Former Cheney Adviser Says GOP Will Lose Latino Vote

A former domestic policy adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney says Republicans will alienate the Hispanic electorate in their quest to end birthright citizenship.

“If the Republican Party embraces ending birthright citizenship, then it will be assured losing Latino and ethnic voters — and presidential elections for the foreseeable future,” said Cesar Conda.

Faced with upcoming midterm elections just months away, many GOP candidates have begun adopting hard line stances on the issue of immigration in order to scrape by primary elections.

“As the son of immigrants myself, I find the proposal to be incredibly offensive,” said Conda.  

As reported by La Plaza yesterday, Sen. John McCain added his support to a growing list of elected officials calling for congressional hearings to change the 14^th amendment of the US Constitution which grants citizenship to all individuals born in the United States.   

Senators Mitch McConnell, Lindsay Graham, and John Kyl also support the hearings.  Many accuse the senators of spreading fear and hate to appease their conservative base.

“I think we ought to take a look at it — hold hearings, listen to the experts on it,” McConnel said on Monday. “I haven’t made a final decision about it, but that’s something that we clearly need to look at. Regardless of how you feel about the various aspects of immigration reform, I don’t think anybody thinks that’s something they’re comfortable with.”

McConnell received criticism from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs for his comments. “I don’t know if that was based on 2010 or 2012,” Gibbs said. “But my hunch is it is based purely on politics.”

The 14^th Amendment states that, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”

Challenges to the 14^th Amendment have been raised in the past with no success.  In 2007, Rep. Ron Paul’s attempt to revisit the citizenship clause failed. 

TIME

POLITICO