A new Public Opinion Strategies (POS) poll done for the GOP shows that although many Hispanics agree with the GOP’s stand on gay marriage and abortion, they tend to support Democrats for their stances on social and cultural issues.
That is counterintuitive; if Hispanics share the GOP’s view on those two issues, how can they support the Democrats?
The answer, according to the focus groups in Las Vegas who were polled, is that Hispanics view “social and cultural issues” as code words for justice, fairness and respect for “cultural differences,” rather than gay rights, gay marriage, and abortion. Nicole McCleskey of POS states:
It’s no wonder Hispanic voters are perplexed when Republicans insist we share the same values … they do not see either party as having cornered the market on faith and family … I don’t know if they hear what is intended, which is that we share similar positions on the value of the traditional family. It’s kind of a code and they haven’t gotten the decoder ring.
McCleskey continued that Hispanics feel that “Republicans don’t want us here” and when the GOP speaks about the economy, it “will naturally be to the advantage to the wealthy and hurt the working class.”
The Hispanic groups liked New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie when he spoke of the human cost of refusing federal Medicaid money, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez for speaking of lower business-tax rates making states more equal, Jeb Bush for education reforms he instituted to shrink the gap between white and minority students, and Rand Paul for indicating immigration reform meant for everyone immigrating, not just for Mexicans.
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