(CNN) -- A few weeks ago, I said Mitt Romney's Hispanic outreach was not visible to the naked eye. I try to call 'em as I see 'em, even when it means criticism of my own party.
Today, I see a Romney Hispanic blitz. Latino-Palooza
is underway. Hispanic volunteers are holding events, making phone
calls, knocking on doors. Romney began to spend significant resources on
Spanish TV ads in swing states with a sizable Hispanic population. He's
doing an interview with Telemundo, speaking to the U.S. Hispanic
Chamber of Commerce and participating in a Univision Candidate Forum,
all this week.
My unsolicited advice to
Romney: CONNECT! For the love of God, Mitt, acknowledge you are in front
of Latinos. It's OK to talk to different communities about specific
issues that affect them more than others. If done correctly and with
sincerity, it is called speaking to your audience. If it strikes an
inauthentic note, it's pandering.
Ana Navarro
Earlier this year, Romney
spoke to the Latino Coalition. He mentioned "Latino" twice, once while
thanking his hosts. Recently, he spoke at an event in Miami, Florida.
You may have thought it was taking place in Miami, Ohio. He made no
comments specifically targeted to the thousands of Hispanics braving the
heat and humidity to hear him. Romney never mentioned foreign policy
toward Latin America, not even Cuba. How someone fails to do that in the
heart of Cuban-American Miami is puzzling.
Barack Obama, for his
part, has been working the Latino community. In the past six months,
it's reached a fever pitch. The Democrat National Convention was a
parade of Latinos: elected officials, celebrities, singers, students and
even an undocumented young woman, representing the Dreamer students who
would qualify for legal status under a potential Dream Act.
Obama knows winning the
Latino vote is key. Just as crucial as the margin of victory is the
level of turnout. Obama's task is to maintain his current numbers of 65%
to 68% support and increase voter enthusiasm. Romney must chip away at
Obama's lead. He will have a difficult time winning the election with
his Hispanic poll numbers hovering around 30%.
Hispanic events provide an opportunity to ask tough questions. Romney and Obama have some explaining to do.
Like many other voters,
Hispanics want to hear more specifics from Romney and Obama. Whether its
economic policy or foreign policy, they would like the candidates to
get past lofty platitudes. Many Hispanics live in Florida, Nevada and
Arizona, which have been disproportionately affected by the foreclosure
crisis. They want to know how they are going to get out of houses that
are underwater and mortgages that are overwhelming.
Hispanic unemployment has
run significantly higher than the national average (now 8.1%) during
the Obama administration. It is still high at 10.2%, according to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics. On education, Hispanic dropout rates
continue to be higher than the national average. Last year, it was
estimated by one study to be as high as 28%. These are real problems that require real solutions. We want to hear concrete steps towards opportunity.
Then there is
immigration. Note to Romney: Take a deep breath. Close your eyes and
jump! You must address this issue. Continuing to avoid it turns it into
an albatross around your neck.
Romney needs to move
beyond his positions during the primary. He promised to veto the Dream
Act. He should then tell us if and how he plans to confront the
predicament these young people face. Proposing to staple a green card to
the diploma of foreign students graduating from U.S. universities does
not cut it.
While he's at it, he
should say what he plans to do about the administrative order issued by
the Obama administration that provides Dreamers temporary status for two
years. If he becomes president, will he revoke it or will he let the
order stand for at least the initial two-year period? A simple yes or no
will suffice.
There also needs to be a
responsible plan to deal with securing our borders and enforcing our
immigration laws but also providing a practical and humane solution for
the 11 million undocumented people already here. Unless it's meant as a
lame attempt at humor, "self-deportation" is not an adequate response.
Talking of
self-deportation, there's a question as to whether Kris Kobach, the
Kansas secretary of state who advocates the concept and is credited as
the architect of Arizona's controversial SB1070 law, is an adviser or a
supporter to Romney. Which is it? Romney has not publicly embraced
Dreamers, but he's had no difficulty embracing the guys who give us
nightmares, such as Sheriff Joe Arpaio, U.S. Rep. Steve King of Iowa and
Kobach. How should Hispanics feel about that and what role, if any,
would any of them play in a Romney administration?
Obama has his share of
explanations to give. Many Latinos have felt great economic pain during
his administration. Some of us, who don't think we should give one inch
to anti-democratic regimes in Latin American, did not like seeing Obama
in a discussion of missile defense, tap then-Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev on the knee and promise more flexibility in a second term. What
does that mean vis-a-vis the likes of Fidel Castro or Hugo Chavez?
In 2008, Obama promised
Hispanics he would pass comprehensive immigration reform. He had a
majority in the House and Senate and a powerful mandate for his first
two years, and he failed to so much as present a plan, much less push
for its passage. Blaming Republicans for his broken promise is silly. He
passed his other priorities, including health care reform and the
stimulus package, with practically no Republican support.
Those first two years,
where Obama showed will, he found a way. He chose not to make
immigration a priority. Why should we believe him now?
How does he plan to pass
any meaningful reform in his second term when 1) he will be a lame duck
from day one; and 2) he will in all likelihood have a
Republican-controlled House and very divided Senate? Obama has not been
known to cultivate congressional allies, Democrat or Republicans.
Passing controversial legislation will not be easy.
Four years ago, Obama
chanted, "Si, se puede!" (Yes, we can!) He's grown older and grayer; so
have we. He couldn't and didn't in his first term. He'd be well-served
to acknowledge that and take some responsibility, instead of just laying
the blame elsewhere.
Hispanics are
disappointed in Obama and distrustful of Romney. Both of them have seven
weeks to change that. The clock is ticking.
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