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Cliff Owen / AP
Gustavo Torres, director of Casa in Action, center, and others chant during a rally of immigration rights organizations, in front of the White House on Thursday. They called on President Barack Obama to fulfill his promise of passing comprehensive immigration reform.
Hispanic voters, who were instrumental in putting Barack Obama back in the White House, now hope the president will work diligently in his second term to cross some big to-dos off their legislative wish list: jobs, affordable education, health care access and immigration reform.
Hispanics voted for Obama over Mitt Romney by a resounding 71 percent to 27 percent and may have put him over the top in several key swing states. The total number of potential Hispanic voters this year reached a record 23.7 million – up about 80 percent since 2000 – and Hispanics now compose about 10 percent of the total electorate, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.
“The Latino electorate arrived Tuesday, there’s no question about it,” said Rafael Collazo, director of political campaigns for the National Council of La Raza. The organization, which bills itself as the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, says it helped register more than 90,000 new Hispanic voters this year.
“States like Florida, Colorado, Nevada, Pennsylvania, even Ohio -- the Latino vote was a net gain for the preferred candidate and was the deciding factor or at least very, very close to being the decisive factor,” Collazo told NBC News.
"The Latino giant is wide awake, cranky and is taking names,” labor leader Eliseo Medina, of the Service Employees International Union, told NBC Latino.
With the election behind them, Hispanics now want Obama and Congress to work on issues identified in surveys as their priorities – more jobs, affordable health care, access to higher education and immigration reform.
GOP faces immigration fight after election
The latter issue has been more important for Hispanics than for other U.S. voters, said Mark Hugo Lopez, associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research organization.
Hispanic support for Obama was high even before he announced in June that the government will stop deporting, and begin granting work permits to, some undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. as children.
“However, when it comes to asking Hispanics which party is more concerned for the Hispanic community, after the deferred action program was announced the (Democratic) share went from 45 to 61 percent – the highest we’ve measured in Pew Hispanic surveys in 10 years,” Lopez said.
“In his acceptance speech, Obama mentioned that comprehensive immigration reform was something that needed to be addressed, and we’re going to hold him to that,” Collazo told NBC News.
The day after the election, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promised to introduce an immigration reform package next year. He said if Republicans block the legislation, they would do so "at their peril."
Al Cardenas, chairman of the American Conservative Union and former chairman of the Republican Party in Florida, agreed that the immigration debate has been detrimental for the GOP.
“Across the board generationally and demographically, the immigration issue has become a wedge issue … because it’s become a litmus test of respect and caring in that community,” Cardenas said. “My advice for conservatives and the party as a whole is to get bipartisan immigration reform done in next 100 to 200 days.”
A survey of Hispanic voters by the firm Latino Decisions found that Hispanics pushed Obama over the top in Colorado, Florida and Nevada, swing states where they turned out in unusually high numbers.
Cardenas said the GOP can’t pay short shrift to minority groups if it wants to put a Republican in the White House.
NBC Latino: We voted – now let’s get to work, say Latinos after historic vote for Obama
“The so-called mainstream vote is no longer sufficient,” he said. “The coalition of all of these minority votes is a priority in these elections today. The Hispanic vote is the most numerically significant of all of these groups. We need to develop a precise, aggressive, winning political game plan to address that community.”
The Hispanic community is a diverse one, according to the Pew Center's Lopez:
- Country of origin: Among eligible Hispanic voters, 58 percent are Mexican Americans, 14 percent are Puerto Ricans, and 6 percent are Cubans. (The remainder are from Central and South America). Historically, Cubans have supported Republican candidates more than other Hispanic groups; in Florida this year, 49 percent of Cubans went for Obama and 47 percent for Romney.
- Youth: People ages 18-29 make up about a third of all eligible Hispanic voters, but just 20 percent of all general voters.
- Naturalized U.S. citizens: Among Hispanic eligible voters, 25 percent are immigrants who are naturalized. But among whites, only 3 percent are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Callazo said that despite this diversity, Hispanics displayed a rather consistent, Democratic-leaning voting pattern across many states.
“The numbers of how Latinos voted in Arizona compared to Ohio and Colorado were fairly close,” Callazo said.
