Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Tom Tancredo does some truth-telling
U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo has set the record straight 'bout Hispanics and the 2008 election. A sample:
As part of conservatives' sober assessment of the 2008 election, we need to take a close look at the so-called "Hispanic vote." I offer the following observations, which are based on the latest available exit poll data and respected voter surveys. The real problem goes much deeper than John McCain's inept campaign. We can and must do a better job of reaching Hispanic voters, but we can do that without pandering or compromising conservative principles.
1. Is there such a thing as the "Hispanic Vote"?
Yes and No. Hispanics do not vote as a bloc and their pattern of voting did not change radically in 2008, contrary to the hype and distortion coming from amnesty advocates like the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF). What changed was the number of Hispanic citizens who went to the polls in 2008, not their party allegiances. If you correct the voting data for income and education levels, Hispanics vote much the same way as other Americans of similar socio-economic status.
2. Was there a major shift among Hispanic voters toward the Democrat Party in 2008?
No, not relative to historical patterns of the past 20 years. According to the Pew Hispanic Center report on the 2008 election, the 67% of Hispanic votes that went to Barack Obama was within the norm for presidential elections since 1988. Bill Clinton got 72% in 1996 and Al Gore 62% in 2000. Thus, Obama's 67% was not a departure from historical levels. While Bush got 40% of the Hispanic vote in 2004, he got only 35% in 2000 and the Republican candidate in 1996, Robert Dole, received only 21%.
Read the rest here.
As part of conservatives' sober assessment of the 2008 election, we need to take a close look at the so-called "Hispanic vote." I offer the following observations, which are based on the latest available exit poll data and respected voter surveys. The real problem goes much deeper than John McCain's inept campaign. We can and must do a better job of reaching Hispanic voters, but we can do that without pandering or compromising conservative principles.
1. Is there such a thing as the "Hispanic Vote"?
Yes and No. Hispanics do not vote as a bloc and their pattern of voting did not change radically in 2008, contrary to the hype and distortion coming from amnesty advocates like the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF). What changed was the number of Hispanic citizens who went to the polls in 2008, not their party allegiances. If you correct the voting data for income and education levels, Hispanics vote much the same way as other Americans of similar socio-economic status.
2. Was there a major shift among Hispanic voters toward the Democrat Party in 2008?
No, not relative to historical patterns of the past 20 years. According to the Pew Hispanic Center report on the 2008 election, the 67% of Hispanic votes that went to Barack Obama was within the norm for presidential elections since 1988. Bill Clinton got 72% in 1996 and Al Gore 62% in 2000. Thus, Obama's 67% was not a departure from historical levels. While Bush got 40% of the Hispanic vote in 2004, he got only 35% in 2000 and the Republican candidate in 1996, Robert Dole, received only 21%.
Read the rest here.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Tuesday, December 09, 2008 
