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The GOP Lag Among Latinos
But they also have great pride -- and sensitivity. Martinez commented that "immigration is not really an issue for Cubans, but we want to see people treated with respect. When they start saying that it's un-American to have ballots printed in Spanish, it sends a message that we're not wanted, not respected."
In a vote last week, 181 House Republicans supported a ban on bilingual ballots, but nearly all Democrats and a minority of Republicans joined to defeat the measure.
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Both Martinez and the NDN people see immigration as an issue that could be decisive nationally. NDN's Simon Rosenberg likens it to the effect on California politics in 1994 when Republican Gov. Pete Wilson supported Proposition 187, an initiative to cut off social services to illegal immigrants. No Republican has won a major office in a regular statewide election since -- Arnold Schwarzenegger's victory came in a special recall vote.
Proposition 187 mobilized Hispanic voters and solidified them behind the Democrats. This immigration fight, Rosenberg said, could do the same thing nationally -- and swing enough electoral votes in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada alone to make the Democrats favorites in the next presidential election.
Martinez puts it succinctly. "We can throw away all that we've gained if we follow a Pete Wilson-style strategy."
