We are all “God’s children,” McCain tells La Raza
Addressing a crowd of 2,000 attending the La Raza (“The Race”) convention in San Diego, John McCain did what he does best before Hispanic groups: groveled. It does him little good, since the Latino vote is mostly with Obama, leaving a mere 27 percent of their likely voter scraps for McCain.
But hard facts don’t stop him. He promised the ethnocentric group that he will address the issue of illegal immigration in a “humane and compassionate fashion,” calling it his “top priority.”
During a time of war, with soaring gas and food prices and multitudes losing their homes to foreclosure, it seems there could be higher priorities for a presidential candidate.
He pledged that he remains “committed to fair, practical and comprehensive immigration reform,”
Remember the amnesty scheme by the same name that fell to defeat after American citizens unleashed their fury as never before? McCain intends to resurrect it. His new message is, “We will secure the border first.” First before what, Senator?
McCain has often addressed Hispanic immigration advocacy groups, including the League of United Latin American Citizens and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, using more implied language rather than the candid vow to advance McCain-Kennedy he gave to La Raza.
He made a point of thanking La Raza’s former CEO Raul Yzaguirre, Hillary Clinton’s lead immigration adviser, for “the privilege of over twenty years of friendship and counsel he has so generously given me.” Add to the mix McCain’s own Hispanic Outreach director, Juan Hernandez who says we are not countries, merely regions, and you see where we are headed.
Responding to those who chided him for inaction regarding desert deaths of illegals entering the U.S. McCain decried the deaths as a “failure of the federal government to exercise its responsibilities.” The obvious answer would have been: To ensure their safety, Mexican citizens should stay home.
Meanwhile in an unprecedented drop to single digits, just 9% of voters gave the Democrat-controlled Congress good or excellent rating. This dismal ranking is a first in tracking history.
Yet McCain is keen to remind us of his cross-over alliances. Conservative Republicans would prefer he remember us.
Read the San Diego coverage of the La Raza convention here. The North County Times also provides this video where he receives rousing applause for telling the crowd he is from Arizona “where Spanish was spoken before English.”