January 26, 2012

Do Florida Hispanic voters care much about immigration?

Sun-Sentinel columnist Guillermo Martinez explains:
Since Latinos make up 13.1 percent of Florida's 11.2 million registered voters, national pundits are talking about how their choice in next Tuesday's primary will be an indicator for other Hispanic communities. As if Florida is a good indicator — which it is not. 
Very much on time, the Pew Hispanic Center has provided a primer of the profile of Hispanic voters in Florida. And it will surprise many. For instance: 
... 32 percent of Florida voters are of Cuban origin; 28 percent Puerto Rican, and nine percent Mexican. 

And the Hispanic Republican primary voters are likely to be even more Cuban.
... It will be a swing state where the Hispanic vote is crucial, but not for the same reasons as it is in the Southwest or in the Northeast. Immigration is touchy, but not a decisive factor inasmuch as Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens by birth and can vote for president when they live in the 50 states. And Cuban-Americans have a privileged status that allows those who arrive in this country to become legal residents in one year — and citizens in five.

This reminds me of when Newt Gingrich told House Republicans to vote for statehood for Puerto Rico to win over the Mexican vote. White people in Washington don't really know much about Latinos, so they get worked up over wacky stuff.

60 comments:

AMac said...

"White people in Washington don't really know much about Latinos, so they get worked up over wacky stuff."

A sad comment on the commenteriat, when a quip based on obvious (and obviously correct) stereotype ranks as one of the more insightful remarks to be proffered on the subject.

Anonymous said...

If stopping and deporting illegals is my first priority in making a decision on which republican candidate to support, which is the best of the remaining four?

I think Jan Brewer is my ultimate choice. But I guess not this year.

Goatweed

Acilius said...

"This reminds me of when Newt Gingrich told House Republicans to vote for statehood for Puerto Rico to win over the Mexican vote." Which isn't exactly like supporting a Palestinian state as a ploy to win over the Jewish vote, but it's pretty close.

Grumpy Old Man said...

"Latino" and "Hispanic" are largely invented cover terms, like "Asian-Pacific." Cuban Spanish, in fact, could nearly be considered a separate language from, say, Colombian Spanish. It would be like calling Swedes and Gujaratis "Aryans" because they both speak Indo-European languages.

Of course, when I use ethnic categories, they mean whatever I want them to mean.

Anonymous said...

The Once and Future Liberalism
We need to get beyond the dysfunctional and outdated ideas of 20th-century liberalism.

Anonymous said...

Blue state means they're turning blue in the face by choking on the same old same old.

Some one said...

Miami and pretty much the whole southern Florida became latino/caribbean territory that just happen being in the US.

peterike said...

White people in Washington don't really know much about Latinos.

What are you talking about? They know perfectly well that they make the best (cheapest) gardeners and cleaning ladies, and therefore an endless supply of them is needed.

And then there's like that taco truck that's SO delicious, so very vibrant.

There are of course no other repercussions to their presence in the United States.

At least not in their neighborhoods.

Anonymous said...

Did Gingrich actually say that? What a biscuit he is.

Marlowe said...

Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Anonymous said...

Average Americans know little about the rest of the world. People in Washington know even less.

The first thing Americans should do is drop the term "Latino", because it's meaningless. I know a few Korean-Brazilians living in LA, are they "Latino"? (To be fair, the term "hispanic" is even worse).

Latin America is formed by many different cultures and many different races, and sometimes they hate each other.

Also, most Cuban-Americans are caucasians, or majority caucasian whose parents were rich or middle class in the old Cuba, while those who migrate from Mexico are mostly poor mestizos. I recently saw a Mexican film in which everybody was white. It all took place in a rich neighbourhood of Mexico City.

Dumbo

Anonymous said...

Off-topic, but something bizarre happened recently with the Obama administration fudging some minority loan default numbers:


Race Matters
By Paul Fain
January 25, 2012 - 3:00am
insidehighered.com

WASHINGTON -- The Department of Education has acknowledged using flawed data in a study on the impact of race on student loan repayment rates, having omitted black students from its calculation. The analysis was conducted during the debate over gainful employment regulations, in response to complaints that the rules would hurt colleges that enroll relatively high percentages of minority students.

Department officials disclosed the error in a December court filing, which is part of the ongoing legal challenge to gainful employment by the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, the primary for-profit trade group. That lawsuit appears to have led to the mistake’s discovery...



It sounds as though the Obama administration wants to drive the for-profits out of business, and they are trying to argue that the for-profits tend to have an unusually high student loan default rate, but they got to that conclusion by fudging the racial numbers, so as to overlook the fact that the for-profits were actually attempting to edumakate an unusually high percentage of NAMs?

Propeller Island said...

A typical immigrant thinks like this, "I am in, now let's get my relatives in." Then a little later, "My relatives are in, now let's close the doors."

