The Democratic Party’s presidential candidates aren’t the only ones reaching out to Latinos, but they are doing a better job of it, as usual. The L.A. Times published a very good article by the Associated Press on this subject in today’s paper. Here are a few choice excerpts:
- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s political courtship of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa landed her an early, influential endorsement this week that highlights the intense competition among presidential candidates for support within the growing Hispanic population.
- Republican Mitt Romney has hired a Spanish-language media adviser in Florida. Democrat Bill Richardson, whose mother is Mexican, has made overt appeals to Hispanic voters, including announcing his candidacy in English and Spanish.
- Sen. Barack Obama and John Edwards are among the candidates devoting parts of their Web sites to Spanish speakers. And next week, Sen. John McCain will travel to Miami to deliver a speech on immigration, a site chosen in part because of the city’s large Hispanic population.
- In the national midterm election in 2006, Democrats recaptured a large part of the Hispanic vote — nearly seven in 10 Hispanic voters supported Democratic congressional candidates, exit polls found. But Republicans in several key states also did well, suggesting Latinos could be important swing voters in 2008.
I am told that L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa endorsed U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton in part because several of the folks who helped get him elected came from the Clinton machine. The fact that former President Bill Clinton and longtime friend Fabian Nunez also asked Villaraigosa to endorse Senator Clinton didn’t hurt.
The big news on the GOP side of the aisle is that T.V. star and former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson this week “asked supporters to begin collecting campaign donations June 4, after he files papers with the Federal Election Commission to establish a political committee to “test the waters” for a White House bid,” according to the L.A. Times.
Here are a few excerpts from the Times article:
- Thompson drew attention this month when he got crosswise with a prominent nemesis of conservatives, Michael Moore, over the liberal filmmaker’s recent trip to Cuba. After Moore scolded Thompson for his love of Cuban cigars and challenged him to a debate on healthcare, Thompson replied in a video where he brandished a cigar and suggested that Moore check into a mental hospital.
- The pressure for Thompson to run for president has been fueled, in part, by conservative Republicans who see the existing field of candidates as unreliable on key issues.
- Former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani faces criticism for supporting abortion rights, gun control and gay rights. Sen. John McCain of Arizona is viewed with suspicion because he strayed from conservative orthodoxy on campaign finance reform, tax cuts and global warming. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is now a solid opponent of abortion and gay rights, but has had to explain why he has changed position on those and other key issues over the years.
- But it remains to be seen if Thompson’s celebrity can be transformed into a durable campaign. He begins at a significant fundraising disadvantage, and his campaign message has yet to crystallize.”At this point, his popularity is more a tribute to the three guys out front than it is to him,” said David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union, who is affiliated with no presidential candidate.
I think the key question regarding Thompson is whether he can raise money after starting so late after the other GOP candidates left the finish line. The Detroit Free Press addressed this in an article today, “Thompson spoke on a conference call Wednesday to several dozen people who officials said committed to raising money for him. Participants said they were asked to raise $46,000 apiece, the $2,300 legal maximum from 10 couples or 20 people.”
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is always getting in trouble – usually for putting his foot in his mouth. His latest gaffe is priceless, and it falls more in the pratfall category.
He was riding in a car with
The overriding issue is who can revive our foreign policy so something can be salvaged from the lost war in Iraq.
Does Mitt Romney know how NOT to get in trouble? Cheese louise, his gaffes are never-ending… And boy do they give me a chuckle! I just can’t believe that he and Matt Lauer weren’t wearing seat belts, especially after Lauer criticized Corzine for doing the same.
I just have to wonder what kind of trouble Romney will find himself in next! ; )
I think you mean starting line. The finish line is where the race ends.
And of course no mention of Dennis Kucinich. The more the conservative Democrats try to bury him, the stronger he gets.
lost war? What does that mean?
#5 Cook:
I think lost means just that WE LOST.
This thing was an abortion from the start. Do you have any idea how much good could have been done w/ the 300B wasted there?
I love the fiscal conservatives who avoid the war subject. In one three month period alone we “lost” 100 Million dollars in cash. I mean lost as in misplaced, unaccounted for. Or perhaps stolen. By the way the 100M figure is one incident in a short period of time.
duplojohn
*Heck, OC lost 2.5 billion bucks
in a week….when Bob Citron was
around. OK folks, Thompson is
the Rabbit. His job will be to
unearth the most strident and non
consensus right wingers. He will
get no money….but enough to be
bugging! Thompson assures that
McCain and Romney will start to
lag behind…The real question is
whether or not Thompson would
accept the VP slot. If he turns
in down…Colin Powell just his
name dumped in the hat. Rudy and
Colin…will beat the Hillary and
Obama ticket….hands down!
So, lets talk about the what the
Dems call “the War!”…it was nice
to see that Cindy Sheehan has
surrendered and that Al Franken
wants to support the troops “while
they are there!”. Ugh…Al and
Hillary should be sewn at the hip!
Rudy, Fred, Colin, McCain and
even Romney….all say: “Ain’t
leavin….wouldn’t be prudent!”
$100 million dollars….that won’t
even cover the dog racing bets in
Iraq must less the Al-Sadr soccer
competitions. Obviously, we are
making headway…ya see? The
Int’l bankers have already
created IED Hedge and Derivative
Funds! Michael Moore calls them:
“Sicko!”
“Do you have any idea how much good could have been done w/ the 300B wasted there?”
#6 Do you have any idea how much good could have been done w/ same funds wasted on illegal Mexicans?
#*. The fight is over. With the new immigration laws coming out of Washington, get used to see all the newly empowered legal aliens. Just accept them as Jesus accepted you. Viva La Raza
“#*. The fight is over.”
Wrong!
The fight is just began.