Could someone explain to me in little words why Rick Scott is purging Latino voters in Florida?

[EFerrari]

I really don't get it. Is the GOP afraid "the little brown ones" will defect? Does he think the GOP gains more than it loses in right wing hate points vs votes lost?

[limpyhobbler]

1. Trying to steal the election

It think Cuban-Americans tend to vote Republican, but other Florida Latinos do not...

Although Cuban-Americans in South Florida favored the Republican candidate, John McCain, in 2008, President Obama won 57 percent of Hispanic votes in the state thanks to Puerto Ricans and immigrants from Latin America.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/28/us/politics/floridas-crucial-hispanic-voters-are-wary-of-romney.html

Right-wing hate points are just a bonus.

[EFerrari]

3. Aha, so the cost/benefit analysis is in.

It's a risky game, though. Usually the GOP only tries to suppress our vote.

[Ohio Dem]

2. He is counting on

the MSM ignoring the purge, and dropping Latino voters without many noticing before the election. After the election, it doesn't matter to him. If three Supremes retire and Romney is in, the war is won.

[EFerrari]

4. Well, that strategy would make sense in OH or in PA but in FL?

The GOP deals with some cultural solidarity there that isn't going to take kindly to being singled out for this crap, no matter party affiliation.

I myself think he's on drugs.

[Woody Woodpecker]

5. Yep. I think he's on way too much coke....

Why is he bald in the first place anyway?

Is it because he does drugs all the time, and doesn't want to be tested?

[Lochloosa]

8. The MSM ignored Jeb Bush's purge in 2000...

still do

[EFerrari]

15. But that purge was of OUR voters, not theirs.

IOW, this is the first time I see them risking pissing off their own base with these tactics.

[Lochloosa]

47. Point taken..I think they know they will eventually lose the Hispanic vote.

[RagAss]

6. I have Cuban American friends in Dade County who are concerned with this action.

I never thought I would live to see the day when the governor of a state in this nation would resort to the tactics of a rogue dictator and alienate even those who have supported his own party for decades.

We are "there" now folks ! "There" being the precipice of what we fear the most as a nation. And it's here in Florida....more than the more publicized state of Wisconsin.

WAKE THE FUCK UP !

[EFerrari]

9. It's bizarre, isn't it?

This situation can show us a lot and deserves to be watched carefully, imho.

The upside maybe that this insanity may deliver FL to the Democrats earlier than it would go had Scott not acted like a jerk to his own constituency.

[RagAss]

10. He's a very scary man.

[sabrina 1]

29. Can I ask you a question? I know Republicans usually the Cuban vote in Florida, but

I read somewhere recently that younger voters are not as likely as their parents to vote Republican. Do you know how much of the Latino vote Obama got in Florida in 2008?

I'll check, as I do not know to be honest. But is it possible that they are responding to polls they've done and can't be as sure now as in the past, of getting that vote?

Edited to add, Obama got the Latino vote in Florida in 2008 and in several other states:

In Big Shift, Latino Vote Was Heavily for Obama

Latino voters shifted in huge numbers away from the Republicans to vote for Senator Barack Obama in the presidential election, exit polls show, providing the votes that gave him unexpectedly large margins of victory in three battleground states: Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada.

Mr. Obama’s pull on Latino voters also extended to Florida, where a majority of them voted for a Democratic presidential nominee for the first time since at least 1988, when exit polls were first conducted in the state.

With the Republicans anti-immigration policies it could be worse for them time. So maybe they've polled and found this to be true?

[EFerrari]

31. As far as I know, that is correct. Latinos vote nationally with the Democrats,

and the older Cuban expats are dying off.

So the NUMBERS calculation makes sense. But what doesn't make sense is PISSING OFF a whole group of voters. Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, if you see Scott going after people with Spanish surnames, it will be insulting.

So, given that disenfranchising Latino voters across party lines will have negative consequences for the GOP, what the hell are they doing?

[sabrina 1]

33. I agree it doesn't make sense especially since their strategy, after polls showed Obama

winning the Latino vote by 6-1 over ANY of the GOP candidates, was to consider having a Latino on the ticket.

Otoh, maybe it's the simplest explanation, pure bigotry as in Az and elsewhere and bigotry is irrational. I really can't see any logical reason for it.