In other words, most common non-activist immigrants support increased immigration for their own group (narrowly defined!) but usually oppose increased immigration in general. This means that you can definitely get immigrants on board for immigration restrictionism but you'd have to do some divide and conquer.

SFC11B said...

Question:
Which is worse?
1) Evil corporations that ship American jobs overseas, or 
2) Politicians that import workers 

Answer:
Either way you look at it, an American loses a job.  But the politicians that import labor are worse than corporations that ship jobs overseas, as the following comparisons show.

Impact to Wage and Benefits:
The importing of labor is worse because some jobs such as road, bridge or building construction, can not be exported.  Those jobs by definition should be high paying with good benefits and always held by an American.  Jobs that can be shipped overseas will always compete for labor on the international market which because of the increase in qualified workers, will always pay less than a regional job, i.e. a job restricted to inside the US.

Social Service Impact:
Both scenarios result in one US worker and their family needing the same social services. But what about the impact to social services caused by an immigrant and his family needing public schools for his children, public housing, and public transportation. The importation of workers has increased the demand for social services.

Impact to the Economy:
When the job is shipped overseas, the economy has to create one job to replace the job lost. This can be done in a stagnant economy because you are only trying to keep the number of jobs constant. When workers are brought to the US, the economy has to maintain one job plus create a replacement job for the displaced worker. This requires a growing economy, not a stagnant one.

Ability to Return the Overseas Job to the US:
When conditions change and it is more favorable to have the job located in the US, the corporation just has to shut down the overseas site and bring the job back to the US. The politician has to deport the immigrant, his family and any US children and possibly a US citizen spouse.

Conclusion
The politician importing workers has a greater negative impact on the US economy, social services, wages and employment of the American workers than the corporation that ships jobs overseas. They create a problem that is harder, if not currently impossible, to fix and places a greater strain on the US taxpayer and the US economy.

Other papers, solutions and examples can be found at www.CashInTheHand.org

Anonymous said...

The idea that these politicians are stupid is stupid, likewise the idea they're trying to please anyone other than the moguls and plutocrats they so astutely (at least in a politically ambitious sense) and quite obsequiously actually seek to please.

Truth said...

Meanwhile back at the 2012 Meltdown Ranch...You guys don't like NAM's much...

http://amren.com/videos/2011/0211-top-gear/index.html

And the feeling is mutual!

http://amren.com/videos/2008/1206bus_attack/index.html

Truth said...

(Oh, excuse me, I meant to write "NA/BMs")

RKU said...

The 297th piece of empirical evidence that DC politicians are total idiots...

RKU said...

Actually, this reminds me a little of how our good friend "Whiskey" keeps switching between being "Scots-Irish" and regular "Irish."

There's no real difference, is there?...

Anonymous said...

There's very little evidence that even Mexicans in California care much about immigration.

Anonymous said...

This is why it's stupid that Repubs fawn over Rubio as some sort of right-wing Obama.

Rubio will have zero pull over Mexicans. He's a nerdy white Cuban with zero amer-indian ancesty, big ears, and a bad comb-over.

At least wait a few years for his hair plugs to grow in.

missbosslady said...

Martinez is full of crap. I have lived in South Florida since the early 1960's and watched it go from a pristine paradise to a third world crap hole. Thanks Cubans!

The most important thing to remember about hispanics is that they will ALWAYS side with an hispanic, ANY hispanic first and foremost. Which is to say that, amongst themselves Cubans, for instance, look down upon Hondurans, but if the choice is between an anglo or an Honduran, they're going with the Honduran.

That is a fact.

The conservative darling, Marco Rubio, would through me, a constituent, under the bus in a heart beat if it meant helping an, as yet to arrive, illegal alien hispanic.

That is a fact.

Do not be fooled by the hispanics, they are some of the most bioted people you will ever meet.

La Raza is probably the most honest manifestation of what is in the heart of hispanics.

That is a fact.

Assistant Village Idiot said...

So you're saying all Latinos don't stick together and root for each other against all gringos?

Next you'll be telling me there are differences between Europeans...

G. Nomon said...

Maybe Tom Lehrer could write an updated version of "National Brotherhood Day." Something along the lines of "Hispanic Unity Day." Oh, the Cubans hate the Dominicans, and the Dominicans hate the Colombians, and the Colombians hate the Mexicans, and everybody hates the Ecuadorians..."

beowulf said...

The former Massachusetts governor forcefully rejected the ["anti-immigrant"] label during Thursday night's debate, noting that his father was born in Mexico and his father-in-law in Wales.
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/01/26/3394318/romney-rejects-anti-immigrant.html

Mitt Romney, he's Chico AND The Man.

Anonymous said...

