The Hill : Karen Finney : "Whether here legally or not, every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, not scapegoated as some kind of “other.”" - Supporting President Obama

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The Hill -
Latinos needed to win -
By Karen Finney -
May 09, 2011

Latinos needed to win


Some excerpts :

Until there is a nominee, the hopefuls have no hope of trying to control the divisive immigration rhetoric from congressional Republicans, which could contribute to a loss in the general election. Efforts to narrow the definition of what it is to be an American with measures that take away our birthright of citizenship, or suggestions from legislators like Virgil Peck in Kansas to hunt illegal immigrants like the hog population, don’t help the party’s reputation as being hostile to minority groups. The presidentials also know that while it is possible to win in gerrymandered congressional districts, you simply cannot win a national election without some support from black, Latino or other groups. As John McCain well knows, being pushed to the right during a primary can have disastrous consequences; he lost the Hispanic vote by a 2-to-1 margin.

House Republicans have tried to use immigration to drive a wedge between the black and Hispanic communities by pushing the flawed message that illegal immigrants are to blame for high unemployment among blacks — while ignoring the fact that these same Republicans vote against job training and affirmative action while supporting tax breaks for the very corporations that ship American jobs overseas.

The president is right to call on the grass roots for support. We should hold the GOP accountable for its rhetoric using the standard set by our Constitution: that all are created equal with inalienable rights — so whether here legally or not, every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, not scapegoated as some kind of “other.”

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