[EFerrari]

37. While I will never downplay the bigotry of the Republican party

I tend to think there is something else at work here.

Maybe they think their Latino base will not notice the purge. That seems unlikely to me. Maybe they think they won't lose enough votes to matter, that also seems unlikely to me because its not only votes at issue but also opinion leaders in the business community.

I really don't know what to think except maybe BushCo is in crisis as Poppy declines.

[sabrina 1]

40. Yes, and they have Latino politicians there, like Rubio, can't imagine them being happy

about being put in that position. Business leaders too as you said. Unless, and I don't know the answer to this either, it is mostly Mexicans, the ones they've demonized so much, they are purging? I could see right wing Latinos not getting too upset over that.

[EFerrari]

41. Another problem is, Scott can catch venture capitalists who do business in FL

in this net.

Latino investors from all over the continent started taking refuge in Florida a long time ago. My uncle did, when he was caught flatfooted by the civil war in El Salvador and the only way he could move his money was illegally through Florida.

So, the hit isn't only to normal people who are just voters. it's also to this whole other elite community that was recruited to come to Florida because they wouldn't be "bothered" by the rule of law and so on.

[LiberalFighter]

54. Too bad there isn't a way to change the names of all the Republicans to latino names.

Or if someone had access to voter registration databases in Florida and have the addresses of all Republicans changed to one single address somewhere in Little Havana.

[KamaAina]

7. Porque el es un gran pendejo

[DFW]

42. Son palabras demasiado grandes. n/t

[kdmorris]

52. Riendo en voz alta

Sorry if the grammar is messed up... I had to look it up on a translator

[Autumn]

11. Remember 2000 ?

Setting it up.

[EFerrari]

12. But in 2000, they suppressed OUR vote, not theirs.

This is new for them.

[Autumn]

13. You can bet a lot more than theirs

will be suppressed. Someone needs to dig deeper. No way in hell will this harm them.

[EFerrari]

14. Obama apparently got the Latino vote in 2008

BUT, yes, this has the potential to cut into GOP Latino votes. That's the weird thing.

[struggle4progress]

16. GOP had a game they liked in 2000: it was (1) motivate the base and (2) knock out enough

other votes (3) to get a close election and then (4) run to SCOTUS for the win

Bet dollars to donuts they've got some similar dirty trick up their sleeve this year

[EFerrari]

17. Right and agree. I thought so the first time a media outlet claimed

Florida would be "key" this year.

However, in 2000, they targeted OUR voters: black Americans, students, active military and to a lesser extent, seniors.

They didn't go after a constituency that voted with them in any numbers.

[cthulu2016]

18. The Cubans are republicans. Other latinos are Democrats.

[EFerrari]

19. In general, yes. But, insult doesn't respect party lines.

If you see voters with Latino surnames being challenged, you are going to be pissed.

[NNN0LHI]

24. Think that has been changing with the younger generation of Cubans

Not such a sure thing that all Cubans are Republicans any more.

Haven't seen the numbers but I know this has been a changing demographic.

Don

[EFerrari]

30. You're right, Don. And Obama got the Latino vote in FL in 2008 handily.

The Latino vote is VERY YOUNG. And they tend to be very liberal socially, too.

But, this purging Latino voters thing goes against BushCo's strategery of decades now. And you know, even straight arrow Republican voters are going to be unhappy that people with Spanish surnames are being targeted.

It's just weird.

Maybe this means, we will take Florida back sooner than later. That would be cool.

[LiberalAndProud]

20. It could be

that Rick Scott doesn't like Latino's no matter how they vote.

[EFerrari]

21. Is it possible to be a FL politician and act on that?

Maybe. But this purge had to be approved by the machine for it to come off. These authoritarian right wing @ssholes wouldn't do something that big on their own.

[LiberalAndProud]

22. In Rick's mind, I think yes. He is that arrogant.

And his arrogance, I believe, lends itself to the Republican legislature. It hasn't been getting better there in recent years, so I suspect his hubris has some basis in reality.

[EFerrari]

23. BushCo considers Florida its property.

For decades now. So, they have to be signing off on this somehow, as dumb as it is. And they are not known for letting their lieutenants go cowboy on them.

Pair that with, there is no problem in this country with undocumented people trying to vote.

It's just a very weird choice, all things considered.