"Care much" is irrelevant, they'd vote for open borders even if it were rationally not in their best interests. Of course, it is in their best interests. Taking comfort in the idea that they don't "really care" about open borders can be stuck in with all the ridiculous Republican blathering about how Hispanics or Blacks are "naturally Conservative" - you can only believe it if you pretend (as Conservatives do, despite all the evidence to the contrary) that the chief issue in American politics and culture isn't race. How many major Hispanic, or Black, or Jewish organizations have come out for serious immigration restrictions? Hell, Jewish organizations are in the forefront of pushing Muslim immigration into the West, how crazy is that? They'll vote their hatreds and they'll vote to exploit us, their position is both rationally and emotionally in sync, at least in the short run.

Reg Cæsar said...

"Do Florida Hispanic voters care much about immigration?"

Well, they ought to. Employers think their wages are still too high!

Mik said...

Steve, you hit it on the head. All of those who talk about "the Hispanic vote" either don't actually know any Hispanics (other than their maids or gardeners) or are self-interested Viva la Raza types.

Moreover, Sean Trende has recently written what those of us who make a living out of these things have always known: when factoring for socio-economkc status, education, etc., Hispanics voting patterns are no different than those of white voters.

Propeller Island said...

This is why it's stupid that Repubs fawn over Rubio as some sort of right-wing Obama.

Nope, it's not stupid. Republicans know well that Rubio's Hispanic-ness will do nothing to attract Latino vote; it's really a SWPL-bait.

Anonymous said...

The question, dear Sailer, is not whether hispanic voters care much about immigration, but whether white voters care much about immigration. The answer (to my consternation) appears to be no.

Anonymous said...

Off topic, but in looking up IQ and the Wealth of Nations, I noticed the comisars at wikipedia have removed the table of nations' IQ from the current entry.

The last edit that had the table appears to be from November 24, 2011.

So if any of you are needing to refer to that table to make a point, please refer to the archived link I provided. If anyone here is actually a wiki editor, please set the entry back to the way it was.

Maya said...

"A typical immigrant thinks like this, "I am in, now let's get my relatives in." Then a little later, "My relatives are in, now let's close the doors."


I concur. Nobody likes a FOB, unless it's their very own FOB. Besides, most nationalities already know where to order their ethnic food and already have DVD rental service with movies in their language. Like my uncle says, "America, she isn't made of latex. We're full."

Truth said...

Uh oh, Ring-a-ding-ding!

eh said...

wacky stuff

It might be amusing that these idiots embarrass themselves by 'getting worked up over wacky stuff', except that their idiocy is demographically decimating the country.

Anonymous said...

OT, but do you guys remember that GPA by race study at Duke? You'll never guess what's happened:
http://charlotte.cbslocal.com/2012/01/24/black-duke-students-lash-out-at-university-over-race-gpa-study/

Anonymous said...

OT: I thought you might find the following article interesting: Low IQ & Conservative Beliefs Linked to Prejudice

eh said...

CNN -> 'Soccer mamis' could sway Florida race, affect general election

When it comes to courting the Latino demographic, there's a demo within that demo that might be worth listening to...Let's call it the Soccer mamis -- the Latina mothers who represent 55% of the overall U.S. population growth, according to 2010 Census figures. Their babies account for nearly a quarter of the children being born in the U.S.

Anonymous said...

Truth, I saw that study last night. The basic assumption of it is that an attraction to "structure and order" is a marker of low intelligence. Puh-leese. That would mean Bach and Mozart, and all mathematicians, and all scientists, and almost all architects, et al, are dunces.

With such a laughably rotten basic assumption, the study is worthless, even transparently so.

It is no coincidence that such phony "studies" should appear in an election year.

(The study's spokesperson did have some valid things to say about averages vs. absolutes, though.)

Thurston Howell III said...

Maya said: "I concur. Nobody likes a FOB, unless it's their very own FOB."

When my dad was in the hospital in Palm Desert several years ago, his doctor - a Syrian transplant, I believe - was complaining about the patient and her family in the next room: "they do not understand, they cannot bring the whole country of Mexico into the hospital."

Seems nobody likes foreigners...not even (or maybe especially) other foreigners.

Anonymous said...

If stopping and deporting illegals is my first priority in making a decision on which republican candidate to support, which is the best of the remaining four?


Romney. As you'd know if you were paying attention. But the entire HBD-sphere seems oddly indifferent to the whole election.

Anonymous said...

when factoring for socio-economkc status, education, etc., Hispanics voting patterns are no different than those of white voters.



You could say the same thing for black voters. (But not for Jewish voters, who are in fact white)

Scotch-Irish Whiskey Drinker from Tel Aviv said...

"Do Florida Hispanic voters care much about immigration?
"


Does a primarily PR/Cuban electorate care much about amnesty for Mexicans? That's like asking do Scotch-Irish care much about Israel... Ridiculous question. Oh, wait....

