uses a wider range of factors than the official federal measure to determine poverty status.” According to Pew:

“When the alternative measure is used, a greater share of Hispanics in 2010 lived in poverty than any other group. By contrast, when using the official poverty rate, a greater share of blacks in 2010 lived in poverty than Hispanics or any other group. Even so, no matter which measure is used, Hispanics make up nearly three-in-ten of the nation’s poor-28.6% under the official poverty measure and 28.7% under the SPM.”

Read the data from Pew Research Center here and the full report for more detailed information on the Census figures.

The new poverty data will play a role in the larger political landscape and in this election environment. No matter which group is living at a higher rate of poverty, the sad reality is that too many Americans are living under the poverty line. This is unacceptable in America, the leader of the free world. Fixing the economy and addressing poverty, should and MUST be a major issue in this election cycle.

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California Hispanics Criticize Obama Failures at White House Latino Summit

Over the weekend Hispanics in Southern California scolded President Barack Obama and the White House for their failure to fix the economy. Obama administration staff have traveled the country hosting “White House Hispanic Community Action Summits” in a last-ditch effort to repair President Obama’s tarnished image among Latinos before the 2012 election.

White House officials were expecting to give speeches and “educate” Latinos on the “positive” impacts Obama’s policies have had on the Hispanic community. Yet, many Hispanics in attendance at the summit were not in the mood to be lectured. They wanted to be heard and wanted answers to their problems. The harsh reality for most Latino families is that life has gotten harder since Obama took the White House.

Hispanics are facing a higher than average unemployment rate, have been hit hardest by the recession and are in the group hit the hardest by poverty. Hispanic children have the highest rate of poverty in the nation.

The White House Latino event was held at the University of California Riverside in the Inland Empire, where Latinos compose over 40% of the area’s population. The Los Angeles Times reported on the summit:

“The economic wounds from the recession remain raw in a region where fortunes plummeted with the crash of the housing market and construction industry. Once a haven for Latino immigrants looking for housing construction jobs, unemployment now hovers around 14% in San Bernardino County and 13% in Riverside County.

“This just can’t be an exercise in politics. It can’t be, a region gets checked off and we move on,” said Paul Granillo, president of the Inland Empire Economic Partnership, a coalition of the region’s businesses, government and nonprofit groups. “The challenges that face us are severe.”…

Nationwide, the Latino unemployment rate is just over 13%, compared with the national average of about 9%. Nearly a quarter of the 51 million Latinos in the U.S. live in poverty, compared with 15% for the nation as a whole.

San Bernardino, a city where Latinos account for 6 of every 10 residents, has the second-highest poverty rate among the nation’s major cities. A U.S. Census report released in September showed that 34.7% of city residents live below the poverty line.”

During the event the White House tried to point to the successful passage of health care reform as a highlight of the administration. Though some Hispanic activists do not see the legislation as a victory.

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Three Myths About Capitalism (VIDEO)

The failing economy is making many question the American system of government and economics. Some blame capitalism, others put the blame on government regulation. Here is an interesting video from LearnLiberty.org featuring  Dr. Jeffrey Miron of Harvard University addressing the three common myths about capitalism.

“Is being pro-business and pro-capitalism the same? Does capitalism generate an unfair distribution of income? Was capitalism responsible for the most recent financial crisis? Dr. Jeffrey Miron at Harvard answers these questions by exposing three common myths of capitalism.”

H/T to Hispanic Alliance for Progress.

If your hungry for more, read Jon Stossels “Myths About Capitalism” at Reason Magazine.

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Latino Youth Struggle To Succeed

The economy and education continue to be the top issues in the Latino community. Some headlines to read, in case you missed it….

• L.A. TIMES: Children of immigrants hit an economic ceiling (California)

  Facing a tough economy, even the well-educated Latinos find it tough to earn middle-class wages, and some end up in the farm fields where their parents toiled to give them better lives.

  “Many young Americans are finding themselves worse off than their parents were at their age, without jobs or working below their skill and education levels. The unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds is 17.4%, up from 10.6% in 2006.

  The situation is even tougher for children of immigrants, such as Romero. Their parents paved the way by working tough jobs so their children could get an education and secure their place in the middle class. Now, with middle-class jobs disappearing, many children of immigrants are settling for the jobs their parents did, even if they are better educated.

  “We’ve never had so many American-born working in the fields,” said Joe Del Bosque, the Central Valley farmer who hired Romero and other laborers like him to pick melons. “Farm work is usually the big step for some people to push their kids into the American Dream.” READ MORE
  

• NPR:  Students Born To Illegal Immigrants Sue Over Tuition (Florida)
  

“A class-action lawsuit has been filed in Miami by Florida residents being charged out-of-state tuition rates to attend state colleges and universities. The students are American citizens — children who were born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants — and they say Florida’s regulations violate their constitutional rights.” READ MORE

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President Obama: Three Years Later

In 2008 Barack Obama swept into office with people hoping for “change.” Three years later, with the economy failing and high unemployment, many Americans are thinking, this isn’t the change we wanted…. With the 2012 elections approaching, many people are asking the famous question first posed by Ronald Reagan “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”

In a recent interview with George Stephanopoulos, President Obama honestly answered the question saying that Americans “are not better off than they were four years ago.”   Watch this new video from the RNC.

H/T to Byron Koay and Josh Sharp.

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GOP Hopes to Win Latino Votes in Colorado

President Obama’s failed policies have provided Republicans in Colorado a unique opportunity to attract Latinos to the GOP.

Hispanics have become disenchanted due to Obama’s broken promises on immigration reform. Life under an Obama administration has become harder. Latinos in Colorado are dealing with 13.2 percent unemployment, well above the state average of 8.7 percent. In addition, a record number of Latino children are living in poverty, and Hispanic have been hit the hardest by the recession.

About 20% of Colorado’s population is Hispanic, and represent about 13% of the state’s eligible voters . In 2008, Obama won three out of five Colorado Hispanic voters, with over 87 percent of registered Latino voters turning out on Election Day. Yet, today many of those same Latinos don’t think Obama should be re-elected. The latest Gallup poll has President Obama’s approval rating among Hispanics down to 48%, the lowest of his presidency.

Seeing an opportunity, Republicans are mobilizing their grassroots efforts and engaging Latino voters on the issues. Many see Hispanics as a natural constituency in the GOP. “We are pro-legal immigration, pro-family, pro-entrepreneurial and pro-free-market principles,” said Madeline Rohan, Chairman of the Colorado Hispanic Republicans.

Read more at The Denver Post: “Colorado GOP outreach to Latino voters bets on voters’ disenchantment “

“…Republicans are taking a page out of the Democratic playbook and, for the first time, aggressively courting Latino voters as they organize for what will be a knock-down fight for Colorado’s nine electoral votes in November 2012.

“I recognize the political realities of the changing demographics of the state,” said Ryan Call, Colorado’s GOP state chairman, who has appointed several Latinos to his executive committee. “Reaching out to our Hispanic neighbors is absolutely critical if we hope to be successful.”

Newly formed conservative Latino groups are huddling over messages on the economy, education and immigration. National super-PACs are dumping money into Colorado’s Spanish-language radio and television stations.

And GOP operatives here are brandishing spreadsheets of dismal Latino unemployment rates by state, pointing out that, at least on paper, people are worse off now than they were four years ago…”

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News Round-Up: Immigration and the GOP Candidates

In case you missed it….a quick round-up of top headlines focusing on Hispanics and the GOP:

• RIGHT WING NEWS BLOG: Interviewing Rick Perry On Illegal Immigration (National)RWN has a rare interview with the three-term Texas Governor and current GOP Presidential candidate on his record on immigration. “Texas is an agriculture-friendly border state, and its population is roughly 37% Hispanic. In a state like that, where the Texas version of the DREAM Act was genuinely popular on both sides of the aisle, you can’t realistically expect a governor to compile an ideologically pure record on illegal immigration. So with that in mind, the real question becomes what can we expect from Rick Perry on the issue if he becomes President? That question had yet to be answered — until today. .. If you’re wondering where Rick Perry stands, after reading this interview, you will know…. “

• FOX NEWS: GOP Debate: Immigration, the Issue that Won’t Go Away (National)

“Immigration…was conspicuously absent in a debate that focused almost exclusively on the economy. That was a far cry from previous debates, when the topic nearly stole the show….”

• FOX NEWS LATINO: With Univision Snub, GOP Candidates Seek Other Venues for Reaching Latinos (National)

As many GOP candidates have decided to boycott the Univision GOP debate due to questions about the Spanish-language network’s journalistic integrity, many are asking what will the Republican candidates do to connect with the growing Latino electorate, much of which still gets their news in Spanish. “Analysts say Republicans will need to make an impression on Latino voters one way or another. They urged the candidates to broaden their outreach, instead of relying on one-shot debates to make an impact … But a Republican effort to connect with Latino voters outside the debate stage has at least begun. Last month, the newly formed Hispanic Leadership Network held a two-day conference in New Mexico aimed at ramping up efforts to engage Latino voters on “center-right” issues.”

