Republican Presidential Nominee John McCain appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation following the Republican National Convention, and was asked point blank whether the Republican Party could survive as the party of the white voter. “We can’t”, he answered. “I saw a statistic…that by 2042, whites will be a minority in the population of this country. We can’t. We’ve got to reach out. We’ve got to do a better job. We have to have the Hispanic as well as African American voters. I’ve traveled all over the country; I’ve been to places where there are literally no Republican votes. I have to convince those people that I’ll be the president of everybody, especially with education. Education is the civil rights issue of this century.”
Polls following the Republican convention show a big boost for McCain, who prior to the Democratic convention had a six point disadvantage, according to an average of polls conducted by pollster.com. That lead has been erased, and many national polls are showing a lead for McCain, partly due to the wide approval of vice presidential pick Sarah Palin. However, Obama still has a slim lead with the projected Electoral College vote thanks to his holding swing states like Nevada and New Hampshire. This is the first time McCain has led in polling against Obama since the latter became to be considered the nominee-presumptive early this summer.
The Republican candidate, who has a long relationship with minority groups thanks to his position as Chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, has already snatched some key minority endorsements from the African American Barack Obama, such as that of Daddy Yankee, the Puerto Rican reggaetonero.
“People don’t know this, but since he was a senator, he has fought hard for the well-being of Latinos. I know we are dealing with someone who cares about the Latino community,” Daddy Yankee said, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times. These have led to burgeoning support for McCain in the key swing states of Nevada and New Mexico. McCain also has the support of Cuban unions and associations in Florida and the South, thanks to a detailed plan for democracy in Cuba; Fidel Castro and Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega have responded by supporting Sen. Obama. Other policy plans that have gone over well with Latinos include a Columbian free trade agreement and other NAFTA bonuses to America’s emerging democracies, while criticizing Obama’s plan as being too self-serving and not generous enough. “We have to treat Latin America as partners, not little brothers,” McCain said.
McCain also outlined a plan on his website (johnmccain.com) to increase the number of legal immigrants to the United States, including clearing out the green card backlog and increasing the number of available green cards, but only after the border is secured. Part of his plan includes a reformed temporary worker program. In our next edition, we’ll take a look at Barack Obama’s incentives for the Latino community.
Todos los Debates Se Llevaran Acabo a las 8 p.m. Hora Centro
Presidential Debate – Foreign
Policy and National Security
University of Mississippi,
Oxford, Mississippi
Podiums – 2 min. per
candidate per topic, +5 min. per topic
PBS – Moderated by
Jim Lehrer
Oct. 2nd
Vice Presidential Debate –
Washington University,
St. Louis, Missouri
Town Hall – 2 min. per
candidate per topic, +1 min. per topic
PBS – Moderated by Gwen Ifill
Oct. 7th
Presidential Debate –
Questions Posed by Audience/Online
Belmont University, Nashville, Tennesse
Town Hall – 2 min. per
candidate per topic, +1 min. per topic
NBC – Moderated by Tom Brokhaw
Oct. 15th
Presidential Debate –
Domestic and Economic Policy
Hofstra University,
Hempstead, New York
Seated – 2 min. per candidate per topic,
+5 min. per topic, +90 sec.
closing statement
CBS – Moderated by Bob Schieffer
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