"An elephant never forgets," they say.
A handful of new studies confirm that this old adage has some truth to it. Turns out, what the lumbering creatures remember best is which elephants have been friendly to their herd and which have not.
As the politicians start parading as friends to our herd in preparation for November, Latinos would do well to take a page from the animal kingdom and remember how we were treated by the elephants in the GOP primary season, and even the donkeys for most of Obama's presidency.
On Sunday, The New York Times' Adam Nagourney reported that Republicans in Arizona were cooling off on the issue of illegal immigration, with the GOP candidates mentioning the topic sparingly in recent weeks. On Monday, CNN's opinion contributor Ali Noorani wrote that "a fundamental shift is occurring among conservatives", with new Republican groups championing a "more compassionate" approach to immigration. And On Tuesday, Syracuse University released a report claiming that Obama slowed deportations drastically in the last three months.
But, a Latina never forgets. Or at least not that quickly.
In the past few months, Republican frontrunners ratcheted up anti-immigrant talk, pledging aggressive measures to crack down on undocumented immigrants. Romney suggested making life so difficult for undocumented immigrants that they "self-deport," Gingrich called for a "double fence" on the border, and Ron Paul promised to "attack their benefits," such as "free education" and "birth right citizenship." The rhetoric got so bad that GOP sweetheart Marco Rubio even spoke out against his own party, calling their tone on the issue "intolerable" and "inexcusable."
And Democrats, after winning the Latino vote three years ago, have fallen through on almost every campaign promise to Latinos, and then some. As Univision anchor Jorge Ramos put it, Obama broke an "important and symbolic" promise to the Latino community when he failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform and the Dream Act -- a measure supported by more than 90% of U.S. Latinos. And just in case that didn't hurt enough, the Obama administration set deportation records in 2011, expelling nearly 400,000 undocumented immigrants, breaking up families and leaving an estimated 5,100 children languishing in U.S. foster homes.
So after all that abuse, late February of 2012 seems like a convenient time for both parties to repent by turning the tide of deportations and anti-immigrant rhetoric. With Super Tuesday less than a week away, the Republican candidates are starting to understand that they must back-pedal on the issue of immigration, and quickly.
While immigration isn't the only issue for our herd, but it is surely an emotional one -- and one that sometimes becomes shorthand to Latino voters for how a candidate feels about Latinos in general, as Politico's Ben Smith argues.
So although CNN's Ali Noorani writes that "a fundamental shift is occurring among conservatives" towards a more compassionate tone on immigration, let's remind ourselves of the true shift that occurred in the last year. Past Republican candidates, from Reagan to McCain, including both Bushes in between, were advocates of a "humane" approach to immigration. The real "fundamental shift" that occurred in the Republican party this year happened in the opposite direction.
WATCH: Bush and Reagan Depart From Current GOP Candidates On Immigration
Along with the GOP's rapid migration towards the center on the issue of immigration, we can expect to see Obama's attempts to squirm his way out of his deportation record and explain away his inaction on both comprehensive immigration reform and the Dream Act. He'll surely blame congress, he'll probably fault Republicans. Hell, the chupacabra might get a shout out too.
Republicans and Democrats alike are quickly figuring out, as this week's TIME Magazine argues, that the growing Latino population may decide the President in 2012. But Latinos will need more than just circus peanuts to forget how the herd was treated by both parties in 2011.
Follow Cristina Costantini on Twitter: www.twitter.com/xtinatini
The DREAM Act was and is a massive legalization scheme for all illegals who can pass for being under 35 since there was no requirement for proof of any kind before a blanket amnesty was granted to them. All they had to do was register, and they were amnestied.
The fact is that the Republicans want to keep the flow of illegals coming to use against American labor, and they want to keep them illegal since they can control them better. Some so called liberal Dems, want to make illegals legal since they figure if the GOP keeps them coming, legalizing will erode GOP control over them. That is why GOP leaders are refusing to allow a mandatory E-Verify bill to come to the floor. The GOP leaders do NOT want to stop or even penalize illegals and their employers.
That is why I will be voting Democratic come next election since there are a lot more pressing issues than the one of illegals.
Sincerely
All Latinos are not pro illegal immigration. Do you know who staffs immigration enforcement and the border patrol? Many Latinos work in immigration enforcement and border patrol. These Latinos understand the difference in immigration and illegal immigration. Many other Latinos are not knee-jerk supporters of illegal immigration either. Latinos have broad interests like the economy, jobs, and religion. Obama's recent attacks on religious freedom of the catholic faith are a huge negative for some catholic Latinos. Obama's poor performance on the economy is a huge negative for some Latinos.
For you democrats to assume you have the Latino vote wrapped up simply because you pander to illegal immigrants is extremely wrong and racist. I think many Latinos will notice your racist assumptions, poor ecomomic policy, and attacks on religious freedom and turn away from democrat philosophy.
