Differences: John McCain receives boisterous, sustained standing ovations from Houston oil executives who then proceed to pump nearly $2 million in cash to his campaign. Working class voters are supporting Senator Barack Obama by a two-to-one margin over John McCain....
John McCain capped off a week in which he was criticized for abandoning his promise to run a respectful campaign in favor of deceptive attacks by loading his remarks to the National Urban League meeting in Orlando with even more misleading rhetoric. Instead of offering real proposals for addressing the big challenges facing African American families, McCain attempted to distort the record on key issues.
Senator Barack Obama's Presidential campaign together with the Democratic National Committee today announced an unprecedented $20 million commitment to engaging and mobilizing Hispanic voters for the November election at a press conference with Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO), Congressman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-CA) and Congressman José Serrano (D-NY). The historic announcement comes as a new Pew Hispanic Center survey finds Senator Obama holding a strong lead, 66-23, over his Republican rival John McCain among registered Hispanic voters. Today only 26 percent of Hispanics identify as Republicans while 65 percent say they are Democrats, a 39-point party ID gap.
Obama for America and the DNC are set to unveil a $20 million effort to register and mobilize Hispanic voters. Washington Post: DNC Chairman Howard Dean said the sum is unprecedented for a presidential campaign and represents a show of...
John McCain abandons position on affirmative action: Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Sunday that he favors a proposed referendum in Arizona that would ban affirmative action, reversing a position he took a decade ago. It's the latest example of...
Today John McCain will speak to Hispanic veterans at the American GI Forum's 60th National Conference in Denver. McCain's remarks come on the heels of a new Pew poll that shows him lagging far behind Obama among Hispanics. McCain trails Senator Obama by a margin of 43 points, 66 to 23 percent, among Hispanic voters. McCain is a full 18 points behind President Bush's level of support among Hispanic voters in 2004.
John McCain spoke at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Annual Conference this afternoon in San Diego. In the Q&A session following his prepared remarks, a young woman from the group One Dream 2009, asked John McCain, if he...
Congressman Xavier Becerra (D-CA) and Eliseo Medina held a conference call today to respond to John McCain's speech at NCLR, and call for straight talk from the GOP candidate on his promise of a third Bush term and contradictions on immigration reform.
Senator Barack Obama appeared at the NCLR Annual Conference in San Diego, California on Sunday, and introduced a plan to boost small businesses that will help Latino communities prosper. Watch his remarks below:...
We released the following web video highlighting the shared belief between John McCain and Phil Gramm that these hard economic times are "psychological" and a figment of your imagination.
It's only Tuesday, but already the week isn't going so well for John McCain. Yesterday, Senator McCain rolled out his "Bush on Steroids" economic plan which the Wall Street Journal called a "repackage proposals he has already outlined." But rather than strengthen the economy and provide tax relief for hard-working families, Senator McCain's plan is more of the same tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy that will take our country further into debt and not do anything to help the Middle Class. And McCain's claim that he can balance the budget by 2013 is just plain wrong--as one reporter wrote, it's "unclear how Mr. McCain plans" to do so. [Wall Street Journal, 7/5/08, New York Times' The Caucus Blog, 7/7/08] With senior economic advisor Carly Fiorina's fuzzy math, no wonder McCain's math doesn't add up, something the DNC illustrates on its new website "McCain Math:" http://mccainmath.com.
Senator Barack Obama continues to show strong support from the Hispanic community across the country, according to the latest polls. The latest numbers from Florida show Senator Obama holding a two-point lead over McCain, and maintaining a fourteen point lead...
Following the debate on immigration reform that John McCain had with himself at today's meeting of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials, the Democratic National Committee released a new web video called "McCain vs. McCain: Immigration Reform." During this campaign, McCain has abandoned his support for comprehensive immigration reform to pander to the right wing of his Party. After adopting an enforcement-first approach that he previously said wouldn't work, McCain even promised to vote against the bipartisan bill that bears his name if came up for a vote.
Today's McCain Myth: John McCain will get support from Hispanic voters this election.
John McCain held a town hall meeting with Latinos in Chicago, Illinois last night, but unlike all of his other town hall meetings, this one took place behind closed doors.
Today's McCain Myth: John McCain can be trusted on immigration reform.
The slumping economy has hit the Latino community disproportionately harder with unemployment nearly two percent higher than non-Hispanics according to research conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center. Due mainly to a slump in the construction industry, the unemployment rate for...
As John McCain tries to court minority voters today, a new report on Politico.com highlights how the Republican Party's "highly publicized" outreach over the last few years has lacked infrastructure and has yielded little results.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement in commemoration of Cuban Independence Day.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement on the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, handed down 54 years ago last Saturday, May 17th.
