Romney's Hispanic chairman says candidate made mistakes

[Penny Lane 8,159]

The man who led Mitt Romney's outreach to Hispanic voters said Sunday the candidate "made some mistakes" during his campaign that ultimately led to a precipitous drop in Latino support.

Carlos Gutierrez, the former secretary of commerce, blamed the Republican primary process, which he said forced Romney to harden his immigration stance in an appeal to the far-right wing of the Republican Party.

"Mitt Romney made some mistakes," Gutierrez told CNN senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash on "State of the Union." "I think he is an extraordinary man, and I think he made an extraordinary candidate. I think Mitt Romney's comments are a symptom. I think the disease is the fact that the far right of the party controls the primary process."

On immigration, Romney often sought to balance his positions in ways that appealed both to Hispanic voters and the base of the Republican Party.

In December, Romney vowed to veto the DREAM Act if he became president, saying instead he would support a path to residency - not citizenship - for undocumented immigrants who served in the military, but not other DREAM Act proposals.

Later, Romney gave a more detailed version of his stance, telling supporters at a fund-raiser in Florida that Republicans needed to offer their own version of the DREAM Act.

At a Republican presidential debate in January, Romney said he favored a system of "self-deportation," a policy that involves making economic conditions so difficult for undocumented workers that they choose to leave the country to find better opportunities. That stance was derided both by Democrats and his Republican rivals.

Speaking Sunday, Gutierrez said Latino voters were scared of a Republican Party they regarded as anti-immigrant and downright xenophobic.

"They were scared of the anti-immigration talk. They were scared of xenophobes. It's almost as if we're living in the past," Gutierrez added.

The proof, he said, was in the way Latinos voted: 27% cast ballots for Romney, compared to 31% who voted for Sen. John McCain in 2008 and 44% who supported George W. Bush in 2004.

"I would lay the blame squarely on the far-right wing of the Republican Party," Gutierrez said.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/11/romneys-hispanic-chairman-says-candidate-made-mistakes/

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Carlos Gutierrez, the former secretary of commerce, blamed the Republican primary process, which he said forced Romney to harden his immigration stance in an appeal to the far-right wing of the Republican Party.

I am happy to see that Mitt found someone - or something - other than himself to blame for his loss. How un-Republican would it have been if he had accepted responsibility for losing what was a clear gimme election. It took skill for the challenger to lose and Mitt has shown that he had the secret sauce to ** up that which couldn't be fcuked up.

Edited November 12, 2012 by Mr. Big Dog

[Teddy B 17,252]

I am happy to see that Mitt found someone - or something - other than himself to blame for his loss. How un-Republican would it have been if he had accepted responsibility for losing what was a clear gimme election. It took skill for the challenger to lose and Mitt has shown that he had the secret sauce to ** up that which couldn't be fcuked up.

I don't think this was a "gimme election" at all. The Republicans had absolutely nothing new or different to offer than the exact same things that got us in this mess. This article explains what most people have been saying all along, the core of the Republican party is completely out of touch with mainstream America. The proof lies in the fact that Romney had to run two completely different campaigns to gain the whitehouse. He ran a hardline campaign to get his parties nomination, then he had to soften it up to attract the moderate voter base that would win him this election. Fortunately the latter half failed.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

I don't think this was a "gimme election" at all. The Republicans had absolutely nothing new or different to offer than the exact same things that got us in this mess. This article explains what most people have been saying all along, the core of the Republican party is completely out of touch with mainstream America. The proof lies in the fact that Romney had to run two completely different campaigns to gain the whitehouse. He ran a hardline campaign to get his parties nomination, then he had to soften it up to attract the moderate voter base that would win him this election. Fortunately the latter half failed.

Yup - exactly why I posted it. It's not just the "Kool Aid drinking Obama supporters" on this board that think this - they're thinking it inside their own party.

[Teddy B 17,252]

Yup - exactly why I posted it. It's not just the "Kool Aid drinking Obama supporters" on this board that think this - they're thinking it inside their own party.

Hey, what do I know? I'm not really a moderate Republican yanno.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Hey, what do I know? I'm not really a moderate Republican yanno.

You don't know what you are. It's okay. Someone here will explain it to you again, I'm sure.

[Teddy B 17,252]

You don't know what you are. It's okay. Someone here will explain it to you again, I'm sure.

That's a given!

[Obama 2012 1,714]

So not being a racist and pandering to demographics is not mainstream America?

Man, we're more fvcked as a country than I thought.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

So not being a racist and pandering to demographics is not mainstream America?

Man, we're more fvcked as a country than I thought.

It figures that THAT'S what you would take away from this article.

[Teddy B 17,252]

So not being a racist and pandering to demographics is not mainstream America?

Man, we're more fvcked as a country than I thought.

For someone who has a degree in psychology, you sure do make some very strange posts.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

For someone who has a degree in psychology, you sure do make some very strange posts.

Strange I could understand, his posts make no sense.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

For someone who has a degree in psychology, you sure do make some very strange posts.

Just because I know and understand the way our species acts and reacts to certain things, doesn't mean I don't find it any less revolting on a personal level.