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The Election and Anti-Immigration

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By Becca
This week’s national elections brought home a very simple fact. The American People have, for a third election cycle, once again rejected Anti-Immigration candidates. Hate simply does not sell in America, and the Anti-Immigrationists only peddle hate. Frank Sharry and the folks at America’s Voice, issued a press release today confirming what many of us already suspected, Latinos came out strongly for President-Elect Obama and the Democrats. The key demographic came out so strongly not because they inherently believe all that Democrats espouse, but rather because the Republican party, the party most Latinos would culturally and philosophically be more drawn to, rejected them, classified them as “illegal” and law breakers, and literally chased them away and lost them, perhaps for a generation or more. Anti-Immigrationists, who tragically have found a home in the Republican party, can say they are only talking about “illegal aliens” and that they love legal immigrants, but the reality is they are not. The code word for anti-Latino is “illegal alien.”

Of note in this election is that once again, just like in 2004 and in 2006, those politicians like Lou Barletta, the former mayor of Hazelton, Pennsylvania, the original home of some vicious anti-immigration ordinances, was soundly defeated in a Republican oriented district, in his bid to become a U. S. Congressman. Several other Anti-Immigration politicians were also soundly defeated, including Marilyn Musgrave (CO-4), Thelma Drake (VA-02), and possibly Virgil Goode (VA-5) (race too close to call at press time). At the same time, politicians espousing rationale immigration proposals were elected in many parts of the United States, including Dina Titus (taking Rep. Portes seat in NV-3), Bill Foster (IL-14), Jim Himes (taking Rep. Shay seat in CT-4), Rep. Giffords (AZ-8), and many others. Put simply, what can conclusions can we draw from this election? Hate does not sell, it does not draw votes, and it does not win elections.

Thank Goodness.
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