“Yes, there are differences and nuances … but if you look at the polling and all the anecdotal work and the outreach we’ve done over the years, the core issues are very, very similar," he added. "At end of day, Latino voters are voting for the candidate they feel will best reflect their values."
NBC Latino contributed to this story.
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Leave a Comment:
Latinos want immigration reform? If they voted presumably they are legal citizens. What is so vital about immigration reform?
illegals have brought the pit they came from here to the usa. it is what they are used to so they bring their ideas and way of living here to the usa. that is the reality. opps i guess i was not politically correct. opps..
Illegal Mexicans now calling the shots??.....................
Since when do illegal Mexicans start making demands - who's in charge? Law abiding citizens or illegals??
America should not cave in just to get their votes - illegal actions needs to be fully prosecuted under our legal system. Obama is killing this country will illegals just to get into the White House again. He is truly the worst President in our history!!
It's a shame the GOP couldn't find a better candidate than Mitt (the Flip) Romney. Now we have to deal with this because Millions of Republicans gave up and did not vote. It's only a matter of time before we change the immigration laws to reflect anyone crossing the border as an immediate citizen. Put out the candy dish mom - it's a party in the USA!!!
They did have a better candidate that Mitts the flipper, Dr Paul, and we see what the establishment did to him didn't we...
Yeah--the republican party didn't want someone that had a good plan.
Just what we need in this country. Another group getting increased handouts as scumbag politicos pander for their votes.
This entitlement mentality will mean the end of American life, and so many seem willing to ride it all the way down.
This country is broken...
Obama has done a lot,you just choose to ignore it: www.obamaachievements.org/list. All of our ancestors come from somewhere and Latino's should be given a chance as well.Obama's last four years will come close to putting us at a surplus,Romney would have set us back even further and basically move the middle class to the poor class.
If our govt had done its' job,YOU wouldn't be here
Maria,
I admire your optimism. However, there is no way that either the last 4 years with no Budget and no restraint on Congressional spending nor the next 4 years will come close to putting anywhere near a surplus. We will be very fortunate if the deficit spending can be cut in half and the National Debt only grows to $18.5 trillion.
Good - that's where you need to be if you are not here legally.
Why should you be given a chance if you are breaking the law--don't you belong in jail? Isn't that what we do to those that break the law in this country?
Well a whole hell of a lot of hispanics have been given a chance, and alot of them blew it. Evidence by the fact that we are sepnding billions in the country annually to house them in our prisons. While they are incarecerated their families are surviving off of welfare, food stamps, low income housing etc.. The go to the emergency rooms where they can't pay for care so the taxpaying citizens get to foot that bill as well. The prisoner/welfare parents then expect for their anchor babies to get a free education and go on to college on these same taxpayers dime. And then after the get all these freebies they still refuse to learn our language, follow our rules, honor our history, our flag, our customs or especially ASK what they can DO to REPAY the nation that hosts them and allows them to stay here illegaly!!
I'm sorry Maria but you are very wrong. Obama has virtually no chance of cutting the deficit in half much less a daydreams chance of bringing thsi countyr back to surplus. The best we can hope for is that the deficit doesn't double in the next 4 years. You sound quite naive and need to get educated.
Hey the Mike , you are truly what kind of idiot that we don't need here. Freeload off of someone else and you haven't served this country and I'm sure you haven't try doing something for it. I did fool.
ASIA FOR THE ASIANS, AFRICA FOR THE AFRICANS, WHITE COUNTRIES FOR EVERYBODY!Everybody says there is this RACE problem. Everybody says this RACE problem will be solved when the third world pours into EVERY white country and ONLY into white countries. The Netherlands and Belgium are just as crowded as Japan or Taiwan, but nobody says Japan or Taiwan will solve this RACE problem by bringing in millions of third worlders and quote assimilating unquote with them. Everybody says the final solution to this RACE problem is for EVERY white country and ONLY white countries to “assimilate,” i.e., intermarry, with all those non-whites. What if I said there was this RACE problem and this RACE problem would be solved only if hundreds of millions of non-blacks were brought into EVERY black country and ONLY into black countries? How long would it take anyone to realize I’m not talking about a RACE problem. I am talking about the final solution to the BLACK problem? And how long would it take any sane black man to notice this and what kind of psycho black man wouldn’t object to this? But if I tell that obvious truth about the ongoing program of genocide against my race, the white race, Liberals and respectable conservatives agree that I am a naziwhowantstokillsixmillionjews.
