By Dan Montes, Carson City, NV

So, the Associated Press reported the other day that Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) is pushing for a Republican version of the DREAM Act.  Good luck with that.  Sen. Rubio is also a potential Vice Presidential pick for the upcoming presidential election.  Again, good luck with that.  So why do I make that statement; and why does it matter.

I’m sure that everyone is pretty much aware that the Republican Party is in deep trouble with the Hispanic voting bloc, almost all 21 million eligible voters.  Given the tone of anti-immigration talk that the Republican Party has been throwing about the last couple of years, can you blame them?  Sen. Rubio is working diligently to enhance his standing in the party to better his odds for a spot on the Republican ticket.  But a little reported issue within the Hispanic voting bloc stands in Rubio’s way, and it has the potential of making this VP selection imitate the Palin embarrassment.

Not to be condescending, but you Gringos just don’t get it.  Seen one Latino, seen them all. Not so I say.  Just ask a Salvadorian, a Nicaraguan, a Puerto Rican, a Mexican and the list goes on; as all the “Hispanic” nationalities have individual national pride and identity.  But most Gringos’ have the habit of just lumping them all together as Hispanics or Latinos.  As a Mexican-American that once lived in Florida, let me tell you it’s a bad idea to view the Hispanic vote as just one large voting bloc to corral. Republicans should listen up.

Besides Sen. Rubio’s obvious pandering to Latinos proposing his new and shiny version of the DREAM Act.  The larger issue is that he is of Cuban decent.  Why does that matter.  Because of the deep-seated resentment from the Hispanic community against the Cubans that is immeasurable.  Not many people are aware that the illegal Cuban immigrant is the only foreign national that has a special immigration status and residency pathway. The “Wet foot, Dry Foot” policy, the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966, revised in 1995 provides for any Cuban that makes it to shore (“dry feet”) is allowed to remain in the United States.  All other illegal immigrants get a one-way ticket back to where ever they came from.  Do you get it now?  This has been a slow simmering issue with Latinos for some time now, just not discussed as openly as it should be, or maybe it will be if Sen. Rubio’s dreams are realized.

The 2008 election saw the Latino vote go 67-31 percent in favor of President Obama and favored Democrats 60-38 percent in the congressional race.  If Sen. Rubio is on the 2012 ticket, I’m guessing that the Republicans will pick up maybe another 500,000 votes, all from Miami, no big surprise, and not much of a gain to move the percentage points in the Republican column.  Do you get it now?  In all fairness I have to say that neither party has done anything measurable to solve the immigration problem in this country.  But now its election season, just watch them all scramble with more unfulfilled promises, should be entertaining.

Rubio Working on GOP Version of DREAM Act to Let Younger Illegal Aliens Stay Legally In U.S.

Rachel Maddow has some interesting thoughts on Immigration Policy, Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio

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