Anonymous said...

According to statistics from Stanford University, 45% of Cuban-Americans earn more than 100K a year, compared to only 18% for Anglo-Americans.

It must be really painful for Nordicists and proponents of Anglo-Saxon superiority that these Latinos earn more and are better educated on average than white Anglos, since Cuban-Americans are mostly of Iberian descent.

ATBOTL said...

I live in an area with a large number of white or almost white "Hispanics" -- Cubans, Brazilians, Argentinians, Costa Ricans etc. They are mostly openly hostile to Mexicans and other non-white Hispanics and couldn't care less if every Mexican immigrant was rounded up and deported.

vinteuil said...

@ "Truth", 11:51 yesterday - interesting videos, though you messed up the url on the second one. This should work:

http://amren.com/videos/2008/1206bus_attack

I'm at a loss to understand what point you thought you were making, though.

missbosslady said...

Wow, you didn't post my comment even though it was generally in line with many of the other comments?

You're a douche!

Svigor said...

(The study's spokesperson did have some valid things to say about averages vs. absolutes, though.)

I wonder what he had to say about the (negative) correlation between Political Correctness and proximity to NAMs?

The correlation between inability to stave off leftoid race-inquisitors with racial double-speak, and low IQ?

It's a good point about absolutes vs. averages, though. Well, one that needs to be made as often as possible, anyway.

E.g., I'm pretty smart, and I'm not much on hierarchy and order, and I'm a racist.

Truth said...

"I'm at a loss to understand what point you thought you were making, though."

Have I ever once tried to make a point?

Truth said...

"E.g., I'm pretty smart... and I'm a racist."

Well according to that young man, that makes you an exception.

Svigor said...

Well according to that young man, that makes you an exception.

You walked right into that one, dincha? (Hint, "e.g." means, "for example")

Anonymous said...

Oh, c'mon, "Truth" - that's such a cop-out.

You're *always* trying to make points. But it's not always easy figuring out just exactly what those points are supposed to be.

And, in this particular case, I have to admit that I'm quite simply baffled.

Why would you link to those particular videos?

Vinteuil

Anonymous said...

Have I ever once tried to make a point?


No. In fairness to you, Truth, your normal routine is to be a pain in the ass. And you are quite good at that.

Truth said...

"Why would you link to those particular videos?"

1) A university professor went to visit a famous Zen master. While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about Zen. The master poured the visitor's cup to the brim, and then kept pouring. The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself. "It's overfull! No more will go in!" the professor blurted. "You are like this cup," the master replied, "How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup."

2) Two monks were washing their bowls in the river when they noticed a scorpion that was drowning. One monk immediately scooped it up and set it upon the bank. In the process he was stung. He went back to washing his bowl and again the scorpion fell in. The monk saved the scorpion and was again stung. The other monk asked him, "Friend, why do you continue to save the scorpion when you know it's nature is to sting?"

"Because," the monk replied, "to save it is my nature.

Truth said...

Good job Svigor, my cup was full.

Jack said...

Romney is the most "anti-immigrant" of the four candidates left, according to Gingrich. So he's the obvious candidate for any real Americans to support.

CricketsChirping said...

you made no sense whatsoever, and the level and class of people ur talking about are probably a small group of street thugs or gangsters, who dont vote and arent worth anything in their own communities or to life either. poop poop

CricketsChirping said...

1. republicans reagan shipped jobs overseas, bankrupted american industries, put people into the military closed farms... yeah, shall we go on?
the direction of the Neo Con Corporatist has not changed direction since in the Republicrat party... the policies define themselves.
lets not toot our horns here and march to our own drum beats.
take a good look at the big pic whats been happening.

CricketsChirping said...

THERES ALOT OF WISHFUL THINKING ON THE PART OF THOSE in here that dont understand or know Mexican people or their latin countries who share the same economical , educational and health or migration issues together as a whole... good try though. Mexican people in California and the west stick together and their votes show it.

CricketsChirping said...

La raza , is just another foundation like citizens foundation is , it just helps communities who need it for education etc; ur just a racist who cannot bear to see others have the same opportunities as yourself. youre not fooling anyone... it just kills your kind and like to see anyone do better with less and work harder and make a liar out of you. the cubans that were the problems were the ones that came over from drug cartel prisons a republican president gave them amnesty, many were good, and a few were bad... couldnt discern them. although, we need to open the cuban closed door policies for sures and with mexico. and bring a guest worker program, not hate , racism and disparity among disqualification through criminalization self deportation policies.. that single out and target profiling the latino communitities.
of the republican government big governing.

CricketsChirping said...

the way i see it, its ok if the euro migrants here have a club privileged membership, for whites but fk everyone else? how bout go screw urself.