In Arizona, Nevada and Texas, Enforcement Candidates Prevail despite Large Hispanic Populations

As I predicted in my blog yesterday, the relentless hype about an Obama amnesty that would “reward” Hispanic voters is off and running. Given what we know about the mainstream media’s liberal, pro-immigration, anti-enforcement bias and its flat out refusal to do its professional job of analyzing the facts and reporting fairly, any child could have made the same prediction.

Hispanic lobbyists and blatant congressional amnesty advocates like Senate Majority leader Harry Reid promise that amnesty will be one of President Obama’s first matters of business. Calling the Democrats the “party of diversity,” Reid said that plans are in place to bring up an amnesty bill early next year and that the Republicans would block it at their own “peril.”  [Reid Calls Democrats ‘Party of Diversity’; Vows to Pass Immigration Reform, Associated Press, November 7, 2012]

Hold your horses, Harry. In pre-election poll after poll, Americans including Hispanics responded that immigration is low their list of concerns behind the economy, jobs and education. Among respondents to specific immigration questions, 56 percent answered that securing the border is more important than granting legal status to aliens. A NBC Latino poll found that only 5 percent of Hispanics consider immigration an important issue and that 42 percent would vote for a candidate who has a different immigration position than they do.

Given the divided Congress, Obama doesn’t have deep political capital pockets. Deciding to spend a large amount of what capital he does have in a bitter battle over alien amnesty would be poor judgment indeed. Add in that Obama won only a razor thin margin of the popular votes. Out of 188 million votes cast, 59.9 million went to Obama versus to 57.2 million for Romney. The president did not get a mandate to enact controversial legislation like amnesty. Since 2001, all of the congressional debates about amnesty have been contentious, have cost some incumbents their jobs and have been defeated.

Concerning the “crucial Hispanic vote,”—the media noise that won’t die down—-here are some under-reported facts that belie the theory that Latinos reject enforcement-minded candidates.

1. In Texas, 38 percent Hispanic, Republican Ted Cruz won the Senate seat formerly held by Kay Bailey Hutchinson. Cruz, a NumbersUSA “true reformer,” ran on a platform of job and economic recovery.
2. In Nevada, 27 percent Hispanic, Dean Heller won his Senate race. Heller has an A+ NumbersUSA enforcement grade.
3. In Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the Hispanic lobby’s most reviled enforcement officer and biggest target, won re-election. The Los Angeles Times, no fan, called Arpaio’s victory in the 30 percent Hispanic county “convincing.” [Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Illegal Immigration Hardliner, Wins Re-election, by Joseph Serna, Los Angeles Times, November 6, 2012].

When the news angle is selectively chosen as it is when only amnesty proponents from Capitol Hill lobbyists and in Congress are interviewed, which is what the case has been   since the polls closed Tuesday, just one perspective emerges. To be sure, La Raza and the Reid are tough, relentless opponents. But our side is tough, too, as we have repeatedly  proven over the last years.

If Obama decides to go for amnesty, he should consider its miserable, decade-long failed track record and the steely, patriotic American opponents he’s up against.