Harsh Immigration Rhetoric Not Helpful to GOP Hopefuls

Austin American Statesman (Opinion By Ruben Navarrette): The Republican Party has dug itself an awfully deep hole with Latino voters. And every time a Republican talks about immigration, the hole gets a little deeper. That includes nearly all the 2012 Republican presidential candidates. They can't avoid talking about the subject because it keeps coming up in the debates. There are three reasons for this: Many Republican voters care about the issue; Gov. Rick Perry's opponents see it as a weakness for a front-runner they would like to portray as soft on illegal immigration; and the media enjoy the sight of Republicans clawing at one another, especially over an issue that makes most of them look dishonest, extreme and out of touch. I want to help. No, really. I want more Latinos to become comfortable with the idea of voting for a Republican — as long as it's the right kind of Republican. That is, someone with honest, moderate and common sense views on immigration. Though Latinos care about the economy as much as the next voter, the immigration issue is just as important because it helps define the relationship between Hispanic Americans and the political parties. If Republicans don't treat Latinos with respect when talking about immigration, they shouldn't expect Latinos to listen to what they have to say about other issues. The trouble is that most Republicans don't know how to make a good pitch. They don't even see the mistakes they're making. For them, the immigration issue is about right and wrong. Over the past few years, hundreds of thousands of people have been streaming across the U.S.-Mexico border without permission, and so they have to leave or be removed. It has nothing to do with someone's race, someone's ethnicity, or — as Perry was brave enough to admit during the Sept. 12 CNN/tea party debate — someone's last name. In fact, some Republicans are still fuming over how Perry handled the immigration issue at that event. Instead of begging forgiveness from the crowd for signing a bill in Texas that allows illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at colleges and universities, Perry defended the policy. The crowd hated it. But I would imagine that for many Latinos, the worst performance of the night came from Rick Santorum. And it helps illustrate where many Republicans go wrong in the broader immigration debate. Moderator Wolf Blitzer asked the former senator from Pennsylvania what Republicans could do to get the Latino vote. Santorum quipped: "Well, I mean what Governor Perry's done is he provided in-state tuition for — for illegal immigrants. Maybe that was an attempt to attract the illegal vote — I mean, the Latino voters." The self-described son of an Italian immigrant then went on to say that English should be the official language, and that — in a slap at multiculturalism — America is "a melting pot, not a salad bowl." Where to begin? Rarely has one man offended so many with so few words. First, the question was a serious one and something that Republican political consultants are wrestling with, so Santorum should have treated it with more respect. Next, it was insulting for him to confuse "the illegal vote" with "Latino voters," since the vast majority of Latinos in the United States are either U.S. citizens or legal residents. Santorum suggested that allowing illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition somehow helped Perry win Latino votes with no evidence to back it up. And he implied that U.S.-born Latinos determine their votes based solely on who gives what privileges to illegal immigrants. Also, he should never have used the word "provided" because it feeds the perception that programs like this are nothing more than a giveaway to illegal immigrants. Lastly, given that there are, especially in the Southwest, Mexican Americans who trace their roots in the United States back six or seven generations, it was inappropriate and condescending for him to lecture Latinos on the need to speak English and blend into the melting pot, as if they haven't already figured that out. What a disaster. If Republicans want to improve their standing with Latino voters in the 2012 election and beyond, they should learn from Santorum's example — and avoid following it.