[LiberalAndProud]

25. Would you agree that Rick established his independence from BushCo early on?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/27/jeb-bush-rick-scott_n_938985.html

Read this article in light of my accusation of unmitigated bigotry. I look forward to your comment.

[EFerrari]

27. To be completely truthful with you, no. I don't believe any "independent" politician

could survive in Florida. After reading that article, it looks like Scott tried to negotiate breathing room for himself but it's not even clear he was successful. Plus, this purge is right out of the BushCo handbook.

I'm not so much arguing for a conclusion as just marking how weird this is.

[senseandsensibility]

26. Cuban Americans are the only Hispanics who vote republican

in significant numbers. They are a small percentage of Hispanic voters, and not growing in numbers. That would be my guess.

[EFerrari]

28. I believe you are correct.

The question is, would you want to be the GOP politician that turned Obama's one time win into a permanent loss of Latino voters for your party?

[senseandsensibility]

32. I'm not Hispanic, and not an expert in this area by any means

However, I've worked in a highly Hispanic area for decades (Mexican, not Cuban), and one thing I've learned is that not all Hispanics identify with each other to the degree that non Hispanics think they would. For example, I've heard Puerto Ricans put down Mexicans very openly. From my outsider standpoint, there seems to be some sort of social system in which some Hispanics see themselves as "above" others. So maybe Cubans see themselves as apart from other Hispanics, especially Mexicans? I identify strongly with the Mexican culture, and work with and for them daily. They seem to be looked down on by many other cultures. Just my two cents.

[EFerrari]

35. In my experience, you are right. There is a pecking order.

However, even if you are a Latino Republican and you hear/see that Latino voters are being targeted by Scott, it will bother you, imho.

[HooptieWagon]

36. That is true. And I believe Cubans are at the bottom of the social order...

...although darkness of skin also appears to be a factor.

[EFerrari]

39. The order varies, depending on where you are. n/t

[HooptieWagon]

44. Yes. Im not toofamiliar with the Latino scene in Miami

but Ive travelled extensively in South and Central America and the Carribean. The order, in general, is based upon old country Spanish purity. If you are light skinned and speak a pure form of Spanish, you have higher status since you are closer to the mother country. Darker skinned (black or indiginous blood mixed in), or a poorer dialect of spanish spoken (such as cuban spanish or Puerto Rican spanglish) and you are lower status. Generally, Colombians rate about the highest and Cubans the lowest, but skin color and dialect seem more important than nationality.

[EFerrari]

46. Yes, I think you're right. n/t

[sabrina 1]

45. I made the same point, upthread. That if Scott is purging Mexicans, they have been so

demonized by the Republicans, that it's likely right wing Cubans would not have a problem with that.

[HooptieWagon]

34. Yes. Older Cuban Americans are solid Repub.

Younger ones tend to Dems like other Latinos, about 2 to 1. Its a calculated gamble, that appears to be blowing up in his face.

[EFerrari]

38. You get it! If I was a Dem strategist, I'd be heading out to Florida right now

because the Republicans are blowing up their trust with Latino voters.

[HooptieWagon]

50. Another interesting development I noticed in South A merica

The young women are increasingly going to universities, entering the job market, and have spent enough time in the US to be aware of feminism. They definitely arent down with old school latino machoism. They want equality and respect. I think the Dems def need to focus on latinas... they will be a major political influence in the future.

[noiretextatique]

43. hubris

republicons are full of it.

[sakabatou]

48. 1. To steal the election

2. He knows that many minorities vote for Dems more often than Repubs.

[kdmorris]

49. It's not just Latinos

Haitians/Dominicans (and other "Islanders"-Antigua, Barbuda, Bahamas) are a large part of the Democratic Florida communities, as well. Most are from some sort of African stock and would tend to vote for Obama.

[EFerrari]

51. But suppressing the black vote, especially the immigrant black vote is not new.

The GOP has nothing to lose there.

[kdmorris]

53. They have nothing to lose suppressing the Latino vote, either

They do the same thing... coach it in terms of making sure that the votes are valid and then go to town. From their perspective, it's a win-win situation because they send out these letters and those people who are more like to vote Republican (read: middle class or above) will provide the information needed to get back on the rolls. The poor... not so much (for various reasons) and then they don't get to vote.