Latin Times
By Cedar Attanasio
September 18, 2015
Ohio
Gov. John Kasich likes the service he gets from Hispanic workers. At
the second GOP debate in Simi Valley on Thursday, he may have eaten one
of the breakfast burritos
prepared by a Mexican immigrant cook who worked a 12-hour graveyard
shift at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. He may have enjoyed the
sandwiches from the spic-and-span Reagan Library cafeteria, where staff
could be heard speaking Spanish to each other
hours before GOP candidate Donald Trump argued that candidates should
only English.
During
the Wednesday debate, Kasich stayed out of the argument on speaking
Spanish, or about the immigration policies that could affect the workers
at the Reagan Library.
But he basked in the hospitality of California service workers, such as
the that of the Hispanic maid who served him in Los Angeles hotel.
On
Thursday, Kasich made comments about Latino service workers in general
using his maid as an example. That plunged him into the debate over the
divisive issues surrounding
the Latino vote.
"A
lot of them do jobs that they're willing to do and, uh, that's why in
the hotel you leave a little tip," Kasich said, according to L.A. Times
political correspondent
Kurtis Lee.
According
to Lee, Kasich “appeared to indirectly conflate Latinos and
service-industry workers,” following the comment with an anecdote about
his maid.
“A
lot of them do jobs that they’re willing to do and that’s why, in a
hotel, you leave a little tip, you know?” who reportedly chuckled as he
addressed a small crowd
at the Shady Canyon Golf Club in Irvine, California.
You
can read the full account in Lee’s original article, which includes the
reactions of local Latino groups, some of whom protested the GOP
debates in Simi Valley.
Democrats pounced on Kasich’s tipping comments in a press release on Friday.
“Here’s
a tip for John Kasich and the GOP field: try serving instead of
stereotyping Latino voters. Try advocating for a path to citizenship, or
keeping immigrant families
together,” said DNC Factivist Hispanic Media Director Pablo Manriquez.
Kasich spokesman Chris Schrimpf said that the Governor's comments were misunderstood.
"He
was talking about how great the service was and how we should respect
everyone in our society no matter what their job or position might be,"
Schrimpf told the Latin
Times and other outlets in separate emails.
Update:
Kasich campaign points out that Hillary Clinton also talked about
immigration and Latinos by using the example of service workers.
Kasich
has said in the past that he supports legal status for some of the 11.2
million immigrants in the country illegally, but his view on a pathway
to citizenship is
vague.
"Let
me be clear, I don't favor it and I'm not sure we would ever have to do
that. [...] But I'm just not going to pound the table on all these
things and say my way or
the highway. I will on some things, but I've got to be careful about
that," he told CNN in August.
Manriquez says that Kasich would need to go beyond immigration to win the Latino vote.
“Try
pushing for policies that will make education more affordable, or will
improve health care, or help the middle class,” he said.
Kasich expanded Medicaid in Ohio under the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, but opposes other aspects of the program.
"You
should know that President Reagan expanded Medicaid three or four
times," Kasich said, at the first Republican debate in August.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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