McCain's Immigration Dilemma | Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008

CAMPAIGN 2008
Power In The Pews
Arian Campo-Flores 10/7/2008 12:00:00 AM
A few weeks ago, Karl Rove, President George W. Bush's former chief strategist, paid a visit to the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, a man some have dubbed his Latino alter ego. As president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC—which includes some 18,000 evangelical churches across the country—Rodriguez is known as a powerful orator and a politically savvy operator. He also sits at the juncture of two groups that Rove has courted assiduously on behalf of the Republican Party: Latinos and evangelicals. "If you're the Hispanic Karl Rove, then does that make me the Anglo Sam Rodriguez?" Rove asked as they sat down for breakfast at the Hyatt Regency in Sacramento.
CAMPAIGN 2008
A New Latino Mix
Arian Campo-Flores 9/30/2008 12:00:00 AM
At a Puerto Rican community center in Orlando two weeks ago, a parade of Republican luminaries took the stage to plug their presidential candidate en español. "John McCain es nuestro amigo," said John Quiñones, an Osceola County commissioner born in Puerto Rico ("John McCain is our friend"). "El país primero antes que la ambición personal," declared U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez ("Country first before personal ambition"). There, too, were former Florida Governors Jeb Bush and Bob Martinez and current Governor Charlie Crist. When McCain himself arrived, he rattled off a litany of proposals tailored to the audience. He pledged his support for a referendum on Puerto Rican statehood. He eulogized the sacrifice of Latinos who served in the military. And he exalted the "cultural input" and "vitality" of Hispanics across the country. Then he concluded with the bottom line: "We have to win Florida."
The Real Economic Scorecard
Robert J. Samuelson 9/3/2008 12:00:00 AM
Just last week, the Census Bureau released its annual study of household incomes, poverty and health insurance -- often called the nation's "economic report card." Its hard numbers seemed to confirm how many Americans feel. Sure, we're prosperous, but prosperity is fraying. Except for the rich, living standards are stagnant. Poverty is up; health insurance coverage is down. Naturally, both Barack Obama and John McCain seized upon the report to claim that their policies would restore progress.
Viva Los Democrats!
Jessica Ramirez 7/24/2008 12:00:00 AM
There's no way to predict the real impact of Latinos in the 2008 race, but the campaigns are actively courting the voting bloc. In Thursday's poll by the Pew Hispanic Center, 66 percent of registered Hispanic voters say they support Democratic nominee Barack Obama while 23 percent stand behind Republican nominee John McCain. For Obama, the figures solidify the transition of Latino support from Hillary Clinton to his camp. For McCain, they suggest that making real inroads with this group may require a minor miracle. Obama not only has the support of traditionally Democratic Latinos, he also has the backing of 23 percent of Hispanics who identify themselves as Republicans and holds a significant edge among Latino independents. Those numbers have to worry the GOP in battleground states like Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and Florida. NEWSWEEK's Jessica Ramirez spoke to Mark Lopez, associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center, about some of the other voter trends in their latest report. Excerpts:
CAMPAIGN 2008
‘Your Vote Is Your Voice’
Jamie Reno 2/4/2008 12:00:00 AM
Enrique Morones, founder and president of the Border Angels humanitarian group, is the organizer of Marcha Migrante, the catalyst for the massive nationwide immigration demonstrations in the spring of 2006. This week in San Diego, Morones kicks off Marcha Migrante III, an effort to increase Latino registration and turnout in the 2008 election. Morones, who was born and raised in San Diego and in 1998 became the first American to be granted dual citizenship with Mexico, is a frequent subject of verbal assaults from anti-immigration groups and pundits. He has worked for corporate America, including a stint as a marketing executive for the San Diego Padres, and has strong opinions on all the 2008 presidential candidates and their outreach to Hispanics. He spoke to NEWSWEEK'S Jamie Reno about the campaign and the increasingly influential Latino vote. Excerpts:
CAMPAIGN 2008
Heaven Help Them Decide
Arian Campo-Flores
Going back to Ronald Reagan, the Rev. Wilfredo De Jesús—the senior pastor of a 4,500-member Hispanic evangelical church in Chicago—has pulled the lever for Republicans in presidential elections. "I always voted on the issue of abortion and the sanctity of marriage," he says. This time, though, Sen. Barack Obama's message of faith and social justice, combined with strident GOP rhetoric on illegal immigration, has persuaded him to endorse the Democrat. That switch illustrates the extent to which the Latino evangelical vote is in play—a development that could prove decisive on Nov. 4. Though polls show Obama beating Sen. John McCain among Hispanics as a whole by roughly 30 points, Hispanic evangelicals are a tougher sell. In 2004, 63 percent of them voted for President Bush.