Half (50%) of all Latinos say that the situation of Latinos in this country is worse now than it was a year ago, according to a new nationwide survey of 2,015 Hispanic adults conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center.

This pessimism is especially prevalent among immigrants, who account for 54% of all Hispanic adults in the United States. Fully 63% of these Latino immigrants say that the situation of Latinos has worsened over the past year. In 2007, just 42% of all adult Hispanic immigrants -- and just 33% of all Hispanic adults -- said the same thing.

Hispanics, also, view Senator Barack Obama and the Democratic Party in a much more positive light than John McCain and the rest of the Bush/McCain Republicans.

About half (49%) of all Latinos say that the Democratic Party has more concern for Hispanics, while just 7% say the Republican Party has more concern. Since 2004, the share of Hispanics who say that the Democratic Party has more concern for Hispanics has increased by 14 percentage points. Most of this gain for the Democrats comes from a reduction in the share of Latinos who say there is no difference between the parties.

Among Hispanics who are registered voters, a majority say that Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is the better candidate for Hispanics (55%) and for immigrants (50%). Just 11% of Hispanic registered voters say that Republican presidential nominee John McCain is better for Hispanics, and just 12% say he is better for immigrants. The remainder see no difference between the two candidates on this front. Overall, Hispanic registered voters support Obama over McCain by 66% to 23%. [emphasis added]

"We're honored to join millions of Americans in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Hispanics have made great contributions to our country in everything from serving proudly and honorably in our armed forces, to agriculture, to business to the arts. 

"In the upcoming presidential elections, Hispanics will play a pivotal role.

"Hispanics have been particularly hard hit by eight years of failed Republican policies in Washington. Hispanics are more likely to have seen their incomes decline, are more likely to be among the uninsured, and are among the hardest hit in the mortgage crisis that has cost so many Americans their homes. And John McCain's Republican Platform, written by the far right, fails to speak to or about the middle-class, families or women, and treats immigrants as criminals. Hispanics know first hand we just can't risk more of the same failed policies from John McCain for four more years.

"This Hispanic Heritage month, the Democratic Party renews our commitment to fighting to provide opportunities for every American, and to deliver the change America needs. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will fight to get our economy working for most Americans again, lowering taxes on middle-income Americans, not just the few already at the very top. They'll fight for health care for every American, and for comprehensive immigration reform that both secures our borders and also provides hard working, law-abiding immigrants a path to earned legalization. That's what's at stake, that's real change."

John McCain receives boisterous, sustained standing ovations from Houston oil executives who then proceed to pump nearly $2 million in cash to his campaign.

Working class voters are supporting Senator Barack Obama by a two-to-one margin over John McCain.

Washington Post:

Obama’s advantage is attributable largely to overwhelming support from two traditional Democratic constituencies: African Americans and Hispanics. But even among white workers — a group of voters that has been targeted by both parties as a key to victory in November — Obama leads McCain by 10 percentage points, 47 percent to 37 percent, and has the advantage as the more empathetic candidate.

On Health Care:

McCain Today: "I believe every American should have the opportunity to have affordable and available health care"

McCain Facts: His Promise of More Bush Policies Won't Reduce the Ranks of the Uninsured.

McCain Health Plan Just Like Bush Plan. "President Bush proposed a similar idea" to the tax credits in McCain's plan, which was dead-on-arrival in Congress in early 2007, because the plan only awarded those who purchased insurance in the private market. [Wall Street Journal, 10/11/2007; Washington Post, 1/25/2007]

Mark Mellman: McCain's Health Care Plan Mirrors Bush's Proposals. In a column for The Hill, Mark Mellman notes that "by adopting President Bush's plan," McCain "offers incontrovertible evidence that he represents a third Bush term here at home, as well as in Iraq…Asking up to two-thirds of the American public to relinquish health insurance they like, provided through their employer, puts the McCain-Bush plan on life support." [Mark Mellman Column, The Hill, 5/7/2008]

McCain Plan Resembles Bush Proposal. According to the Washington Post, "McCain's proposal is similar to one that Bush put forth in his 2007 State of the Union address. That plan, which would have replaced employer tax breaks for health insurance with a $15,000 tax deduction for married couples, flopped in Congress, failing to get even a committee hearing." [Washington Post, 4/30/2008]

McCain: I Believe We Should Grant Tax Credits to Individuals and Families for Health Insurance. McCain said: "I believe that everyone should get a tax credit of $2500, $5000 for families, if they have health insurance. It is good tax policy to take away the bias toward giving workers benefits instead of wages. It is good health policy to reward having insurance no matter where your policy comes from." ["John McCain on Health Care," Des Moines Rotary Lunch, 10/11/2007]

Bush: We Should Give Tax Credits to Individuals and Families Buying Health Care. During a speech in Madison Wisconsin, Bush outlined his proposal of the tax credits for the uninsured. "For those with limited means, my budget will provide new credits to afford health coverage -- up to a thousand dollars for an individual, or $3,000 for a family," Bush said. [Bush Remarks on Health Care Reform, 2/11/02; White House Fact Sheet, 2/11/2002]

On Police Funding:

McCain Today: "We need to help the COPS program. We need to provide them with the technology."

