Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images © 2023 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved. The vice president came to Houston last week to tout the Biden administration’s record to Latinos. She had nothing to say about the border crisis or the economy. Voters noticed. Trumpeting the Biden administration’s record to Latinos in Houston last week, Vice President Kamala Harris ignored the two biggest issues Hispanics — and everyone else in the Lone Star State — are facing today: wide-open borders and the failure of Bidenomics. Texas Latinos weren’t impressed. “Kamala Harris coming to Houston while continuing to ignore the crisis at our southern border is a slap in the face to every Texan, every American, and every Hispanic American in this country,” said former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores. It turns out that Hispanic voters are not so interested in government handouts, Ivy League radicalism, or free abortions on demand. Why did Harris — the administration’s appointed and anointed “border czar” — come to Texas anyway? It’s a sign that Democrats are rightly worried that the Latino portion of their traditional base is beginning to lose interest in what they have to offer. And they’re right to be worried. Even the Washington Post acknowledged that “Hispanic voters are drifting toward the GOP,” citing not only President Donald Trump’s showing with Hispanics in 2020 but also kitchen table issues such as the economy and inflation. “Polls consistently find that Hispanic voters prefer Republicans to Democrats on inflation and handling the economy,” Democratic consultant Ruy Teixeira wrote. “Nearly all — 86 percent — Hispanics say economic conditions are only fair or poor, and about three-quarters say the same thing about their personal financial situation. By 2 to 1 they say President Biden’s policies are hurting, not helping, them and their families.” Yet the vice president’s trip shows the Biden administration continues to fundamentally misunderstand the hardworking, tradition-minded Hispanic community. It turns out that they’re not so interested in government handouts, Ivy League radicalism, or free abortions on demand; they’re far more focused on freedom and opportunity for their families. And the Biden administration’s policies put those goals further and further out of reach. Let’s start with the border. Citing a poll by the Libre Institute, CBS News reported that “65% of 1,000 Latinos surveyed indicated that more needed to be done to control illegal immigration along the southern border. The Immigration Hub-commissioned poll also found 63% of Latino voters support increased border security.” That’s seen everywhere, including the so-called sanctuary cities such as Chicago, which are appealing to the Biden administration for bailouts as they deal with just a fraction of the illegal immigration that Texas has to face every day. “There has been large-scale resistance not from the cities’ white hipsters, but instead from those in black and Latino neighborhoods,” reported Kristin Tate for the Messenger. “Hundreds of residents of Chicago’s racially diverse Hyde Park neighborhood protested against a resettlement plan at a public meeting. And protesters marched in New York City with signs in English and Spanish calling the wave of migrants an ‘invasion.’” By the way, the Democrats’ misunderstanding of the border issue extends to black voters, as well. “Nearly three times as many black Democrats describe illegal immigration as a ‘threat’ to the country than their white Democrat counterparts,” Tate noted. The vice president also misread the room — indeed the nation — in lauding the administration’s “transformative policies for the American people.” Transformative, indeed. The fact is, Americans are hurting — and that includes Hispanic Americans. Writing for Fox News, Job Creators Network CEO Alfredo Ortiz argued that Bidenomics is at the heart of why Hispanics are moving to the Republican Party. Noting that the median national income declined sharply in 2022 due to inflation, Ortiz wrote, “The pain of falling living standards is especially acute for Hispanics, who earn far less than average Americans. What a contrast to 2017 to 2019, when Hispanics’ real median household incomes rose by $6,710 due to the Trump economic boom.” If Kamala Harris had the nerve to ask Hispanics if they’re better off now than they were four years ago, that would be the answer. Mayra Flores quite nicely summed up the Democrats’ fears in her response to the vice president’s trip: “Hispanic Americans are flocking toward the Republican Party because we have the solutions to solve the issues at the border, the gas pump, the grocery store, and everywhere in between.” Want to leave a tip? We answer to you. Help keep our content free of advertisers and big tech censorship by leaving a tip today. Want to join the conversation? Already a subscriber? The Hon. Robert Henneke is the executive director and general counsel at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. more stories Sign up for the Blaze newsletter By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content that may sometimes include advertisements. You may opt out at any time. © 2023 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved. Get the stories that matter most delivered directly to your inbox. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content that may sometimes include advertisements. You may opt out at any time.
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