Hispanic Republicans react to first 2012 Presidential GOP debate

The boring 2012 GOP debate and the case for Jon Huntsman

by Arizona-Hispanic-Republicans 

Publisher's Note:  This letter first appeared on May. 07, 2011, under General Political Talk of the Tucson Citizen.
 
I watched the 2012 Presidential Candidate GOP debate on Cinco de Mayo, and I must tell you that I was not really encouraged with the candidates except for one – former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson.   Gary is a fellow at CATO Institute and he comes with considerable economic Libertarian experience.  He can crunch numbers, do a cost benefit analysis on our suffering economy, and is probably one of the most Capitalistic thinkers out of the bunch.  However, his abortion views are something I cannot support during the primary election phase.  Mitt Romney lost the 2008 primary election to McCain when Romney’s video of his “oath to protect a woman’s right to choose” played over and over again via social networks.

How can I sell the Republican Party Presidential Candidate to Latinos in light of the past year where GOPers have introduced harsh anti-immigrant laws that swept the nation?  Most Latinos in our nation have been affected in some form or another because they knew of someone or a relative who was being deported.  President Obama has deported more undocumented immigrants than George W. Bush.
How did the other GOP Presidential candidates perform in the debate?

I believe Rick Santorum is a no-go because he has extremism stamped on his forehead.  Rick Santorum’s 2006 campaign was aimed against President George W. Bush’s legal immigration plan.

Herman Cain seems to be a no-go because he is not the most polished speaker to begin with.  Put him up against Obama and we’re done.

Tim Pawlenty is okay, but am skeptical.  Ron Paul?  He made us laugh.

Before the debate, I have been keenly following Jon Huntsman who was the former Governor of Utah.  He is good looking, wealthy, and an experienced individual who has been living in China as the ambassador of China under the Obama administration.

I was relieved to hear Huntsman opposes abortion and is a 2^nd amendment advocate.  Some have stated that Mitt Romney would pose a hurdle to him but this is not so.  Mitt Romney gave his oath to protect a woman’s right to choose, remember?  Therefore, Huntsman wouldn’t have to worry because some of the most reliable primary election GOP voters are those from the pro life movement.  

Sounds good so far, right?  Not quite.  I’m uncomfortable with Huntsman recruiting McCain’s former advisors.  Once Latinos find out about this, they will be quickly reminded of McCain’s opposition to the DREAM Act in 2010.  McCain soon became an  ex-amigo with the Latino community, and if I had a suggestion to give to Mr. Huntsman it would be for him to seek Karl Rove’s strategic political advice instead.  President George W. Bush obtained 44% of the Latino vote during the 2004 Presidential elections.   McCain only received 31%.  The goal for the 2012 GOP Presidential Candidate is to lock in at least 40% of the Latin vote to receive enough electoral votes.

One thing that Huntsman has to his favor with regard to increasing the Latin vote is the recent immigrant-friendly stance led by the Latter Day Saints (LDS) of Jesus Christ when the church helped to introduce the Utah Compact.  Huntsman could say that President Obama abandoned the Latinos who voted him in 2008 when he failed to deliver his immigration promise.  State legislators have been screaming for immigration reform across the nation as they introduce their isolationist unconstitutional laws, but the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals confirmed that the immigration issue is the job of the federal government (under the Supremacy Clause) to which Obama has failed to act upon.

Some pundits have made the mistake by saying  Latinos will not be motivated to vote during the 2012 Presidential Elections, however, this was before the recent announcement of the National Tequila Party Movement in which concerts, events, rallies and dinners will motivate Latinos in all high Hispanic populated states to be consistent Primary election voters as well as general election voters.

I have a feeling that 2012 will be the year of the Latin-American.  And I am not talking about this in a Mayan/Aztec calendar sense.  Nay, I’m talking in a ‘vote the issue’ sense where both Latino Republicans and Latino Democrats are proving to be autonomous and pernickety type of voters.
Something to think about.