The inherent advantage Democrats have in appealing to a key voting demographic was made clear last week as President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney addressed the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials’ annual conference.
In the primary, Romney talked about policies that would force illegal immigrants to “self-deport.”
On Thursday, those of us looking for the Republican to veer toward the middle were disappointed. He delivered a speech that was short on specifics and hinted only at the prospects for larger reform while being overtly critical of Obama’s recent executive order to cease deportations of young people in this country illegally who are pursuing an education or military service.
We’re on record as supporting the president’s new policy — and polls show a majority of voters support it too — as well as the broader DREAM Act legislation, which provides a path to citizenship for kids who serve in the military or obtain a post-secondary degree.
Romney vowed to veto the DREAM Act legislation during his primary campaign. In remarks Thursday, he didn’t try to walk that statement back.
Instead he said he would “put in place my own long-term solution that will replace and supersede the president’s temporary measure.”
He didn’t offer specifics.
Among the issues he specifically addressed were support for electronic verification for employers and finishing a high-tech fence along the border. He vowed to “staple a green card” to the diplomas of foreign students who obtain advanced degrees and promised some sort of path to citizenship for immigrants who serve in the armed forces.
Those steps are fine. But he ignored the larger issue of what to do with illegal immigrants who already here.
Count Denver City Councilman Paul Lopez, who was attending the convention, as unimpressed.
“His solution to the 11 million undocumented people in America is to make life so miserable for Latinos that they self-deport,” Lopez, a Democrat, told The Miami Herald.
We didn’t hear Romney’s promises of misery, but we had hoped that this might be a point where he started to lead his party back toward the middle. He should be outlining specific policy proposals rather than simply saying he would address the problem “in a civil but resolute manner.”
Ultimately, the key issue in this election is going to be the economy, and Romney no doubt hopes to make that the issue. But he can’t continue the GOP’s hard-line stance on immigration reform and expect to win Latino voters. And their support will be key in several key swing states, including Colorado.
In closing, we give you one of the most poignant points from Romney’s remarks on Thursday — a point with which we are in complete agreement.
“We can find common ground here, and we’ve got to,” he said.
He should keep those words in mind as November approaches.