They say they are anti-racist. What they are is anti-white. Anti-racist is a code word for anti-white.
you area as sick as themike and iam empty. but then you may also be another michael jackson constantly trying to make your skin whiter than white.
I hear there are still some tickets left for the first flight to the moon. It sure looks pretty white to me at night. Good riddance.
I'm sick? I'm not the one committing genocide a**hole.
Hispanics are now going to find out now that what is said in elections don't happen. It will take awhile but they will find out just like the rest of us know already. I live in Buffalo jobs unemployment and taxes are high. But this one guy that just won up here promised that he would create new high paying jobs and lower taxes. I am like now there is a breath of fresh air. I have never heard a politician promise that before. I can't wait. Oh wait, that is what every single candidate sez every year and nothing ever gets done. All I got to say is the Hispanics better not get everything they want because I been in line for a decade.
Latinos, we love you! But, for Christ's sake give our President some time to recouperate! The most pressing issue is our Fiscal Cliff! If our President can't fix this, you will all be going back home!
Thank you for voting, but FIRST THINGS FIRST! They are good for you too! You're not going anywhere & the rest of your fellow Americans aren't going anywhere, so let's give our ILLUSTRIOUS PRESIDENT OBAMA time! HE IS WORKING FOR ALL 99% OF US!
Now that you clowns elected obama, the floodgates will open for ALL the ILLEGALS to continue to come into this country, take YOUR jobs, live off YOUR hard earned money, and get 'free' health care that YOU are paying for.............you get what YOU deserve........
you are one dedicated FOLLOWER(SHEEP).
You do mean the fiscal cliff obama signed up for don't you? So how is a person who says he never flips going to change that fact?
Now that you clowns elected obama, the floodgates will open for ALL the ILLEGALS to continue to come into this country, take YOUR jobs, live off YOUR hard earned money, and get 'free' health care that YOU are paying for.............you get what YOU deserve........
There is no Latino issue. This country doesn't OWE you anything more than it does to any other CITIZEN of the United States of America. We don't need yet another special interest group thats trying to move all of Latin America to a country that they can bleed because its so full of bleeding hearts.
No question the US needs an actual immigration policy, but don't even think about gaining amnesty from this government that could possibly allow 20 million people to jump on the federal money train. If you haven't paid in, you don't get to play.
Well said John.
Latinos want to come to this country because they are too cowardly to fix their own. And the fact that they STILL come here even though the job situation is very poor, gives you an idea of why they are really here.
Since the bail out GM and Chrysler/Fiat has sent a lot of jobs to Mexico.
Rillibtowb - you are absolutely right! Is there no honor among Mexicans? Is there no yearning to fix what they allowed to become so corrupt in their own cesspool of a country that they allegedly love so much they want to duplicate it's "culture" here in our country? Is that their answer to being happy -- let criminals and crooked politicians destroy their own country, do nothing to improve it, and then go illegally invade America and leech off its citizens who WORKED for what we have? I must say I totally do not understand that mindset -- and I'm truthfully glad that it is so alien to me (pardon the pun) I can't fathom it.
They pretty clearly are NOT willing to do the hard work, to struggle, to sacrifice to improve their lives, their own country and their own future in their country. It's quick ,simple and easy to steal over the border and take whatever they want from this country.
One thing I find peculiar, Vote up by %80 since 2000.
So prior to 2000 didn't give a crap and didn't vote?
Now comes the word Entitlements.
Vote goes up as much as %80
Bingo!!! and soon to be a state in the union ......Puerto Rico
The election is over..the process has re elected president obama..yet the hate keeps going on. I fear for our country. Of course, a lot of minorities voted for the president, but so did a lot of other people that are not minorities.. The spew of hate is dividing us and I fear will only get worse if we can't open dialogue with people that feel differently than others. Hate creates war. Intolerance creates war. Why all the rage? I am a white male and some of my best friends are Mexican, African American, and Asian. These are all good people. I wish some of the people posting on this forum would not be so intolerant of others and have meaningful discussions instead of ranting and raving .
