The Hispanic Libertarian Republican

Brian Doherty | November 30, 2006

New Zogby Poll of Hispanic voters finds them preferring the Democrats to the Republicans by very wide margins on immigration---and health care, and Iraq, and education, and terrorism and security (only an 11 percentage point advantage there, the smallest) and "representing your values."

Most surprising result was that even among the polled Hispanics who self-identified as Republican, "just 76% said they thought the GOP understood them best. Another 8% said the Libertarian Party best understood them, 7% thought Democrats knew them better, while 10% of Republicans said that either another party better understood them, or that they were unsure."

Nice showing for the LP there, though 8 percent of Republican Hispanics ain't much--if this 2006 CNN exit poll (with over 13,000 respondents) is to be believed, that would represent 8 percent of 30 percent (the percentage of Latino voters who went GOP) of 8 percent (the total percentage of voters who were Latino, according to this poll) of the electorate.

Comments

elGaboGringo|11.30.06 @ 12:01PM|#

Was the poll in Espanol?

It probably said something like this:

Te gusta Bush?

...no?

Quieres que el gobierno les den dinero de los gringos ricos?

...si?

Pues! Eres un Democrat!

|11.30.06 @ 12:12PM|#

Maybe this will shut up the libertarians afraid the foreign hordes are coming to impose socialism on the rest of us. I can't beleive how often I hear that argument on this site

|11.30.06 @ 12:14PM|#

Or maybe it means just the opposite. Let the flame war begin!

|11.30.06 @ 12:17PM|#

I don't see a big libertarian streak in Latino culture, regardless of which Stupid Party is being given the votes.

ed|11.30.06 @ 12:24PM|#

Libertarian and superstitious (Catholic)?
Not likely.

D.A. Ridgely|11.30.06 @ 12:45PM|#

0.00192% of the vote could turn the tide!

|11.30.06 @ 12:52PM|#

0.00192% of the vote could turn the tide!

Actually it is 0.192% Now that might turn the tide! :)

D.A. Ridgely|11.30.06 @ 1:08PM|#

Quite right. My conversion error. Gee, it does sound like a mandate, doesn't it?

|11.30.06 @ 1:09PM|#

FWIW, I know quite a few latinos, from Peru, Guatemala, El Salvador and other places as well as Mexico. To this libertarian, they are hardly "socialist". Many of them came to America to be entrepeneurs. Non of them came here to live of welfare.
On that topic, if anyone in Northern Virginia needs some interior painting done. I know some guys..

|11.30.06 @ 1:44PM|#

"New Zogby Poll of Hispanic voters finds them preferring the Democrats to the Republicans by very wide margins on immigration---and health care, and Iraq, and education, and terrorism and security (only an 11 percentage point advantage there, the smallest) and "representing your values"

How exactly does identifying with Democrats on health care and education make them libertarians? This poll seems to confirm the worst fears that large hispanic immigration is going to lead to a more socialist America. Last I heard the Democrats want to socialize healthcare into a Canadian one payer system and are against school choice and free market education reforms. Maybe I am missing something but that doesn't sound too libertarian to me.

|11.30.06 @ 1:53PM|#

I'm married to a Latina and have lots of firsthand experience with the culture. More toward the communitarian side, I'd say, with an unfortunate tendency toward passivity in the face of power. On the other hand, a certain healthy cynicism toward authority in all forms.

|11.30.06 @ 2:09PM|#

How exactly does identifying with Democrats on health care and education make them libertarians?

Is it supposed to?

I'll agree with ChrisO. Passivity toward power, accompanied by cynicism of authority seem common, though I should say, it's probably also pretty common among Americans, too.

|11.30.06 @ 3:09PM|#

John, RTFA.
This poll seems to confirm the worst fears that large hispanic immigration is going to lead to a more socialist America.

"Even among Hispanics who said they were themselves Republicans, just 76% said they thought the GOP understood them best. Another 8% said the Libertarian Party best understood them ... Among Democratic Hispanics, 83% said their own party better understood them ... Another 7% of Democrats said other minor parties had the best understanding of them"

"The longer the respondent's family had been in America, the more likely they were to support Democrats over Republicans ... fourth-generation Americans or greater favored Democrats, suggesting that the more familiar Hispanic voters were with Republican policies, the less they liked them."

Eric Dondero|12.1.06 @ 9:01AM|#

The "8% support Libertarian Party views" figure is absolutely astounding and quite encouraging. All libertarians should be celebrating this finding. However, our own libertarian outreach efforts to Hispanics is dismal. Look at any Libertarian Party meeting. How many Hispanics are there?

The Republican Liberty Caucus has done a slightly better job; particularly in Florida with Hispanic outreach. RLC Vice Chair Phil Blumel has been giving talks to Latino groups all throughout South Florida recently on libertarian values and our tolerant immigration stance. But this isn't enough. What Blumel has been doing needs to be taken nationwide by all the RLC and even LP chapters. (Full story on Phil's activities at www.mainstreamlibertarian.com)

Y tambien todos de nosotros necisitamos aprender espanol! Estara mejor para nuestro movimiento. Si podemos hacer eso, los hispanos tendran mejor respecto para nosotros. Confie en mi, por favor.

|12.1.06 @ 8:51PM|#

Eric,

It's not 8% of Hispanic voters. It's 8% of Hispanic Republicans.

Eric Dondero|12.2.06 @ 6:36PM|#

You're right. My error. Even better. That indicates that there's a strong libertarian tendency among many Hispanic Republicans. I'd say the RLC now knows where the libertarian-leaning Republicans are.