The Los Angeles Times reports that Latino support for the recall and Republican candidates increased with their incomes. (Link via Daniel Weintraub)
Statewide, low-income Latinos opposed the recall and supported Bustamante by the widest margins: In each case more than three out of five voters in households earning less than $40,000, according to the poll.
By comparison, half of Latino voters in homes earning $60,000 to $100,000 voted for Arnold Schwarzenegger and state Sen. Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks), slightly more than voted for Bustamante (46%). Those voters were also about evenly split on recalling Davis.
In Latino households with earnings above $100,000, 57% supported the recall and 60% voted for Schwarzenegger or McClintock. The pattern followed that of voters overall.
In all, 45% of Latinos backed the recall and 41% voted for Schwarzenegger or McClintock.
The Davis incumbency and resulting recall may have been peculiar enough that it would be premature for the Republicans to start licking their chops over these results. But what is really revealing — and, not to put too fine a point upon it, disgusting — is the Democrats’ response.
To head off future defections, Democrats must work at giving middle-class Latinos more reason to stick with them, said Art Torres, the state party chairman.
“When they assimilate, they embrace all the other American values because they earn more money and want to keep more money,” Torres said.
This suggests that Democrats need poor Latinos — either the ones who are here now, or new ones to replace those who “assimilate” and embrace such American values as wanting to keep their money. Amazing, those Latinos!
If the supply of new poor Latinos dries up, then, if Torres is right, it would be in the Democrats’ interest to slow down the rate of assimilation.
I have a suggestion: maybe Democrats could support bilingual education, stress cultural “difference,” etc. Oh, heck. They don’t need me. They already thought of that.
Look for Torres to spend more time with his family soon.
Aw shucks! I was just starting to warm up to him….
Now we know why Davis signed that bill giving driver’s licenses to illegals – ith a driver’s license, you can register to vote (without bothering with that pesky little requirement of citizenship – how discriminatory!). The Democrats need all the voters in their pockets that they can get so they can get back in power.