L.A. Mayor Predicts GOP Effort to Woo Hispanics Will Fail

WALL STREET JOURNAL

By Peter Nicholas

August 28, 2012

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/08/28/la-mayor-predicts-gop-effort-to-woo-hispanics-will-fail/

Democrats predicted on Tuesday that the Romney campaign will fail in its efforts to woo Latino voters by showcasing some Republican Latino elected officials and giving them speaking roles at the party'’s presidential convention this week.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, appearing at a morning news conference just a few blocks from the Republican convention site, said that President Barack Obama might receive as much as 70% of the Latino vote in November, topping his showing in 2008.

"“You can'’t just trot out a brown face or a Spanish surname and expect people are going to vote for your party or for your candidate," Mr. Villaraigosa said.

Republicans have given a prime-time speaking slot Tuesday to Texas Senate candidate Ted Cruz. Other prominent Latinos scheduled to address the convention include Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez.

Romney spokesman Ryan Williams dismissed the assertions at the Democratic news conference, calling them “false and baseless attacks against Governor Romney.” He went on to say that “the Obama campaign cannot defend a record of broken promises and failed policies. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have a plan to strengthen the middle class by creating jobs and turning around our economy.”

Mr. Villaraigosa ridiculed a GOP platform plank that advocates policies meant to persuade illegal immigrants to “return home voluntarily.” GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, speaking at a Republican debate in January, used another term for that approach: “self-deportation.”

“"Window dressing doesn'’t do much for a candidate,"” Mr. Villaraigosa said. "“It'’s your policies; your platform. This is a party with a platform that calls for the self-deportation of 11 million people. … What country in the world has ever deported 11 million people?”"

The mayor said the GOP governing blueprint looks less like platform from 2012 than from “1812.”

In the '’08 campaign, Mr. Obama won 67% of the Latino vote, according to exit polls. A recent Wall Street Journal-NBC News-Telemundo poll showed Mr. Obama leading Mr. Romney among Latinos 63%-28%.