Hispanics Won’t Buy Into GOP Spin
By Javier Gonzales / Chairman, Democratic Party of New Mexico on Fri, Nov 25, 2011

Last Monday, New Mexico GOP Chairman Monty Newman reminded us that Hispanics face a “harsh economic reality” (“Hispanics Want Real Solutions, Not Pandering”).

But that statement about the economic situation was the single accurate point in a baseless article asking Hispanic New Mexicans to support Republican presidential candidates. Newman clearly forgets that Republicans want to take us back to the exact same policies that created this economic reality.

Newman asks us to vote for the same Republicans behind a dangerous “cut, cap and balance” budget plan that would eliminate 700,000 jobs. Who would rather privatize schools than help students – one in four of whom is Hispanic – succeed. Who claim to represent Hispanic voters, but block responsible immigration reform, make it harder for us to vote, then try to keep us from voting them out of office.

New Mexicans need a president who fights for the middle class. That’s why we’re behind President Obama, who has helped put money back in the pockets of the middle class and made sure that all Americans – including Hispanics – have access to high-quality health care through the Affordable Care Act, which ensures all Americans are eligible for health insurance regardless of pre-existing conditions.

That’s not all the president has done for America’s Hispanic community. He kept his promise to make college more affordable for everyone by extending Pell Grants to 150,000 more Hispanic students. By helping so many of our talented kids continue their studies, he’s not just investing in New Mexico’s future, but in our country’s future.

And the message is getting through. Someone tell Monty that it’s important to read the whole poll before using it, because the very same Univision poll he quotes to prove that jobs are important to Hispanics also shows we overwhelmingly believe in President Obama’s efforts to create them. That’s why in this poll we picked the president over Mitt Romney (67-24), Rick Perry (68-21) and Herman Cain (65-22). I know Republicans think they can spin almost anything, but to take a poll that gives the president margins like those and try to spin it as bad news truly tests the limits of credibility.

By the way, did Monty really need a poll to tell him Hispanics care about job creation?

What Monty and the Republicans don’t get is this: Every Hispanic knows the path to prosperity centers on good-paying jobs, a fair playing field and the American promise of respect for the seniors in our community. Hispanics make up significant portions of our public and private sectors and still believe hard work ought to ensure success. Republican candidates either don’t recognize these facts or choose not to – either way is frightening.

Mitt Romney and the other Republican candidates would rather play partisan politics than put New Mexico’s middle-class Americans back to work.

President Obama knows we can’t wait for Congress to act. That’s why he has taken action to make it easier for college students to repay their federal student loans,and for homeowners to refinance their mortgages.

Here’s the bottom line, Monty: Hispanics, like all working-class families, are hit hard by Republican economic policies designed to favor the richest 1 percent. And in New Mexico Hispanics make up the majority of working-class families. If you really want solutions that will bring jobs, opportunity and economic relief to Hispanics in New Mexico, then you need to rethink your support of the obstructionist Republican Congress, and support our president in passing his much-needed economic programs.