Kathianne
05-01-2015, 09:29 AM
I understand this attempt to counter the flood, but it's illustrative of GOP being a differing form of 'big government.' Just pick of the two 'parties' you most agree with:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/conservatives-including-the-koch-brothers-go-after-the-latino-vote/2015/04/30/10732074-101e-4845-936b-77ccd3c45cd2_story.html
Billionaire Koch brothers make push to court Latinos, alarming many Democrats
By Mary Jordan (http://www.washingtonpost.com/people/mary-jordan) and Ed O'Keefe (http://www.washingtonpost.com/people/ed-okeefe)April 30 at 10:52 AM
LAS VEGAS — For Republicans, the road to warming the hearts and winning the votes of Latinos may begin at a Las Vegas flea market.
On a recent morning, inside the Eastern Indoor Swapmeet Las Vegas, a group funded by the billionaire Koch brothers helped 250 Latinos — some of them illegal immigrants — pass the Nevada driver’s test.
The LIBRE Initiative, an expanding grass-roots organization now operating in nine states, organized the four-hour test prep session to teach the rules of the road in Spanish — no tome y maneje (no drinking and driving), el límite de velocidad es sesenta y cinco millas por hora (the speed limit is 65 miles per hour).
Paula Hernandez, 46, an undocumented restaurant supervisor from Mexico, was one of those sitting on folded chairs, listening. She has worked in the United States for 25 years and gave birth to three children here. She has never heard of the Koch brothers or LIBRE but said the free classes were a “great help,” particularly because nobody else is lending her a hand. “President Obama promised to do more for us, and it just didn’t happen,” she said.
To Republicans, that sounds like an opportunity — even though the Koch brothers and their conservative allies spend a great deal of their money supporting Republican candidates who oppose citizenship for illegal immigrants.
...
In addition to driver’s license classes, LIBRE has started offering Latinos tax preparation help, wellness checkups, scholarships and food giveaways in Texas, Colorado, Florida and other states. It has bought ads touting the “free market,” smaller government and school choice, and its officials are a growing presence on Spanish-language news stations talking about the virtues of “self-reliance.”
...
By providing tax prep and driving classes, they are building good will in the Latino community and what they call a “platform for civic engagement.” LIBRE officials take pains to say they are advocating policies, not specific candidates.
Garza said his group is focused on explaining conservative views. For instance, they talk about how a higher minimum wage might not be in the best interest of Latinos because they believe it will hurt businesses and that there are less expensive ways for young Latinos to get health insurance than Obama’s contentious health plan. Garza also said LIBRE advocates are getting millions of undocumented workers “out of the shadows” and into the legal system.
The LIBRE effort, which backers plan to expand into more presidential battleground states over the next several months, has alarmed many Democrats.
“They are making friends and trying to convince you that the Democratic agenda is bad,” said Matt Barreto, co-founder of the research and polling firm Latino Decisions. He said the group hands out ideological material, collects names, e-mails and phone numbers, and is “laying the foundation for Republican candidates to emphasize the same messages.”
Barreto says those behind LIBRE are “playing the long game” and don’t really have to win Republican votes, but rather raise doubts about Democrats to suppress support for them.
...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/conservatives-including-the-koch-brothers-go-after-the-latino-vote/2015/04/30/10732074-101e-4845-936b-77ccd3c45cd2_story.html
Billionaire Koch brothers make push to court Latinos, alarming many Democrats
By Mary Jordan (http://www.washingtonpost.com/people/mary-jordan) and Ed O'Keefe (http://www.washingtonpost.com/people/ed-okeefe)April 30 at 10:52 AM
LAS VEGAS — For Republicans, the road to warming the hearts and winning the votes of Latinos may begin at a Las Vegas flea market.
On a recent morning, inside the Eastern Indoor Swapmeet Las Vegas, a group funded by the billionaire Koch brothers helped 250 Latinos — some of them illegal immigrants — pass the Nevada driver’s test.
The LIBRE Initiative, an expanding grass-roots organization now operating in nine states, organized the four-hour test prep session to teach the rules of the road in Spanish — no tome y maneje (no drinking and driving), el límite de velocidad es sesenta y cinco millas por hora (the speed limit is 65 miles per hour).
Paula Hernandez, 46, an undocumented restaurant supervisor from Mexico, was one of those sitting on folded chairs, listening. She has worked in the United States for 25 years and gave birth to three children here. She has never heard of the Koch brothers or LIBRE but said the free classes were a “great help,” particularly because nobody else is lending her a hand. “President Obama promised to do more for us, and it just didn’t happen,” she said.
To Republicans, that sounds like an opportunity — even though the Koch brothers and their conservative allies spend a great deal of their money supporting Republican candidates who oppose citizenship for illegal immigrants.
...
In addition to driver’s license classes, LIBRE has started offering Latinos tax preparation help, wellness checkups, scholarships and food giveaways in Texas, Colorado, Florida and other states. It has bought ads touting the “free market,” smaller government and school choice, and its officials are a growing presence on Spanish-language news stations talking about the virtues of “self-reliance.”
...
By providing tax prep and driving classes, they are building good will in the Latino community and what they call a “platform for civic engagement.” LIBRE officials take pains to say they are advocating policies, not specific candidates.
Garza said his group is focused on explaining conservative views. For instance, they talk about how a higher minimum wage might not be in the best interest of Latinos because they believe it will hurt businesses and that there are less expensive ways for young Latinos to get health insurance than Obama’s contentious health plan. Garza also said LIBRE advocates are getting millions of undocumented workers “out of the shadows” and into the legal system.
The LIBRE effort, which backers plan to expand into more presidential battleground states over the next several months, has alarmed many Democrats.
“They are making friends and trying to convince you that the Democratic agenda is bad,” said Matt Barreto, co-founder of the research and polling firm Latino Decisions. He said the group hands out ideological material, collects names, e-mails and phone numbers, and is “laying the foundation for Republican candidates to emphasize the same messages.”
Barreto says those behind LIBRE are “playing the long game” and don’t really have to win Republican votes, but rather raise doubts about Democrats to suppress support for them.
...