Today, we celebrate the glorious Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and reaffirm our commitment to the betterment of our schools and the advancement of equality for all.
May 5 marks the anniversary of the defeat of 8,000 well-armed French forces at the hands of the outnumbered Mexican army led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín in the Battle of Puebla, or Batalla de Puebla in Spanish, during the French intervention in 1862.
Columnist Andrés Oppenheimer ripped John McCain over his embrace of the right-wing on immigration in Sunday's Miami Herald. Oppenheimer, an award-winning journalist, writes that following an interview with the presumptive GOP nominee that McCain is "moving steadily backward" on immigration.
The Tancredo Effect: For the first time, the number of Hispanic Democrats in the state is expected to exceed the number of Hispanic Republicans. The Florida secretary of state is expected to release the month's voter registration figures to the...
This week, the Democratic National Committee announced the Hispanic Leadership Council that will be led by long-time activists Gilberto Ocañas and Ingrid Duran. Arizona Republic: "We believe this is a key for us to be able to go on the...
John McCain says that on his campaign tour this week he is visiting "places that have long been ignored or are losing ground as the global economy forces change" and that "[i]t's time for action" to help those communities. But in reality, John McCain has proven time and again that he would leave these communities behind by vetoing earmarks, which have funded critical programs in these economically struggling areas.
Forty-years ago, just days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., President Lyndon Johnson signed the '68 Civil Rights Act. Twenty-two years later, John McCain cast a deciding vote against the Civil Rights Act in 1990. In 1990,...
"Today we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a transformative American leader whose life was cut tragically short 40 years ago. As we reflect on this solemn occasion, each one of us should reaffirm our commitment to continuing Dr. King's fight for social justice, equality, fairness, and inclusion for all Americans.
"Among the many lessons of Dr. King's life, he taught us that our Democracy must be nurtured. That the work of making America a better place is a lifetime commitment. Each one of us must fight for the shared values of an America where we stand up and stand together for the least among us, for our children, our veterans, our communities, the very things that define who we are and what we believe.
"This year's presidential election provides a ray of hope in the realization of Dr. King's dream. Across the country we've seen historic turnout as Americans from all walks of life are making their voices heard to move our country forward. Today the Democratic Party reaffirms its commitment to work towards the beloved community Dr. King envisioned. "
Early in the primary process, John McCain backed away from his efforts on comprehensive immigration reform by telling Republican crowds that he "got the message." Just a few weeks ago, McCain traveled to Illinois' 14th Congressional District to endorse and...
"John McCain can't apologize for one mistake while making another of the same ilk. As recently as 1994 John McCain voted to cut off funding for the Commission promoting Dr. King's holiday, but today says he made 'a mistake.' If McCain is truly regretful of those past actions, how can he justify advertising on a website that promotes the same type of hate and division Dr. King gave his life to end?"
"César Chávez is undeniably one of America's greatest heroes, and the best way to honor his service and sacrifice today is to continue to fight for the ideals he worked for and cherished."
In the New York Times this morning was an Associated Press piece on the rise of young Latino voters citing figures from the Pew Hispanic Center and the efforts of independent groups like Voto Latino to increase the Latino youth...
March 1st begins Women's History Month and that is particularly important for Democrats since we have a long, proud history of women's accomplishments to celebrate and honor. Simply going back to 1920, after battling for 72 years, the 19th Amendment...
The Republican National Committee is testing how far it can go in attacks against a potential woman or African American opponent.
The Latino community is one of the most rapidly growing in the country, and with the rise in numbers will be a rise in political power. Latinos turned out in huge numbers across the country on Super Tuesday, and set...
Today, the Supreme Court heard arguments on Indiana's undemocratic voter identification law. While there has never been a report of voter impersonation fraud in Indiana, real voters - seniors, students, veterans, minorities and low-income families -have been disenfranchised at the polls because of this restrictive requirement.
In a recent e-mail to party supporters, Kansas GOP Chair Kris Kobach bragged about the Republican Party's efforts at "caging" voters. In an e-mail message sent to state Republicans, Kansas Republican Party Chairman Kris Kobach reviewed the party’s accomplishments this...
A recent study examined wage gaps between whites and non-whites in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington state. The results are staggering, especially for Latinos.
It took less than 48 hours for the Republican Party's presidential candidates to run away from the moderate tone on immigration they had tried to use at the Univision Republican debate on Sunday.
