[speechlesstx]

Or just an intolerant, racist pig? While campaigning yesterday Harry Reid said, "I don't know how anyone of Hispanic heritage could be a Republican, okay. Do I need to say more?"



This is the same guy that said Obama didn't have a "negro dialect." I'm going with Reid's an intolerant, racist pig.

[paraclete]

We have seen many such attitudes, my father once told me your job determines how you vote, meaning that because I am a professional, I must be a conservative and vote conservative. That means that no person of intelligence and education could be a liberal.

It is not racist to say that the underdog, in this case hispanics, will vote liberal. They will vote for the person who will advance their cause just like anyoneelse. So what he is in fact saying is the republicans don't identify with the hispanic cause, and therefore don't have their vote. The clip is too short to know what else he said to justify his point of view

[speechlesstx]

What he's doing is slamming Hispanics who are Republican, of which there are a great many such as Marc Rubio, a Cuban-American running for the Senate in Florida as a Republican.

It's right out of the leftist playbook only it's usually directed at blacks. Conservative blacks aren't really black, you can't be authentically black and be a conservative. Google some Condoleeza Rice cartoons and see what I mean. Same thing for Hispanics now, they can't be authentic if they don't toe the liberal line so such condescension is acceptable.

[tomder55]

Don't forget also that Reid told Blago that he didn't want him to appoint a Black Senator to replace Obama .

[Wondergirl]

Do the Republicans identify with the Hispanic cause? Should they have the Hispanic vote?

[tomder55]

What is the "hispanic cause " ?

I work with Hispanics from all nationalities. I don't find their opinions monolithic at all.

[excon]

Hello Steve:

I agree with Harry. Except I'd take out the words "of Hispanic heritage". Republicans like rich white people. That's why they want a tax cut for them, but don't want unemployment for people out of work. Republicans suck.

excon

[tomder55]

I don't know how a Mormon can be a Democrat. Absurd statement ? Yup... as absurd as Reid's racist comments about Hispanics.

[Wondergirl]

What is the "hispanic cause " ?

Fair pay for a fair day's work?

I work with Hispanics from all nationalities.

What does that mean?

I don't find their opinions monolithic at all.

What percentage of them are Republican?

[tomder55]

What percentage of them are Republican?

It varies . If I were to generalize like Reid ,I'd say that most of the Cubans were Republican leaning... that many of the Mexicans have socially conservative leanings.

Fair pay for a fair day's work?

All the "Hispanics" in my company receive competitive wages . They are all legally here . Many have advanced to supervisory positions ,and many on my staff are already ,or are well on their way to achieving citizenship . I also staff workers from among other nations ,India , the Philippines ,Russians ,Egyptian.. and no doubt other managers have similar ethnic diversity on their staffs.

The problem with the issue of exploitive wages the way I see it is the number of employers who hire illegal laborers . What suprises me is that the Democrats who purport to champion fair wages for American labor would also promote a system that drives American wages down. In my view ,it is the Democrats that have a vested interest in the status quo.exploitation of the immigrants . That I believe is the message that Reid was really alluding to. They want to create another dependent class to the Democrat machine.

[paraclete]

They want to create another dependent class to the Democrat machine.

What's this, Tom, the slave owners 150 years on theory? I agree there is a inconsistenancy which says look after these people but allow them to be exploited, but taking that to we want to create an underclass for political purposes, hey, haven't you noticed? They don't need hispanics for that, they already have a large pool of blacks and other disadvantaged to choose from

[Wondergirl]

It varies . If I were to generalize like Reid ,I'd say that most of the Cubans were Republican leaning... that many of the Mexicans have socially conservative leanings.

So they should be mostly Republican, right?

The problem with the issue of exploitive wages the way I see it is the number of employers who hire illegal laborers .

There you go! It's not the illegal immigrants; it's the farmers and restaurant owners and fast-food places that hire them. If there is no work to do and money to be made, the illegals wouldn't come here. They come to this country like moths to flames. Blow out the candles, and the moths go elsewhere or "stay home" (in a corner somewhere).

But then who will pick the lettuce and clean the motel toilets (ever see what lodgers leave in bathrooms?) and wash the diners' dishes in a corner of the hot kitchen and make the sandwiches?

