Immigration plans at heart of pitches to Hispanic group

WASHINGTON - John McCain and Barack Obama told a major Hispanic group yesterday that they remain committed to passing comprehensive immigration legislation, despite its defeat in Congress and unpopularity with voters who prefer a heavier emphasis on border security.

The presidential candidates made their remarks to 79th convention of the 115,000-member League of United Latin American Citizens, but they were reaching out to a broader group: the 9 million or more Latinos who are expected to vote in November.

Obama, as the presumptive Democratic nominee, should benefit more from the Hispanic vote. The Pew Hispanic Center found last year that 57 percent of registered Hispanic voters aligned with Democrats, vs. 23 percent with Republicans, a gap that widened significantly after Republicans in Congress quashed legislation that would have given millions of illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.

But two factors could complicate the partisan outlook.

First, in Democratic primaries, Hispanic voters preferred Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to Obama, and Democrats have some concerns that traditional tensions between Hispanic and black communities could affect the general election.

Second, McCain's record as someone who crossed his party in favor of immigration restructuring with a path to citizenship endeared him to some Hispanic voters. But the Republican has moved in recent months to shore up his standing with his party's base by emphasizing border security over citizenship and suggesting that he wouldn't push as aggressively for the changes he advocated in the past.

In his speech yesterday, McCain lamented that his efforts to pass a comprehensive immigration bill - one that dealt "practically and humanely with those who came here, as my ancestors did, to build a better life for their families, without excusing the fact they came illegally" - failed after opponents contended it would grant amnesty to illegal immigrants.

"Many Americans, with good cause, did not believe us when we said we would secure our borders, and so we failed in our efforts," he said. "We must prove to them that we can and will secure our borders first."

Obama, who spoke later, accused McCain of abandoning his own "courageous stance" on immigration to run for the White House. Obama vowed to make immigration a top priority in his first year as president.

He said an immigration bill must do more than secure the borders and crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants.

"We have to finally bring undocumented immigrants out of the shadows," Obama said. "Yes, they broke the law. They should have to pay a fine, they should have to learn English, they should go to the back of the line. But we also have to put them on a pathway to citizenship. That's how we'll finally fix our broken immigration system and avoid creating a servant class in our midst."

The fierce fight for Hispanic votes reflects the major role they are poised to play in November. California and Texas have the largest numbers of Hispanics; combined, the two states hold nearly one in two eligible Hispanic voters.

But with California typically voting Democratic in presidential elections and Texas Republican, the Hispanic vote may matter more in swing states where it is sizable, such as New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado. Those states are expected to be hotly contested.

Asked by a voter about accusations of flip-flopping, presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama yesterday dismissed the notion that he has shifted stances on Iraq, guns, and the death penalty to break with his party's liberal wing and court a wider swath of voters.

"The people who say this haven't apparently been listening to me," he replied during a a town-hall event in Powder Springs, Ga.

Obama attributed criticism from "my friends on the left" and "some of the media" in part to cynicism that he said ascribes political motives to every move candidates make. "You're not going to agree with me on 100 percent of what I think, but don't assume that if I don't agree with you on something, that it must be because I'm doing that politically," he said. "I may just disagree with you."

Since wrapping up the nomination, Obama has voiced positions on a handful of issues that break with his party's left and seem to shade his own past positions on a range of subjects.

As expected though, Obama is clearly competing for the center of the electorate. His general election commercials have appeared nonpartisan and make a play for voters across the political spectrum by focusing on family values and patriotism, as well as "welfare to work" and lower taxes.

- Associated Press

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