"Obama's poor performance on the economy is a huge negative for some Latinos." The first rule of holes is that when you find yourself in one, you quit digging. Obama doesn't have a poor performance on the economy. The GOP's continuation of the Bush tax cuts and the on going cost of our disastrous war policy and the BUSH era TARP handouts left us in a big hole. And $5 gas this summer? Well just remember, it's those "dark markets" that really control oil prices no matter what the price of oil is by the barrel. I'm a member of our hamber of Commerce and I can tell you right now major employers and banks are trying EVERYTHING they can to keep this economy down in order to hurt this President, even encouraging people to hold off on hiring.
What is your definition of "openly hostile"
My definition of "openly hostile"?
The forceable deportation of 1 criminal illegal every 79 seconds of every hour, of every day, of every week, of every month of BHO's 37-month presidency
Republicans? = zero forceable deportation in the past consecutive 37 months
It could be argued that Obama has enforced the laws on the books...can you imagine what his detractors would be saying if he hadn't been? In fact, what's so ironic and amusing about it is if it were a republican president with Obama's deportation record they'd be touting those numbers in campaign ads 24/7/365
Again, I say that if Latinos help elect a republican President in 2012 with their vote or by not voting at all-then they think they're frustrated now with the pace of change under Obama-wait til they see the type of change the republicans have in mind for them!
During the Depression FDR and the AFL banned ALL immigration, so unless you think that FDR was not a progressive, you will have a hard time making a rational argument for progressives being in favor of more immigration. In fact, it is the Chamber of Commerce and capital which wants immigration "reform" so as to keep cheap labor coming. The late great Barbara Jordan who was black headed her commission on immigration which advocated all of the measures that you decry as being racist and anti-progressive. She was in favor of putting up fencing all along the border, more boots on the ground, a national worker ID base such as E-Verify, secure IDs for workers.,and mass deportations. Try calling her a racist or xenophobe.
Immigration needs to be resolved because it's a wedge issue in every election, which is how both parties like it. Republicans use it to rile up their racist base, and Democrats use it to scare Hispanics.
Who would want to wind up gutted and hanging from a telephone pole?
The drug war is the cause of many of our ills.
But legalizing weed would give far too much of a boost to the economies of countries like Mexico, and give people a reason to STAY where they are, but noooo, we can't have any of THAT, now can we?
And you need to check history.
The West and America there, like so many places the world over, played THE MAJOR ROLE in destabilizing and destroying culture and economics.
Western nations didn't go into Canada en mass and screw things around because the wealth, gold and PEOPLE were in the southern, more hospitable regions.
They are indeed hard working, as revealed when they get HERE.
As is the case with most immigrants from every where.
Marijuana is WAY more important than you think.
Among many reasons for it's world wide prohibition is that we don't want these countries to have a highly valuable cash crop like marijuana.
Look what happened with oil!
And we could supply our own oil as well.
Also courtesy of today's US initiated drug war, marijuana use and transport, being easier to detect due to bulk and smell, gave way to cocaine usage and smuggling since there's sooo much value in such a small amount.
And anyone who reads the news is aware of how influential the drug cartels have now become. They got that way from COCAINE money!
And again, illegal marijuana caused the spike in cocaine usage!
This, starting in the 1980's just after the final REAL marijuana prohibition was put in place - courtesy of President Tricky Dick Nixon.
Until then, there was only the Marijuana Stamp act.
No actual LAW that made MJ illegal.
Tricky Dick Nixon then started today's Drug war.
1980 saw the beginning of full scale drug testing and our modern Cocaine epidemic promptly followed.
The west has done a pretty good job of ruining cultures and economies worldwide (and is now making giant strides in making the ENTIRE PLANET inhabitable!!).
Snobs like you then turn around and blame THE VICTIMS for the results...
As for the contention that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, that is absurd and simplistic thinking and politics. During WWII, we were fighting alongside the Soviets and giving them lots of aid. At NO point did the US or Britain think of Stalin as a friend. Indeed Churchill had spent most of his political life trying to kill Stalin and the Bolsheviks. There is a convergence of interests in some things, but it hardly rises to friendship. I agree with some rightwingers who are against amnesty, it hardly means I will vote for their candidates or give them any money.
The USA grants 1 "vetted" legal immigrant into the USA each & every 38 seconds, since 2001
That's 10 million legal immigrants have entered the USA in the past 10 years, on their "pathway" to the rights & benefits of U.S. Citizenship.
Evidence the U.S. Immigration Policy is not broken ~ except for the immigration enforcement to stop the invasion of 11.2 million illegals in USA, unauthorized
While 13 million U.S. Citizens are out of work in their own homeland for the past consecutive 37 months