The Democratic National Committee's Hispanic Caucus elected a new Chair and Vice-Chair on Friday November 30th during the DNC's 2007 Fall meeting, the last full gathering of DNC members before the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement as the Democratic Presidential candidates prepared to debate in Nevada...
Bush administration voting rights division chief John Tanner created a firestorm when he said that, "minorities don't become elderly the way white people do: They die first." Now he has apologized.
El Presidente Bush ofreció un discurso sobre la política hacia Cuba de su Administración luego de casi ocho años de ofrecerle promesas vacías a la comunidad Cubano Americana, y luego de haber repatriado a unos 8,000 refugiados Cubanos que huían del regimen Castrista durante su presidencia. [New York Times, 10/23/07; AP, 10/24/07; New York Sun, 1/18/06]
The Democratic Party released a new web video highlighting the fact that the leading Republican Presidential candidates have excluded the vast majority of the American people from their vision of the American Dream.
The leading Republican presidential candidates have skipped most debates that address issues important to people of color. We've responded with a new web video on the American Dream.
Tonight Tavis Smiley will moderate a Republican presidential debate that will focus on issues important to minority communities. But the four leading candidates will not appear.
Effective today, the first woman of color elected as top officer at the National AFL-CIO, Linda Chavez-Thompson, will retire from her historic position. Chavez-Thompson won election as Executive Vice President of the AFL-CIO in 1995.
Washington, DC - Today the Democratic Congress sent landmark legislation to the President that reduces college costs for millions of young people. College Democrats of America issued the following statement praising Congressional Democrats and highlighting the bill's benefits for minority students.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and DNC Hispanic Caucus Chair Ramona Martinez issued the following joint statement today commemorating the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated September 15 through October 15:
Washington, DC - Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement on the Democratic presidential candidates and their participation in the Univision Democratic Presidential Candidates' Forum.
Starting tomorrow, the Democratic National Committee will host the first joint American Majority Partnership Summit August 23-25 at the Paris/Bally's Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It appears that some of the harsh rhetoric coming from some segments of the Republican Party have backfired with Hispanic voters. Democrats are making gains across the country.
The Republican National Hispanic Assembly is holding its biennial national convention this week to little fanfare in Washington -- without most of its Republican presidential candidates, and facing an uphill battle given the anti-immigrant, anti-Hispanic rhetoric coming from the Republican Party.
Following a Senate Democratic Hispanic Task Force forum Wednesday, Hispanic Democrats in the Senate delivered their fellow Senators an issue briefing on why the No Child Left Behind reauthorization has to take into account the needs of Latino students. Today, the Democratic National Committee's Hispanic Caucus applauded the commitment of Latino leaders in the House and in the Senate to ensuring that Latino students get the tools necessary to succeed academically and in the workforce.
Luego de un foro coordinado por el Grupo de Trabajo de Demócratas Hispanos del Senado el miercoles, los Demócratas Hispanos en el Senado le entregaron a sus colegas un documento en el que se resume por qué la reautorización de la ley “No Child Left Behind” (‘Ningun Niño Se Queda Atras’) tiene que tomar en cuenta las necesidades de los estudiantes Latinos. Hoy, el Caucus Hispano del Comité Nacional Demócrata (DNC por sus siglas en ingles) elogió el compromiso que tienen los líderes Latinos en la Cámara y en el Senado con asegurar que los estudiantes Latinos tengan los recursos necesarios para triunfar a nivel académico y en la fuerza laboral.
If recent reports are any indication, the 2008 Republican presidential candidates as a group refuse to talk to America’s teachers, young people, African Americans or Hispanics.
On the same day that an influential, bipartisan Latino group convenes its annual convention, Fred Thompson slammed Cubans, suggesting that they come to America not in search of freedom, but to bring "suitcase bombs."
After Senate Republicans and their right-wing allies defeated bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform last week,
The New York Times reported yesterday that the GOP will pay a price in 2008 and lose support from Hispanic voters. As the report notes, “…Hispanics may have been deeply alienated by the heated rhetoric that wound around the axle of the debate, most of it stemming from a few Republican opponents and the loud echo chamber of talk radio.” The
Times also reports that the defeat of immigration reform at the hands of the GOP sends a message to the growing Latino population that they are not welcome in the Republican Party, a message with huge implications for 2008 and beyond. As former Reagan Administration senior official Linda Chavez notes, the GOP’s defeat of comprehensive immigration reform “...is disastrous for the Republican Party” in terms of attracting or keeping Hispanic voters.
Fred Thompson's campaign is off to a rocky start today, as he managed to insult Cuban refugees by referring to them as terrorists.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement after Republicans blocked comprehensive immigration legislation in the Senate:
