Research Briefing

To Veil His Record Of Failed Promises, Obama Has “Customized” His Campaign Message For Hispanics

THE CAMPAIGNER-IN-CHIEF HAS SET HIS SIGHTS ON HISPANIC VOTERS

Obama Has A Version Of His Campaign Message “Customized For The Latino Audience.” “President Barack Obama’s got a version of his ‘We can’t wait’ drive customized for the Latino audience. Never heard of it? Unless you’re a Latino voter, that’s no surprise.” (Josh Gerstein, “Obama’s Custom-Tailored Latino Pitch,” Politico, 1/29/12)

Over The Past Few Months, Obama Has Issued A Series Executive Orders That Get “Huge Coverage” In Media Outlets Favored By Hispanics.  “Over the past few months, the Obama administration has rolled out a series of executive actions that often garner little attention from the English-language press but get huge coverage in the Spanish-language media and other outlets favored by Hispanics.” (Josh Gerstein, “Obama’s Custom-Tailored Latino Pitch,” Politico, 1/29/12)

• “And Obama’s Team Is Heavily Promoting His Actions To Their Target Audience.” “As Obama’s GOP rivals face the primaries’ first sizable group of Latino voters, in Florida, the president’s use of executive power to court the potentially pivotal demographic group already is well under way. And Obama’s team is heavily promoting his actions to their target audience.” (Josh Gerstein, “Obama’s Custom-Tailored Latino Pitch,” Politico, 1/29/12)

“Obama Is Courting Hispanics In Politically Important States.” “President Barack Obama is courting Hispanics in politically important states, setting himself up as a champion of the crucial Latino voting bloc and as a foil to Republican candidates fighting for a share of support from the same groups.” (Jim Kuhnhenn, “Obama Courts Latino Vote On Economic Tour,” The Associated Press, 1/27/12)

BUT OBAMA CANNOT RUN FROM THE EMPTY PROMISES HE HAS MADE TO HISPANICS

Obama Has Failed To Make Immigration Reform A “Top Priority”

PROMISE: During The Campaign, Obama Said He Would Make Immigration A “Top Priority.” OBAMA: “And I will make it a top priority in my first year as President. Not just because we need to secure our borders and get control of who comes into our country. And not just because we have to crack down on employers abusing undocumented immigrants. But because we have to finally bring those 12 million people out of the shadows.” (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At National Council Of La Raza, San Diego, CA, 7/13/08)

• “Obama Made The Promise To Latino Leaders To Take Up Immigration Reform In His First Year...” (Carolyn Lochhead, “Obama’s Big Risk,” San Francisco Chronicle, 1/28/08)

FAILURE: Immigration Activists Are Disappointed Obama Hasn’t Made Immigration Policy A Priority. “Many activists blame the White House for not making the issue more of a priority, and Tuesday's speech is an effort, in part, to shift attention to Republicans who are blocking action.” (Laura Meckler, “Obama To Travel To Texas To Push For Immigration Legislation,” The Wall Street  Journal, 5/8/11)

“But Immigration Is A Tricky, Slippery Issue For The President, Who Hasn’t Exactly Made It A Front-Burner Priority.” (Glenn Thrush, “Obama’s Secret Weapon With Hispanics: Social Security?” Politico, 1/30/12)

Obama Needs The Hispanic Community In 2012, But So Far, They Have Little Reason To Support Him. “Mr. Obama and his fellow Democrats need strong support from the Hispanic community in 2012, but the president has little to show for his promise to pass legislation giving some illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship.” (Laura Meckler, “Obama To Travel To Texas To Push For Immigration Legislation,” The Wall Street  Journal, 5/8/11)

Immigration Activists Are Making Sure Obama’s Broken Promise Is Not Forgotten Or Forgiven. “And that comment is, to the Latino community, a key broken promise. Ramos, for one, is making certain it’s not forgotten, and that the administration pays for breaking it.” (Ezra Klein, “Wonkbook: Obama’s Belated Immigration Push,” The Washington Post, 5/9/11)

Hispanic Leaders Are Frustrated And Disappointed At Obama’s Lack Of Action On Obama’s Promised “Absolute Top Priority.” “But some Hispanic leaders have expressed frustration at the lack of action on overhauling immigration policy, the death of the DREAM Act and a high rate of deportations under Obama’s watch. ‘It was at our annual conference when he was a candidate that he did make a promise that comprehensive immigration reform would be an absolute top priority,’ Janet Murguia, La Raza’s president and CEO, told NPR Monday. ‘And I think it’s been disappointing for many of us in the Latino community.’” (Julie Mason, “Obama: Immigration Reform Stalled By GOP,” Politico, 7/25/11)

Obama’s 2011 Immigration Speech Should Be “Understood — And Analyzed — As A Political Document Rather Than A Policy One.” “President Obama’s speech Tuesday in Texas was cast as an attempt at restarting the conversation about comprehensive immigration reform but will almost certainly land with a dull thud in a Congress wary of taking on an issue so fraught with political pitfalls. Obama, of course, knows that. And so, his speech today is rightly understood — and analyzed — as a political document rather than a policy one.” (Chris Cillizza, “What President Obama’s Immigration Speech Tells Us About 2012,”  The Washington Post’s “The Fix” Blog, 5/10/11)

• MSNBC’s Chuck Todd: “No, there was nothing new as far as the President’s either legislative strategy or where he is on the policy. That was as much of a campaign speech as we have seen the President give in a couple of years that wasn't related to an actual fundraising event. I mean, you look at the music as he's leaving, the way he began it. It was very, obviously being in an outdoor venue so it a little bit of the extra umph to it that outdoor venues offer, it was very upbeat and campaigny and frankly, that's what this -- it's hard not to look at what he's doing and not view it through the prism of about 2012 and the fact that he knows Hispanic voters can put him over the top in about half of the swing states.” (MSNBC’s “Martin Bashir,” 5/10/11)

Obama’s Failure On The Economy Has Replaced Immigration As The Key Issue For Hispanics

Obama’s Failed Approach To Economic Policy Has Replaced Immigration As A Key Issue For Hispanics In 2012.  “The poll showed that the economy has replaced immigration as the key issue for Hispanics. They, like many Americans, were put off by the battle over the nation's debt ceiling and deficit reduction that concluded in early August.” (Richard Wolf, “Obama’s Support Among Hispanics Slipping,” USA Today 8/23/11)

January 2012: 54 Percent Of Latinos Say The Economic Downturn Has Left Them Harder Hit Than Other Groups In America. “Fully 54% say Hispanics have been hurt more than other groups by the economic downturn of the past four years, while just 5% say they have been hurt less. Some 38% say Hispanics have been affected about as much as other groups.” (Paul Taylor, Mark Hugo Lopez, Gabriel Velasco, And Seth Motel, “Hispanics Say They Have The Worst Of A Bad Economy,” Pew Research Center, 1/26/12)

• 59 Percent Say Someone In Their Household Has Been Out Of Work In The Past Year. (Paul Taylor, Mark Hugo Lopez, Gabriel Velasco, And Seth Motel, “Hispanics Say They Have The Worst Of A Bad Economy,” Pew Research Center, 1/26/12)
  
  
• 75 Percent Say Their Finances Are “Only Fair” Or In “Poor” Shape. (Paul Taylor, Mark Hugo Lopez, Gabriel Velasco, And Seth Motel, “Hispanics Say They Have The Worst Of A Bad Economy,” Pew Research Center, 1/26/12)
  
  

Since President Obama Took Office, The Unemployment Rate For Hispanics Has Increased From 10.0 Percent To 10.5 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 2/3/12)

Between 2008 And 2010, 2.3 Million Hispanic-Americans Fell Into Poverty And The Poverty Rate For Hispanic-Americans Increased From 23.2 Percent To 26.6 Percent. (People With Income Below Specified Ratios Of Their Poverty Thresholds By Selected Characteristics, 2008, US Census Bureau, 9/10/2009; People And Families In Poverty By Selected Characteristics: 2009 And 2010, US Census Bureau, 9/13/11)

• “Hispanics Now Make Up The Largest Group Of Children Living In Poverty.” “Hispanics now make up the largest group of children living in poverty, the first time in U.S. history that poor white kids have been outnumbered by poor children of another race or ethnicity, according to a new study.” (Carol Morello and Ted Mellnik, “Hispanic Kids The Largest Group Of Children Living In Poverty,” The Washington Post, 9/28/11)

Between 2009 And 2010, The Median Income For Hispanic Households Fell 2.3 Percent, From $38,667 To $37,759. (“Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States, 2010,” US Census Bureau, 9/13/11)

And While Obama’s Health Care Legislation Promised Them Coverage, Hispanics’ Uninsured Rate Has Climbed

PROMISE: In 2008, Senator Obama Said The Election Was About The One In Three Hispanics Who Don’t Have Health Care Coverage. “This election is about the 45 million Americans who don't have health care - one in three Hispanics- and about the small business owners who can barely stay afloat because of rising health care costs. They're counting on us to guarantee health care for anyone who needs it and make it affordable for anyone who wants it. That's what I'll do as President.” (Senator Barack Obama, “Remarks To The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Gala,” Washington, DC, 9/10/08)

FAILURE: Under Obama, “The Uninsured Rate Has Been Increasing Since 2008.” “More American adults lacked health insurance coverage last year than in any year since Gallup and Healthways started tracking it in 2008. The uninsured rate has been increasing since 2008, climbing to 17.1% in 2011.” (Elizabeth Mendes, “More Americans Uninsured In 2011,” Gallup, 1/24/12)

• “More Than 40%” Of Hispanics and “30% Of Low-Income Americans” Were Uninsured In 2011. “Hispanic Americans continue to be the most likely to be uninsured, with more than 40% going without health coverage in 2011, the highest Gallup has found for any key group since it began tracking in 2008. More than 30% of low-income Americans were uninsured in 2011 -- a figure that has been rising since 2008, when it was 26.4%.” (Elizabeth Mendes, “More Americans Uninsured In 2011,” Gallup, 1/24/12)
• Gallup: “Groups that were already among the least likely to have coverage -- Hispanics, low-income Americans, and blacks -- have become even more likely to be uninsured.” (Elizabeth Mendes, “More Americans Uninsured In 2011,” Gallup, 1/24/12)

SO IT’S NO WONDER THAT OBAMA’S POPULARITY HAS “COOLED”

“Obama’s Generic Popularity With Latinos, Overall, Has Cooled.” (Glenn Thrush, “9 Numbers Obama Will Watch In 2012,”Politico, 12/25/11)

Obama’s Job Approval Rating Has Dropped To 49 Percent Among Latinos. “The poll indicates there is still room for Republicans to maneuver. Mr. Obama’s overall approval has dropped sharply among Latinos in the last year – to 49 percent from 58 percent.” (Julia Preston, “Latinos Support Obama, Despite Deportation Policies,” The New York Times, 12/28/11)

• 56 Percent Of Latinos Say They Are Dissatisfied With The Direction The Country Is Headed, While Just 38 Percent Say They Are Satisfied. (Pew Hispanic Center Poll, 1,220 LA, MoE 3.6%, 11/9 – 12/7/11)