Hope vs Fear

by: Duke Reed

Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 00:14:53 AM EST

Hope trumps Fear ... Unity trumps Divisiveness

something we should remember as we move forward.

Richardson lays it all out

by: Duke Reed

Tue Nov 04, 2008 at 15:18:23 PM EST

This IS the big story the pundits and chattering classes will be talking about once the results are in.

New Mexico: An Immigrant Voter's Story

by: rachelfirm

Tue Nov 04, 2008 at 13:25:43 PM EST

Veronica Lozano is a first-time voter in Santa Fe, NM. Born in Califonia, but raised in Mexico, Lozano came back to the US eight years ago. Lozano said she didn't vote in the last presidential election because she didn't know how the electoral process works and she didn't ask anyone to help her. This year Somos un Pueblo Unido, a civil and immigrant rights organization in Santa Fe, NM, was able to register, and give her a ride to the Early Voting Site in the Santa Fe County Clerk's office, in Santa Fe, NM.

Visit Community Values Vote to see the inspiring video of Veronica telling her story.  

Dispatches from the Lunatic Fringe

by: Duke Reed

Mon Nov 03, 2008 at 13:10:32 PM EST

Warning that "police departments across the nation are going on high level tactical alerts for election day and the day after,"  Gheen assures his followers that his internet "command post" will "remain functional .. in the event of any major national man made or natural disaster"

One can imagine Gheen spending Nov 5th scanning the skies for the black helicopters he's sure will be circling his home any minute.

I have just one word of warning for Gheen's army of the aged:

When he starts talking about selling all your worldly possessions and moving to the "new compound" in the hills of Montana, don't accept the new white Nike's and black sweat suits

.... And whatever you do, stay away from the purple kool aid

Auntie Zeituni: a symbol of everything wrong with immigration debate.

by: Duke Reed

Sat Nov 01, 2008 at 18:44:05 PM EDT

The details couldn't be juicier for the right-wing, red-meat crowd. She over-stayed a visa. Attempted to get asylum status due to the tumultuous state of her native country but was denied. Lives in public housing and donated a small sum to her nephew's campaign.  Presenting a veritable cornucopia of right-wing stereotypes and frames from which to attack Obama, the wingnuts appear to be having a field day.

From the left, the counter arguments have been varied. Marc Ambinder of  The Atlantic argues that the story will have little effect swaying independents towards McCain, while Liza Sabater of Culture Kitchen and  Zachary Roth of TMP Muckracker  examine the grubby little hands of Rupert Murdoch and Karl Rove all over the smear campaign.  At The Sanctuary, Kyle argues against the nativist framing in how the story's been presented and calls for Americans to stand up against intolerance.

All of these arguments are good ones, but they each only represent a single aspect of the big picture that is the story of Auntie Zeituni.  

Obama's message to be broadcast in Spanish

by: Duke Reed

Mon Oct 27, 2008 at 22:24:20 PM EDT

The Barack Obama campaign will air a Spanish-language version of its 30-minute infomercial on Wednesday night on Univision, the highest-rated Spanish language television network.

"Barack Obama: Historias Americanas," or "Barack Obama: American Stories," will air at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time (7 p.m. Central and Mountain time), the same time the English-language version airs on CBS, Fox and NBC. Democratic Miami Mayor Manny Diaz announced the arrangement during a conference call with reporters.

... The campaign also announced that it will continue to air three Spanish-language ads through Election Day: An ad about the senator's education proposals called "Oportunidad" that is already on the air, another ad called "Por Encima," which delivers Obama's "closing arguments" and desire to "rise above" attacks made by Republicans and the McCain campaign, and a two-minute direct-to-camera message delivered by Obama in Spanish only, a first for any presidential candidate.

That ad, "Sueno Americano" or "American Dream," will air in Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico and Virginia, the first time the campaign will air Spanish-language television advertising aimed at Old Dominion Latinos. The ads will air in the Washington, D.C. market, which includes Northern Virginia.

Washington Post

This past weekend, a shorter, early version of the two-minute ad was leaked to the press, giving us a preview of Obama's linguistic skills and message:

"We have a dream that if you work hard, your family can prosper. That if you get sick, you'll have health insurance. That our children can get a good education. If you're rich or poor, this is the American dream. I'm asking for your vote, not just for me and the Democrats, but also in order to continue that American dream, for you and your children."

Mum is the word...

by: AliN

Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 23:29:56 PM EDT

Less than 3 weeks to go till Election Day and mum is the word when it comes to immigration.

Yet, looking at the mathematics of the likely voter, it is increasingly clear that Hispanic, Asian and other new immigrant voters will play a significant role in the race to the White House. In 2006, more than 15 million naturalized immigrants were eligible to vote – this will be their first presidential election. Record interest in attaining citizenship will increase that population by more than ten percent by November 4th.

Immigrant voters, magnified by Hispanics for whom the immigration debate influence their ballot box decision, are likely to determine the presidential election in four of the six states President Bush carried by five percentage points or less in 2004: New Mexico, Nevada, Florida and Colorado. These voters will also influence the outcome in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan—all vital states for winning the presidency.

President Bush realized the importance of the immigrant vote, and the issue of immigration reform. Over the course of the past 8 years, President Bush delivered primetime speeches on four topics: The War, The Economy, Hurricane Katrina and Immigration Reform.

The war in Iraq and the spiraling economy deserve top tier discussion and debate, and they have received it in the current contest for the White House. Disaster relief – and the treatment of the poor by our government – has been addressed (although, I would argue, not enough).

However, for the candidates and the media to brush under the carpet of nationally televised debates an issue that underlies nearly every domestic policy issue is irresponsible. Quite simply, the candidates and the media have ghettoized the immigrant community and the issue of immigration, which, in English at least, has been ignored.

Tomorrow We Vote - Tomorrow's almost here

by: Duke Reed

Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 20:01:07 PM EDT

Two and a half years later, no such legislation has passed, replaced instead by a toxic and divisive debate that has led to increased raids, illegal detentions, hate crimes, and the very climate of fear and intimidation the marchers took to the streets to oppose. These events have galvanized the Latino community like never before and set the stage for what could be a seismic shift in the American electorate.

Recently released data on voter registration points to the dawn of a new political reality.    

Latinos Breaking Heavily for Obama and Democrats

by: ragemail

Sat Oct 11, 2008 at 20:28:26 PM EDT

Elizabeth Dole's problem with racist ally

by: Duke Reed

Thu Oct 09, 2008 at 22:49:21 PM EDT

The ad opened with a statement from Johnston County Sheriff, Steve Bizzell, claiming that, "the Politicians talk and talk about Illegal Immigration, but Senator Dole actual did something about it" then proceeded thought a montage of accolades from numerous members of the North Carolina's law enforcement community.

But now Bizzell, who Dole portrayed as a simple sheriff trying to "deal with the criminal toll of illegal immigration," has revealed a much nastier side to his quest to deport North Carolina's estimated 400,000 undocumented immigrants.

What the hell is wrong with the McCain campaign?

by: Duke Reed

Mon Sep 29, 2008 at 12:55:15 PM EDT

But what could possibly be the rationale behind having someone working for your campaign who thinks likes this:

The spokeswoman for the Republican Party in Nevada's most populous county was removed from her post Saturday, after she said the Democratic Party made black people "dependent on the government."

Didi Lima, the Clark County GOP communications director, also was removed from her volunteer role as a Hispanic community liaison for Republican John McCain's presidential campaign over the remarks made earlier in the day while working at a McCain campaign booth.

"We don't want (Hispanics) to become the new African-American community," Lima told The Associated Press. "And that's what the Democratic Party is going to do to them, create more programs and give them handouts, food stamps and checks for this and checks for that. We don't want that."

"I'm very much afraid that the Democratic Party is going to do the same thing that they did with the African-American culture and make them all dependent on the government and we don't want that," she said.

In August, Lima was named co-chair of McCain's Nevada Hispanic Leadership Team, which aimed to reach out to a crucial voting bloc in a state where polls show McCain in a dead heat with Barack Obama.

AP

These remarks are not the result of a casual slip of the tongue, or an innocent display of political incorrectness. These are the words of someone whose racist worldview goes so deep to the core of their being that it flows out of every pore of their body.  

Like fellow McCain spokesman, Fernando C de Baca, who claimed, "Hispanics consider themselves above blacks (because) Hispanics came here as conquerors. African-Americans came here as slaves.", Lima  demonstrates through her willingness to share this hatred publicly that she is so poisoned by the disease of racism that she can no longer even recognize it as it spews out of her twisted soul.

Of course, the McCain camp quickly disassociated themselves from Lima, and removed her from any position of power.

But the real question is ....How many more like Lima and de Baca are still lurking around the corridors of camp McCain?  And perhaps more importantly: How is it that McCain's campaign was unable to recognize this kind of sickness and hatred in the first place, and what does that say about a possible future McCain administration?

So called "Grassroots Hispanic Group" endorses McCain

by: Duke Reed

Wed Sep 24, 2008 at 00:19:14 AM EDT

It seems that a "Hispanic" advocacy group was weighing into the fray with not only an admonishment of both candidates dirty little war of words ...but an endorsement of Sen. McCain.

In fact this "grassroots" group picked up on McCain's discredited "Obama killed reform with poison pill amendments" statement as one of its chief reasons for throwing their support behind the Arizona Senator:

"It's time to turn down the rhetoric and the highly-charged television commercials, and get down to the real facts," said Jose Nino, Co-Chairman of the Hispanic Alliance for Prosperity Institute. "Voters deserve to know the truth on the critical issue of immigration eeform, and let the chips fall where they may."

"While Senators John McCain and Barack Obama both have expressed their support for the doomed bipartisan immigration reform compromise that Congress rejected this Session, only one  candidate remained true to his commitment -- John McCain.

"Virtually every Hispanic organization from the League of United Latin-American Citizens (LULAC) to the National Council of La Raza has recognized that Sen. John McCain risked his entire political career by defying much of his Party and supporting comprehensive immigration reform, including a Guest Worker Visa program.

"Barack Obama, despite his promises of support, was absent from much of the debate on the compromise, then turned his back on the proposal, siding instead with organized labor on a series of 'poison pill' amendments that even his supporter, Sen. Edward Kennedy, opposed. Among the proposals Obama supported were amendments that would have cut the number of Guest Worker Visas in half, and would ultimately have killed the program after just five years.

"In the heat of the campaign, overheated rhetoric and campaign promises should never eclipse the truth - and when it comes to comprehensive immigration reform, the truth is that Sen. McCain has shown courage and leadership, while Sen. Obama, despite his promises, ultimately sided with those who oppose comprehensive reform."

HAP Institute Press Release

I had heard the views of many of the leading Latino and pro-migrant advocacy groups who were involved in last years negotiations over reform, and knew for a fact that they were not standing by McCain's re-writing of history. I wondered exactly who this Hispanic Alliance of Prosperity (Progress) Institute was.

A quick look at their webpage showed that this was unlike any Latino advocacy group I had seen before.  

After the spanish air wars- can we please get down to business?

by: jackie @ americasvoice

Mon Sep 22, 2008 at 02:10:37 AM EDT

Last week was a bit surreal. The McCain campaign launched a Spanish-language ad whose premise was so absurd that we were forced to respond with our own video and petition.

The video, "McCain: Champion or politican on Immigration?" asked the question: will McCain finally stand up and be the champion he once was on immigration reform, or has he already folded to his own Party's severely anti-solution Platform?

Frank Sharry, Executive Director at America's Voice and a long-time force in the comprehensive immigration reform movement, delves deeper into last week's Spanish-language ad wars:

It's really too bad that John McCain has backed away from his earlier leadership on immigration reform. Unfortunately, he felt that he had to pander to the anti-immigration elements of his own party to become their nominee. But to turn around and try to blame Obama and the Democrats for the failure of reform--after his own party blocked the bill in 2006 AND 2007--is breathtakingly false.

Unfortunately Obama's response ad, also in Spanish, raises some credibility concerns of its own. The Obama ad tries to link John McCain to right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh, a foe of immigration reform, and uses some salacious quotes from Limbaugh to stir the pot.

So Obama's campaign was not blameless in last week's Spanish ad wars, stepping over a line that didn't need to be crossed to make a point. If they'd wanted some "choice" quotes from anti-reform activists, they needed only scratch the surface to find these "gems":

"On the other side, you have people who hate America, and they hate it because it's run primarily by white, Christian men. Let me repeat that. America is run primarily by white, Christian men, and there is a segment of our population who hates that, despises that power structure. So they, under the guise of being compassionate, want to flood the country with foreign nationals, unlimited, unlimited, to change the complexion pardon the pun of America. Now, that's hatred, too." Bill O'Reilly, "Bill O'Reilly" radio show, May 29, 2007, speaking about people who wanted to ease restrictions in a Senate immigration bill

"So invasive species like mollusks and spermatozoa are not good, and we've got a federal judge say, 'You can't bring it in here,' but invasive species in the form of illegal immigration is fine and dandy bring 'em on, as many as possible, legalize them wherever we can, wherever they go, no matter what they clog up. So we're going to break the bank; we're going to bend over backwards. The federal judiciary is going to do everything it can to stop spermatozoa and mollusks from coming in, but other invasive species? We're supposed to bend over and grab the ankles and say, 'Deal with it.' ... We're not going to be able to bring 'em in now, but invasive species that, say, on their own power and of their own desire and volition cross the border and come here, we can't say diddly-squat about it." - Rush Limbaugh, "The Rush Limbaugh Show," April 1, 2005

So where do we go from here?

Here's what we've offerred as a "Memo to the Candidates on Immigration":

Two aggressive immigration ads later, we're no closer to talking about real solutions to the broken immigration system. As stated in today's New York Times editorial, "Meanwhile, the Bush administration keeps raiding factories and farms, terrorizing immigrant families while exposing horrific accounts of workplace abuses. Children toil in slaughterhouses; detainees languish in federal lockups, dying without decent medical care. Day laborers are harassed and robbed of wages. An ineffective border fence is behind schedule and millions over budget. Local enforcers drag citizens and legal residents into their nets, to the cheers of the Minutemen."

We at America's Voice would like to offer this challenge to both candidates: Be honest with us. Use the time remaining in your campaigns and the upcoming Presidential debates to tell us your plan for immigration reform. How will you design it, how will you pass it into law, and how will you implement it [...]

Now there's a crazy idea- let's quit the name-calling and get down to business. For instance, Senator McCain has yet to respond to The Sanctuary's questionnaire on immigration reform and other issues that Latino voters care deeply about.

As organizations and grass-roots activists across the country join together to turn out the immigrant and Latino vote in unprecedented numbers this election, we hope that both Parties will heed this call:

Seriously, it's about time the candidates started talking about immigration again. But now, can we talk about it seriously? 

Obama boxes McCain into a corner: The Spanish language air wars

by: Duke Reed

Fri Sep 19, 2008 at 01:49:11 AM EDT

With polls numbers showing McCain's support amongst Latinos somewhere in the Bob Dole range, and crucial swing states like Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Florida starting to slip out of range, the McCain camp decided earlier this week to go on the offensive and try to cash in on his long abandoned credentials as an immigration reformer....but it may turn out to be the biggest mistake of his campaign.  