The issue here has nothing to do with immagration,it has to do with the GOP and teabaggers not being able to admit they lost , they lost big and move on.You should spend more time improving your own party and quit crying about the other.
bobby bobby, try to stay on point with the article that was written on your own liberal website. This is 100% about illegal immigration, as even obama calls it, and what promises were made to a block of voters to get them to blindly pull the lever to their own guillotine.
According to the topic, this is about Hispanics wanting Obama to help them now that they helped him... What does that have to do with anything GOP related or losing an election? Stick to the topic and Wake up... Smell the roses boys... The continuation of ' give me what I am owned ' is growing larger by the day.
What was once great about this county is that we, as Americans, could do anything...
Now we have become so fractured by special intrests that patriotism as we once knew it no longer exists.
How many of these "Dream Act" idiots do you think own an American Flag?
Ah the old quid pro quo - we helped you, now pay us - very un-American just 40 years ago but times have changed and now it is the norm. The "Me" generation is an embarrassment to past generations of Americans regardless of their race
"The total number of potential Hispanic voters this year reached a record 23.7 million – up about 80 percent since 2000..."
...and no one sees a problem with this???
#43
The President and Hugo Chavez are ok with it .....Most of these people come from socialistic countries and have the mindset to match ......They forget why they left in the first place .....
I am more happy that the ramay population is still at zero. Hopefully it won't figure out how to make more of them, even if it could find a one legged blind dog to mate with.
I can't wait till the country falls.....lolololol....hahahahaha
Yeah ....can't wait for a total collapse of the greatest nation on the planet ......stupid azz..... -_-
lololol....hahahahaha
Tazman: I can't wait till the country falls.....lolololol....hahahahaha
Why?
because he is an idiot that's why .....
Because he thinks it's "funny" to say something so MORONIC and to try to stir people up and then argue with them. The troll needs to say nighty nighty, his mommy is calling him to bed!!!!
The first thing that President Obama needs to address is balancing the budget so that Congress is not spending more than what is actually coming in each year and is not raiding SS and Medicare for other budget items.
Then he needs to create an environment that will restore good paying jobs to return unemployment to 4.5%.
After that he needs to work with Congress to start paying down the National Debt. It will take a very long time, but we need to get it back to $2 trillion.
If he accomplishes all of that, the next step would be to fully enforce the current immigration laws to determine whether or not they need to be changed by collecting 2 years data on what is not fulfilling our needs either for workers and what positions we require more to keep things running smoothly, or for additional citizens.
Remember since 1986 neither the President nor Congress has been willing to fully fund and implement current laws so we do not have any data to show where they may not be working correctly.
Immigration reform? ......Fine..... if you are a productive person and pay taxes....contribute to our society and better yourself fine. That's what my family did.....If you come here to murder, rape and pillage ........GTFO ! We have enough of our own scumbags......
excellent post
Nice strategy. It worked and now they want their payback.
Hahaha! He got his second term suckers. Do you think he gives one rats arse about you now?Good luck- if anything wait for the police to come around asking for green cards and a human catapult to throw you back over the fence if you lack credentials!
The last four years have been a series of broken promises, do you think this 'promise' will be treated any differently? There are no promises and you got used.If you wanted real change and reform you should've voted for Romney.
Now that you clowns elected obama, the floodgates will open for ALL the ILLEGALS to continue to come into this country, take YOUR jobs, live off YOUR hard earned money, and get 'free' health care that YOU are paying for.............you get what YOU deserve........
Sorry,it's: http://obamaachievements.org/list.
Me: Poor baby,do you need a tissue ????
35.1
Maria, dear sweet naive child. It's way past your bedtime!!!
Now that you clowns elected obama, the floodgates will open for ALL the ILLEGALS to continue to come into this country, take YOUR jobs, live off YOUR hard earned money, and get 'free' health care that YOU are paying for.............you get what YOU deserve........
America, unfortunately, will get what it deserves.