Part of the strategy in the current federal election campaign includes the candidates’ rhetoric targeting the indecisive vote. Many Latinos are among it.
However, presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney recently told Univisión that suggesting that the birth of his father in Mexico somehow gives him a link to Latinos would be “disingenuous.” His remarks have been taken for some as honest, while others disagree.
Some Hispanic public figures have criticized him harshly, as comedian George Lopez did in an offensive rant last week, arguing that Latinos won’t vote for Romney because “he’s a f***ing Latino and he won’t admit it. His father was born in Chihuahua, Mexico. Mitt Romney is a Chicano. But he won’t admit it.”
Romney’s father, George, was born in Mexico in a polygamous colony that had disassociated from the Mormon Church when the institution reformed its acceptance of multiple wives in order to have the state of Utah admitted to the Union.
Now -and surprisingly- Romney has suddenly changed his rhetoric by suggesting that his father, was in fact, an immigrant. In his campaign’s new ad, Romney’s Spanish-fluent son Craig, attempts to catch the empathy of Latinos; at least of those of Mexican roots.
“I’m Craig Romney. I want to tell you how my father, Mitt Romney, thinks. He very much values that we are a nation of immigrants. My grandfather, George, was born in Mexico. For my family, this country’s greatness lies in how we respect and help each other, regardless of where we come from. As president, my father will work for a permanent solution to our immigration system while working with leaders of both parties. I invite you to listen.”
The ad is running in the swing states of Nevada, Florida, Colorado, Ohio and North Carolina.
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