Pelosi, Boxer star in TV ad telling Latino voters "don't vote"

Unflattering photos of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Sen. Barbara Boxer and California Rep. Maxine Waters play a central role in a new TV commercial created by a Republican front group, telling Latino voters to stay home on Election Day.

The Spanish-language ads, entitled "No Votes" ("Don't Vote"), are sponsored by a Virginia-based group that calls itself "Latinos for Reform."

Published reports indicate that the ads are the work of Robert Desposada, a Republican political consultant, former Republican National Committee director of Hispanic affairs and pundit on the Spanish language TV network Univision.

The ad focuses on President Obama's promise to pass comprehensive immigration reform and argues that Democrats have given Latinos nada, "nothing — not even a vote in Congress."

The commercial includes numerous unflattering photos of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Pelosi, Boxer and African American lawmakers who are embroiled in ethics controversies, including Waters, D-Los Angeles.

"They have no excuses," declares the ad. "Clearly, the Democratic leadership betrayed us."

The hard-hitting conclusion: "Democratic leaders must pay for their broken promises and betrayals....Don't vote this November. This is the only way to send them a clear message: You can no longer take us for granted. Don't vote."

Low Hispanic turnout could prove politically deadly to several endangered Democrats, including California's Boxer and Nevada's Reid. It also could ensure the defeat of Democrats in four competitive gubernatorial races: Bill White in Texas, Alex Sink in Florida, Jerry Brown in California and Pat Quinn in Illinois.

Democrats in the past have complained about Republican efforts to suppress minority votes. But this is a rare case where GOP intentions have been so open.

These ads targeted Latinos in Nevada, where Reid is locked in a tight race against Republican Sharron Angle. Pro-immigration groups immediately respond with fury.

"This is overt voter suppression, and it's ugly," said Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, a pro-immigration reform group. "It's precisely because of Sharron Angle's nasty attack ads on immigration and this latest voter suppression tactic that Latino voters in Nevada should vote. They comprise 12 [ercemt of the Nevada electorate, and a large turnout could prove to be fatal for Angle."

Check out the ad:

En Español





In English

Posted By: Richard Dunham (Email) | October 19 2010 at 01:04 PM

Latino vote 'critical' to Democrats in 2010, DNC Chair Tim Kaine says

Turning out Latino voters on Nov. 2 is vital to Democratic success in the midterm elections, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine said today.

In a telephone interview, Kaine said "it is critical" for Democrats to mobilize Hispanic voters from California to Florida.

"We will have a strong margin among Latino voters," he said. "Our challenge is to have a strong turnout."

Getty Images DNC Chair Tim Kaine

Polls have shown that Hispanic voters, unlike most other Americans, remain strongly supportive of President Obama. But Democrats worry that the turnout levels among Latinos will drop, threatening Democratic candidates in close races such as California Sen. Barbara Boxer and Jerry Brown the party's nominee for governor.

Kaine, a former Central American missionary who is fluent in Spanish, has been barnstorming across the country since Labor Day in an attempt to fire up the Democratic base. At a recent campaign stop in El Paso, Texas, he conducted a Spanish-language press conference.

"We're making the case to Latino voters that there are differences between the parties," Kaine said.

The former Virginia governor said the president's economic stimulus package and health-reform law resonate with most Hispanic voters while Republicans "are pledging to repeal it."

Obama's failure to win passage of comprehensive immigration reform is a disappointment to many Latinos, he conceded.

"There is a sadness that more has not gotten through on immigration," he acknowledged.

But he said Hispanics realize that despite the lack of legislative success, there is "a sharp difference" between Democrats and Republicans on immigration-related issues.

Posted By: Richard Dunham (Email) | October 11 2010 at 03:00 PM

Calderon to address joint session

Mexican president Felipe Calderon will address a joint session of Congress May 19 amid drug violence in Mexico and a push by the Obama administration to enact an overhaul of immigration law. The immigration push is unlikely to get very far in Congress; despite much agitation, it is primarily a political payback to Latinos who are now a critical Democratic constituency.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a warm wlcome to "our neighbor and friend," looking forward to hearing his views on border towns and organized crime.

"Our countries may be separated by a border, but we share much in common -- our values of faith, family, and love of our respective countries," Pelosi said in a statement, noting that more than 12 percent of Americans are of Mexican ancestry. "Relations with Mexico are of utmost importance to the United States. President Calderon's address to Congress will provide us with a renewed opportunity to strengthen our bonds of friendship, discuss our shared challenges, and embrace common opportunities."

The last Mexican president to address a joint session was Vicente Fox in 2001. Former President George W. Bush made a big push to liberalize immigration laws but after the late Sen. Ted Kennedy joined with moderate Republicans to get a bill through the Senate in 2006, House Republicans refused to take it up. Instead they launched a broad political attack against illegal immigration. The Bush White House considered this a fatal strategic error that would doom Republicans to an eternal minority. Obama will do everything he can to cement that perception.

Posted By: Carolyn Lochhead (Email) | April 14 2010 at 02:06 PM

Maldo ready for Senate hearing

Senator Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria (Santa Barbara County) is gearing up for tomorrow's hearing on his confirmation to lieutenant governor, telling reporters today that he thinks his chances of being confirmed are good because he's been promised a "fair hearing."

But it's still not clear whether Legislative Democrats, who dominate both houses, are feeling quite as charitable. Maldo will appear before the five-member Senate Rules Committee at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday; it's not clear when or if a vote will occur in either the full Senate or Assembly.

Still, Maldonado appeared upbeat on a half-hour conference call today, painting himself as a post-partisan guy who will work for the people of California, not any political party.

Among his comments:

--Echoing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maldo said his focus would be "jobs, jobs, jobs." He promised to be the state's "promoter-in-chief" (i.e., bringing and keeping jobs here) and "expediter-in-chief" (to cut through red take to create jobs).

--Standing apart from Schwarzenegger, who has proposed new drilling off Maldonado's Central Coast district (the money would be used to keep state parks open), the Senator said he would continue to vote against the project, known as T-Ridge, as it stands. But he indicated he would be open to a tweaked proposal:

"I voted against it twice and I will continue to do so as lieutenant governor as the project comes to the State Lands Commission," he said. "The proposal doesn't provide sufficient guarantees ... that the platforms will come down."

--Responding to comments by California Democratic Party officials (including chairman John Burton) who are urging Dems against confirmation:

"The people of California are sick and tired of people trying to grow parties instead of growing California," he said. "I'm not going to be lieutenant governor for Republicans and Republicans only, I'm going to be lieutenant governor for the people of California, and that includes John Burton, and I'm going to do what's best for all the people."

Posted By: Marisa Lagos (Email, Twitter, Facebook) | February 02 2010 at 03:34 PM

Maldonado and Schwarzenegger: a match made in heaven

It was a love fest at this morning's news conference in East Los Angeles, where Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger re-announced that he is appointing Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria (Santa Barbara County) to the vacant lieutenant governor position. We say "re-announced" since the governor, in true form, made the official announcement Monday during the taping of the Jay Leno Show.

"This is like a marriage--- the Senator and I have been soul mates from the beginning," Schwarzenegger said when asked about the evolution of the two men's relationship. "The more I got to know him more I really liked what he stood for. Not because he's a Republican, not just because he has crossed the aisle, but his family values, and as much as he loved the state of California, as much as he always quoted his father and his mother, what they taught him and his grandfather and all of those kind of things. And he's a hardworking man."

Schwarzenegger went on to note that the two have differences, just like spouses do: "It's never perfect all the time."

Things weren't quite as chummy in the capitol, where Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, put out a statement raising concerns about the cost of appointing Maldonado, 42. Steinberg noted that a special election will be necessary to fill his senate seat, at a cost of up to $2 million, and also that voters will fill the lieutenant governor position in just a year. He didn't elaborate on whether he would block the appointment (we have a call in, but should note that Maldonado's departure could get the Democrats closer to a two-thirds majority in the Senate.)

"Rather than using taxpayer money to pay for an avoidable election, it may be wiser to use that $2 million to defray recent fee increases in our higher education system. For example, $2 million would significantly reduce the Winter/Spring 2010 fee increases for UC students, or it would cover the recent $6 per unit increase for 333,000 course units for community college students," he said.

Back in LA, there were some poignant moments, with both the governor and Maldonado reflecting on the significance of the Latino senator's appointment. Schwarzenegger's office said, if confirmed, Maldonado would be the first Latino Republican in more than 134 years who has held a statewide office. Maldonado also spoke about his family, noting that his father, a bracero, came to the U.S. from Mexico in the 1960s where he met his mother, a farm worker.

"If (people) think there are limits on dreams, take a look at me. There is no limit to how you can dream," he said. "I will never forget who put me in office, the people of California, every person of California --- Latino, black, white, straight, gay."

And what about the way the appointment was made -- on a late night show? Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at University of Southern California, said the move could actually help Maldonado if, as expected, he runs for lieutenant governor next year.

"No matter how effective of a reelection campaign he runs, Abel Maldonado's name never will again be heard by as many Californians as it was last night," Schnur said.

Posted By: Marisa Lagos (Email, Twitter, Facebook) | November 24 2009 at 12:37 PM

Latino Leaders To Get Face Time With White House Big Wheels

When the nation's premiere organization of Latino political leaders meets later this week in Los Angeles, the group's members will be rubbing shoulders with some high-placed friends in the Obama Administration.

The annual conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, known to all as NALEO, will include a keynote speech by NALEO's former president, Adolfo Carrion Jr., now the White House Urban Affairs czar, and another by Cecilia Munoz, now director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, who used to work for a major Latino civil rights group, the National Council of La Raza.

There will be talk about green jobs with Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. There'll be panels on education, health care and immigration reform. And there will be plenty of training and mentoring for up-and-coming Latino elected officials.

But perhaps the most pressing matter this year will be a frank talk about the 2010 U.S. Census with Department of Commerce Undersecretary Rebecca Blank. Ensuring a complete count of Latinos -- who have historically been among the undercounted -- is important to NALEO because the primary purpose of the census is to draw electoral district boundaries and apportion political representation.

And, though he's not running for governor, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will be in the house.

Posted By: Tyche Hendricks (Email) | June 22 2009 at 05:05 PM

All smoke, no fire

Every interest group in the Sotomayor non-drama has put on its costume and is busily acting out its part, even though everyone already knows how the play ends. The nomination is the biggest non-story in Washington.

Conservative interest groups have to claim that Sotomayor is the worst thing since Harriet Meiers, oops, make that David Duke, oops, make that Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who turned out to be something less than the end of the Republic after all. But what would a conservative activist be if not indignant and outraged?

Liberal interest groups must pretend that Sotomayor's nomination is a dangerous gauntlet that puts the Bill of Rights on the line, otherwise they too would be out of business. Hence the high dudgeon over the attacks on the world's first Latina Supreme Court pick, carefully balanced by the wondrous pretence that Newt Gingrich was incorrect when he uttered the truism that any white male judge who claimed special wisdom based on his race and gender would be automatically disqualified.

The Senate must show that it is carefully vetting the nominee, even though the only question is how many Republicans will vote to confirm. Meanwhile, the White House is cranking out press releases demonstrating that President Obama has picked the most modest and moderate judge ever, because when it comes to judging there are no liberals or conservatives, only people who care.

By the way, Sotomayor is not harsh or abusive toward lawyers, heaven forfend that a lady raised in a South Bronx housing project would be anything but genteel, and don't ask why male judges -- say Antonin Scalia -- are not called harsh and abusive when they grind lawyers into hamburger.

The news media would of course be newless without manufacturing twists and turns in the straightest path toward confirmation since the pre-Borkian era. Will Republicans try to postpone hearings to the fall to leave all that August air time free to stir up their shrinking base, last seen hunkered down in the northeast corner of Arkansas? Will any conservative Democrats who represent, say, the northeast corner of Arkansas, peel off? Today we read, and we won't say where, "Speculation has grown that Sotomayor could win confirmation easily."

Posted By: Carolyn Lochhead (Email) | June 04 2009 at 08:14 AM

Latino foundation honors a granddaddy of philanthropy

It's fitting that San Francisco's Latino Community Foundation should be honoring Herman Gallegos at its gala this week. The foundation is cultivating a new generation of Latino philanthropists. And Gallegos, who is 78, is really the abuelo of Latino philanthropy.

A pioneer who helped start a number of national and local Hispanic civil rights groups, Gallegos also was one of the first U.S. Latinos to serve on some heavy-weight corporate and foundation boards. Not only that, he wrote the book (literally) on Hispanics and the nonprofit sector (way back in 1991).

The foundation's gala evening con sabor Latino is as much about generating fun and buzz and a sense of community as it is about charitable giving. The Thursday event at the Westin St. Francis will feature Brazilian dancers, Mexican vintners and cuisine from Cuba and Puerto Rico.

But the group is serious about fundraising. It's attracting youthful Latinos to a "young professional giving circle." And it's making $250,000 in grants this year, the most ever. With three out of 10 Bay Area children Latino, the foundation has focused on the health and well-being of kids. Last year's grants went to: community health centers in Oakland and San Francisco: pre-school and afterschool programs in Berkeley, San Francisco, Morgan Hill and Novato; and parenting education projects in San Rafael, San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond and San Jose.

The foundation is still small. But Gallegos, who's been in on the ground floor of small and large organizations, is quick to point out that size isn't everything. As he told The Melting Pot: "If they can stimulate our community to give and volunteer, then it becomes part of the American fabric that gives this country strength."

Posted By: Tyche Hendricks (Email) | March 23 2009 at 04:03 PM

Lou Dobbs apologizes to Hispanic Chamber (VIDEO)

Well, he apologized. For "mis-speaking."

Last week CNN talk show host Lou Dobbs railed at President Obama for choosing the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as the venue for a March 10 speech on education. "The wheels appear to have come completely off" the White House, said Dobbs. That's because the chamber "is effectively an organization that is interested in... Mexico's export of drugs and illegal aliens to the United States."

Uh, here. You'd better listen for yourself:

Seems the chamber didn't take too well to that characterization. On Monday, the business group demanded a retraction from Dobbs and CNN for the "defamatory" statement.

"To suggest that it is out of place for President Obama to speak on a national issue before our organization, or any Hispanic group, is just absurd," said David C. Lizarraga, chairman of the Hispanic Chamber's board.

On Tuesday Dobbs went on the air and apologized "for that mis-speaking." But he said he stood by his belief that the chamber supports an "open borders" policy and that such a policy would facilitate illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

Here's a link that includes a clip of Dobbs' retraction.

Posted By: Tyche Hendricks (Email) | March 19 2009 at 06:03 PM