Pro-gun policies, NRA, may undercut GOP Latino outreach
The GOP has aligned itself closely with the National Rifle Association, whose pro-gun efforts are perceived by some to be racist. An editorial published Wednesday in the Daily Caller cited Latin American drug gangs and urban looters as a reason Americans needed guns. Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough slammed the editorial for “racial undertones” that would hurt the party’s outreach amongst Latinos.
“Everything that Republicans are now trying to do to make up for their 27% showing in the election with Hispanics, Wayne LaPierre has undercut with this letter by talking about Latin American drug gangs, by talking about South Brooklyn,” he said on Thursday’s Morning Joe, referring to the low percentage of Latinos who voted for Romney in 2012 “Again a racially tinged, very suggestive op-ed [by LaPierre] who Republicans are blindly following around.”
The NRA has a history of clashing with Latino politicians, too: In 2009, the NRA angered Latino voters and politicians when they opposed the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Democrats with strong NRA ratings wrote an open letter fighting their opposition to the nomination.
“We are concerned that your opposition will alienate Hispanic NRA members and dismayed that you may unnecessarily force some well-intentioned Senators to choose between disappointing the NRA or infuriating their Hispanic constituents,” wrote Reps. Joe Baca, D-Calif., Solomon Ortiz, D-Texas, and Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, and John Salazar, D-Colo, who all had high ratings by the NRA.
http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/02/14/pro-gun-policies-nra-may-undercut-gop-latino-outreach/
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