thinking about the Mid-Year or interim Congressional and Gubernatorial Elections,
but like it or not that’s where we are at today.
Blame President Trump. His inability to move the Republican majority of both
Houses of Congress to enact any meaningful legislation plus his near constant
alleged scandals lead him to focus on sensationalistic Presidential
Executive actions that inflame partisan passions on both sides.
As a result, Trump’s every move is aimed at ginning up his hardcore extremist
electoral base in preparation for 2018: renegotiate NAFTA; solicit bids for the
border wall; prepare list of Sanctuary cities to persecute; increase immigrant
detentions; cancel DAPA; withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord; reinstate
travel and investment restrictions with Cuba; repeal Wall Street regulations; and so
on.
These actions obligate Latino leaders to contemplate a response. What is
our Community’s interest? Well across the board Latino voters favor legislation on
1) immigrant legalization; 2) climate change mitigation; and 3) reconciliation with
Cuba.
And guess what: numerous swing federal house districts just happen to have
big Latino voter potentials. In fact, 60% of the districts needed to gain a pro-
immigrant majority in Congress are located just in six states: CA, AZ, NM, CO,
NV and FL.
Those are the facts on the ground. Now it’s up to Latino leaders to marshal the
resources to do what they almost never do: massively and strategically mobilize
Latino voters in an off-year.
Consider this: a pro-immigrant House (could be democratically controlled or
controlled by bipartisan coalition) after 2018 could pass common sense
immigrant legalization bill that would have a serious chance in the moderate
Senate. What would Trump do with that on his desk? The same could be said of
the right to travel to Cuba. Food for thought no?
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