Obama's response to Sanctuary survey released - still waiting for McCain: UPDATED

by: The Editors

Thu Sep 18, 2008 at 19:32:58 PM EDT

Since the deadline for responding to The Sanctuary's questionnaire on immigration reform and other issues of concern to Latino voters has long passed without any word from the McCain campaign, today we are releasing in full the responses graciously provided to us by Senator Obama.

While our original intent was to present a meaningful side-by-side comparison of the policies and positions of all presidential candidates in order to better inform voters, Senator McCain's unwillingness to answer our questions, or to go on the record with his positions on the specific details covered in the questionnaire, has made this impossible. Senator McCain's reluctance is all the more troubling in light of the fact that his previously published positions, available on his website, appear to directly contradict those in the official platform coming out of the Republican National Convention earlier this month. This has left many of us who are concerned about immigration reform at a loss to know exactly where the Senator actually stands on vital issues.

The editorial board will address the specifics of Senator Obama's responses in a forthcoming post, which will include a thorough analysis of his positions ... which in some cases are troubling and raise serious questions about his commitment to true change of the current immigration paradigm.

But without Senator McCain's responses for comparison, for the time being we release Senator Obama's survey without commentary, to let his words speak for themselves.

-Obama's responses after the fold -

ACT NOW: Latinos and Other Minorities Being Disenfranchised

by: ragemail

Mon Sep 08, 2008 at 15:53:03 PM EDT

Democratic Platform - Immigration Plank: The good, the bad, and the ugly

by: Duke Reed

Mon Aug 11, 2008 at 18:04:23 PM EDT

As expected, it's a mix of both good and bad.

On the good side there is a commitment to take up comprehensive reform within the first year, a plan to regularize the status of the 12mil undocumented migrants already living in the US, an acknowledgment that conditions in sender nations that foster increased migration must be dealt with, a reaffirmation of the commitment to the principles of family based immigration, an increase in the number of available visas, and a call to fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy.

On the bad side, the platform is still mired down in the language of enforcement and criminalization that marked previous failed efforts at reform.

Calls for increased border enforcement and security as a means to regulate migration, and promises of getting tough on those who "disrespect the law", while perhaps smart political theater, are not constructive ways to address a broken immigration system, and only add to the divisive and dehumanizing nature of the debate.

While mentioning the devastating effects of  "raids that are ineffective, tear apart families and leave people detained without adequate access to counsel", the platform falls short of actually denouncing those raids and either calling for their end, or at the least, requiring a moratorium on them until reform is taken up and passed.

Additionally, with the fingerprints of centrist pollsters and spinmeisters all over it, it's notable to see the language shift from one of providing undocumented migrants the "opportunity" to become full members of society, (as has always been the verbiage) ... to "require(ing) them to come out of the shadows and get right with the law" ...this is no small difference.  

While meaning essentially the same thing as a matter of policy, to require one to get "right with the law" implies an inherent criminality....and illegality  ...again fueling the same dehumanizing frames that have led to increased violence and hatred directed at immigrant populations.

Lastly, there are the labor aspects of this platform. While claiming to take a tough stance against those employers who exploit undocumented workers, the platform falls somewhat short of guaranteeing real protections for both native and immigrant laborers. It specifically targets those employers who fail to pay minimum wage...but makes no mention of a living, or prevailing wage.  

This is an important distinction ...to allow employers to pay immigrant workers a minimum wage, when it is far bellow the prevailing standards, is no less exploitive  or destructive than failing to pay minimum wages for those jobs that warrant it.

While this platform is a decent starting point from which to proceed forward...it leaves too much to be desired as a declaration of leadership on this issue.

..but we are yet to see how the Republican's cobble together an immigration plank that satisfies it's anti-immigrant base while still allowing their standard-bearer a modicum of self-respect and credibility. ...it should be quite a trick

text of immigration plank after the fold

McCain still refusing to clarify position on immigration

by: Duke Reed

Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 20:42:47 PM EDT

Since securing his party's nomination back in March, McCain has toned down some of the more strident rhetoric that marked his noticeable shift towards the right on the issue during the primary contests, yet he still remains firmly planted on the fence when it comes to discussing the specifics of what  his presidency would mean in terms of immigration reform.