• AEI:  Stop Bickering Over Illegals, Focus on Legal Immigration Reform (National)
  

An intriguing policy proposal from the American Enterprise Institute on how to deal with immigration. “More than 30% of the scientists and engineers in Silicon Valley who have helped America stay at the cutting-edge of technological innovation are foreign born. One-quarter of the Americans who have won Nobel Prizes have been immigrants, even though immigrants comprise just one-eighth of the U.S. population. With the U.S. facing the risk of a double-dip recession, an immigration policy that attracts skilled workers will help revive the ailing economy and provide American businesses with the highly productive workers they require. The private sector has been asking for such reform for many years; now is the time for the U.S. government to start helping, not hindering, American industry.

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News Round-Up: Immigration & Romney, Boycotting Univision

In case you missed it….a quick round-up of top headlines focusing on Hispanics and the GOP:

• AD AGE:  To Reach Latino Voters, Forget Immigration Issue and Do Ads in Spanish (NATIONAL)
  

Great piece with lots of juicy stats on Hispanics and the Latino electorate: “…Hispanics represent about 9% or 10% of the electorate, but in key states can make up 12% to 16% of voters, and as much as 35% of the voting population. And they’re not as interested in the immigration issue as politicians appear to believe they are.

“They’re more interested in the economy, jobs, education, government waste and higher taxes,” Mr. Mellman said. “Language is also important. A large percentage of the swing voters — one-third or more — is Spanish dominant. A relatively small group only watches English-language media, and even they think it’s important to advertise on Spanish-language media. They say that’s a sign of respect for their community.”

• FOX NEWS LATINO: Presidential Race 2012: Political Attention Turns to Nevada (Nevada)

Reacting to the accelerated GOP Primary calendar, the Nevada caucuses may move up to January, getting ahead of Florida. Nevada has a growing Latino population, and estimated 14% of eligible Nevada voters are Hispanic: “Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and Georgia businessman Herman Cain have been working Nevada for months in advance of the caucuses. They’ve hired campaign staffs, opened offices and assembled networks of volunteers. The other candidates are starting to follow, mindful of the huge fundraising and popularity bump that comes with winning one of the three states that kick off the voting.”

• Miami Herald: ‘Boycott Univision debate,’ Florida Republicans tell RNC (Florida)

Top Florida Hispanic Republicans are calling on the national GOP and their party’s presidential candidates to boycott a proposed Univision debate amid allegations that Spanish-language television network Univision tried to “extort” Sen. Marco Rubio. The GOP leaders sent this open letter to the Republican National Committee. READ MORE.

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Poll: Top Issues for Latinos – Out of Control Government Speinding

Straight from Politico’s Playbook, two new polls show major problems for Democrats and candidate Obama. Biggest take away from the data 1) Republicans have a MAJOR opportunity with Hispanics voters. 2) Confirms  that Latino voters are open to a conservative messages and want to reduce government spending.  3) Latinos want real reform to fix the broken immigration system, not just empty promises…  I’ll have my analysis, and some historical content later. For now, here is the data:

POLITICO: “ FIRST LOOK — SOBERING FINDINGS FOR DEMS IN 2 PRIVATE POLLS:”

1) THIS CYCLE’S BIGGEST SURVEY OF LATINO VOTERS: Campaigns and party committees are getting confidential briefings on the findings of a bipartisan poll for Univision of 1,500 likely Latino voters, conducted by Mark Mellman of The Mellman Group (a Democratic firm) and Dave Sackett of The Tarrance Group (Republican). About one-third of the interviews were conducted in Spanish, and the poll oversampled in CA, TX, FL, NV, NM and AZ. Playbook was provided an exclusive look at the findings:

–The research finds A SUBSTANTIAL HISPANIC SWING VOTE. Dissatisfaction with the country’s direction creates an opening for Republicans with Hispanics, and PERRY’S STANDING IN TEXAS REVEALS HOW WELL THE GOP CAN DO WITH LATINOS. 57% of those polled consider themselves Democrats, 19% Republican and 15% independent. But 43% call themselves conservative, 37% liberal and 20% moderate. Even 32% of Democrats call themselves conservatives!

–Get this: For SWING Latino voters, the top concern was “the federal gov’t in DC is wasting too much of our tax money,” just ahead of education, Medicare, deficit, “family values are in decline” and jobs. Their top issues mirror the top issues of other swing voters: “illegal immigration is out of control” was cited by 14%, compared with 17% for “politicians aren’t serious about real immigration reform” (participants could give multiple answers).

–The point to the campaigns is that Spanish-language ads can be run on the candidates’ primary message – it doesn’t have to be a separate Hispanic track. 30% of Latino swing voters watch mostly Spanish-language TV, and even English speakers consider candidates’ Spanish ads as “a sign that they respect the community.”

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