[tomder55]

But then who will pick the lettuce and clean the motel toilets (ever see what lodgers leave in bathrooms?) and wash the diners' dishes in a corner of the hot kitchen and make the sandwiches?

I don't know why this should be a problem here. Last year I vacationed in Quebec City and all the labor being performed there was by young Canadian workers. They did not need a large illegal labor pool to exploit .

Look up Cesar Chavez's efforts to organize migrant workers. He was very critical of the influx of illegal immigrants because it devalued the workers he was organizing . The presence of the illegal work force in the end exploits all labor in this country.
But then again. Despite their bleating ,the Dems really don't care about workers in this country. If they did they would be doing the real steps necessary for job creation.

What's this, Tom, the slave owners 150 years on theory? I agree there is a inconsistenancy which says look after these people but allow them to be exploited, but taking that to we want to create an underclass for political purposes

That is exactly what I mean.

[speechlesstx]

Do the Republicans identify with the Hispanic cause? Should they have the Hispanic vote?

I agree with tom, what's the "Hispanic cause?" I'd go further and ask why there has to be any racial cause? I thought race didn't matter, so why would there be a "Hispanic cause?" Why is there a Congressional Black Caucus? Why is everyone self-segregating?

And FYI (which I've repeated here many times), I'm a minority white in a Hispanic community and have been most of my life. My Hispanic friends and neighbors are no different than me, we love family, friends, the Dallas Cowboys and hard work... just like the rest of the millions of Hispanic Texans, one of the most conservative states in the nation. So what's your point?

[speechlesstx]

Hello Steve:

I agree with Harry. Except I'd take out the words "of Hispanic heritage". Republicans like rich white people. That's why they want a tax cut for them, but don't want unemployment for people out of work. Republicans suck.

From what I hear Dingy Harry modified his quote to agree with you, he doesn't know how anyone can be a Republican either. In the next breath I'm sure he embraced diversity and tolerance and decried the lack of bipartisanship in politics.

Steve

P.S. by the way, we get this intolerable columnist 3 times a week named Leonard Pitts Jr and it hit me today that he sounds just like you. Do you ghost write for him?

[Wondergirl]

I don't know why this should be a problem here. Last year I vacationed in Quebec City and all the labor being performed there was by young Canadian workers. They did not need a large illegal labor pool to exploit .

Oh, goody! Then there is every confidence these jobs will be taken up by white teens and young adults once we get rid of the illegals.

[tomder55]

Young American unemployment rate is 20%+. If they don't take the jobs ;shame on them . I did plenty of those jobs in my time.

[Wondergirl]

young American unemployment rate is 20%+. If they don't take the jobs ;shame on them . I did plenty of those jobs in my time.

If you've kept up with how U.S. society and attitudes are going, especially among those under 35, no, they will not spend the day picking lettuce in Arizona and cleaning hotel/motel rooms and washing dishes in the corner of a hot restaurant kitchen. They're not even willing to work in fast food any longer or shelve books in public libraries. They want desk jobs and "retail."

[tomder55]

Then perhaps they shouldn't be on the public dole.

What are you arguing for ? The exploitation of manual labor. The only way to do those jobs at the labor price is to bring in a bunch of illegals and have employers violate the labor laws.

Once that is stopped then the wages will increase to a "fair wage " ,and I gurarantee there are plenty of people in this country legally here willing to do those jobs for a "fair wage" .

[Wondergirl]

Then perhaps they shouldn't be on the public dole.

Who's on the public dole? We're talking about illegals doing the dirty grunt work that young whites refuse to do.

What are you arguing for ? The exploitation of manual labor. The only way to do those jobs at the labor price is to bring in a bunch of illegals and have employers violate the labor laws.

I'm not arguing for that. I'm against the farmers, etc. who exploit the illegals and pay them under the table. If they didn't do that, the problem would go away.

Once that is stopped then the wages will increase to a "fair wage " ,and I gurarantee there are plenty of people in this country legally here willing to do those jobs for a "fair wage" .

I'm not sure what group of "plenty of people" you are talking about who will do even dirty drudge jobs for a "fair wage" (like, how much per hour?) $10? $15? $20?

And we do need to change the INS.