According to the winds of political expediency, or the particular interest group he's speaking to on any given day, he's vacillated between claiming himself a champion for comprehensive reform on one hand to disavowing any connection to his previous legislative attempts to repair our nation's broken immigration system on the other.  

This has left those on both sides of this thorny debate scratching their heads, wondering where the legendary "straight talker" stands on this vital issue.

While taking every opportunity to meet with Latino leaders to assure them of his commitment to "all God's children" and an immigration policy that reflects our tradition of being a "nation of immigrants",  he has yet to explain in any meaningful way what the specifics of a McCain immigration policy would look like.

And for good reason .... It would force him to finally explain to both his anti-immigrant Republican base, and the general public that favors comprehensive reform, exactly where he stands on the issue ...risking alienating one of those constituencies.

In June, the editors of The Sanctuary, a multi-ethnic community of on-line activists concerned about migrant rights, human-rights, and immigration reform, asked the major presidential candidates to respond to a detailed questionnaire concerning their positions on the specific aspects of immigration policy.

After more than a month, the Obama campaign responded with a detailed response to the lengthy survey ...The McCain campaign has remained mum. ...Well not exactly mum:

"The first phone call I placed was answered cordially.  I was told that someone would get back to me.  I never heard back from anyone," said  The Sanctuary editor Kety Esquivel of CrossLeft.org who has appeared on CNN to discuss the questionnaire.  "The second time I called, the person I was  speaking with hung up and the third time I called the line was disconnected."

Obviously McCain wants to stonewall as long as possible before being held accountable for his various positions on this issue.

While those of us on the left, or representing the broader Latino community, deserve to know McCain's real stance on immigration prior to Election Day, so too do those on the opposite side of this debate. He can no longer continue to talk out of one side of his mouth to one important constituency while saying, or implying, the opposite position to another.

In this momentous election season, marked by a new kind of politics that shuns the old ways of the past and gives hope for a truly meaningful national dialogue and debate on the great issues of the day, it's unfortunate to see that Mr. McCain is still mired down in the old politics of the past, and refuses to live up to his legendary position as a maverick and supply the American people with a healthy dose of  "straight talk" when it comes to immigration reform.

MORE FROM THE BLOGTOPIA™

Deadline passes and McCain campaign refuses to answer Latino bloggers' questionnaire- From Latina Lista

Missing McCain - No Answer To The Sanctuary's Questionnaire - From American Humanity

Obama Campaign Responds to Quesionnaire on Immigration. McCain Camp Can't be Bothered - From Vivir Latino

Obama Campaign RespondsS To Survey On Immigration Reform/Public Policy, McCain Campaign Silent - From CrossLeft

McCain still refusing to clarify position on immigration - From Migra Matters

Obama Responds to Immigration Policy Questions, McCain Avoids Them - From Standing Firm

Sanctuary Press Release - Obama Answers Questionnaire, McCain Ducks - From Zuky

McCain Neglects the Pro-Migrant Blogosphere - From Citizen Orange

McCain Won't Even Feign Concern for Latino Community - From The Unapologetic Mexican

Obama Campaign Responds To Immigration Reform Survey While McCain Campaign Remains Silent - From ¡Para Justicia y Libertad!

McCain Dodges Immigration Issue As Feds Advertise Voluntary Deportation Program - From The Huffington Post

So Much For McCain's Outreach To Latinos - From Firedoglake

View complete survey after the fold    

The Sanctuary still waits for answers

by: Duke Reed

Tue Jul 15, 2008 at 13:41:15 PM EDT

We're still waiting.....

[Update by Manuel] CNN transcript below the fold

Watching McCain's Speech at the San Diego NCLR Conference

by: kyledeb

Mon Jul 14, 2008 at 16:50:23 PM EDT