McCain Facts: McCain Repeatedly Voted Against the COPS Program, the 1994 and 1992 Crime Bills.

1994: McCain Voted Against the Landmark $30.2 Billion 1994 Crime Bill. In 1994, McCain voted against the Crime Bill which has authorized $30.2 billion over six years for crime related programs, including the hiring of additional police officers, prison building, helping communities prevent crime, and an assault weapons ban. [1994 Senate Vote #295, 8/25/1994]

1992: McCain Twice Voted Against 1992 Crime Bill Which Expanded Handgun Control Measures. In 1992, McCain voted twice against invoking cloture on the 1992 Crime Bill, which mandated a five day waiting period and background check for handgun purchases. The bill also provided additional grants to state and local law enforcement. [1992 Senate vote #53, 3/19/1992; 1992 Senate vote #262, 10/2/1992]

2005: McCain Voted For Corporate Tax Breaks Instead of $1 Billion for COPS. In 2005, McCain voted against providing $1 billion for the COPS program, offset by closing corporate tax loopholes. [2005 Senate Vote #70, 3/17/2005]

2004: McCain Voted To Keep Tax Breaks For Millionaires Instead of $1.1 Billion for Law Enforcement Programs. In 2004, McCain voted against increasing funding for COPS and other local law enforcement programs by $1.1 billion, offset by reducing tax breaks for taxpayers with incomes over $1 million. [2004 Senate Vote #44, 3/11/2004]

2003: McCain Prioritized Bush Tax Cuts Over Funding For $1 Billion for Police Programs. McCain voted against increasing spending on Community Oriented Policing programs by $1 billion, offset by a reduction in non-reconciled tax cuts. [2003 Senate Vote #78, 3/21/2003]

2003: McCain Voted Against $500 Million For Local Law Enforcement To Help Fight Drug-Related Crime. McCain voted against providing $500 million for local law enforcement grants that provide money to rural law enforcement agencies to fight violent and drug-related crime. [2003 Senate Vote #6, 1/17/2003]

1999: McCain Missed A Vote On Reauthorizing the COPS Program. In 1999, McCain missed a vote on an amendment to extend the COPS program to 2005 an authorize $1.5 billion for the program. [1999 Senate Vote #139, 5/20/1999]

1996: McCain Voted Against $1.8 Billion for COPS Program. In 1996, McCain voted against providing an additional $1.8 billion in funding for the COPS program. [1996 Senate Vote #31, 3/13/1996]

1995: McCain Voted To Eliminate the Successful COPS Program. In 1995, McCain voted for the Republican Commerce-Justice spending bill which included a plan "to dismantle [the] cops-on-the-beat program" [COPS] and replace it with a "block grant program giving local governments control over how to spend crime-fighting money." [1995 Senate Vote #591, 12/7/1995, McCain: N; Chicago Tribune, 12/8/1995]

On the Economy:

McCain Today: "Under my plan, we will preserve the current low rates as they are, so businesses large and small can hire more people. We will double the personal exemption from $3,500 to $7,000 for every dependent, in every family in America. We will offer every individual and family a large tax credit to buy their health care, so employers can spend more on wages, and workers don't lose their coverage when they change jobs. We will lower the business tax rate, so American companies open new plants and create more jobs in this country."

McCain Facts: The Bush-McCain Economy Has Been Detrimental To The African-American Community…

July 2008: Nearly 10% of African Americans Without A Job. In June 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate was 9.7%, up from 9.2% just one month prior, in June 2008. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation Summary, 8/1/2008]

FLASHBACK to January 2001: 8.4% Unemployment Rate Among African Americans. In January 2001, the unemployment rate for African Americans was 8.4%. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation Summary, 2/2/2001]

2006: Nearly One Quarter of African Americans Living In Poverty. According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Data, 24% of African Americans in the United States were living in poverty in 2006, representing almost 9.5 million people. [U.S. Census Bureau, Historical Poverty Tables, Accessed 4/23/2008]

FLASHBACK to 2000: One Million Less African Americans Living In Poverty. In 2000, 22% of African Americans or 7.9 million were living in poverty. [U.S. Census Bureau, Historical Poverty Tables, Accessed 4/23/2008]

DNC Chairman Howard Dean said the sum is unprecedented for a presidential campaign and represents a show of Democratic confidence that Latino voters could prove pivotal in states including New Mexico and Michigan. [...]

Targets will include Florida; Western states such as Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico; and Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan, industrial battlegrounds with sizable Hispanic populations. The money will be spent on niche advertising and other outreach, along with mobilization efforts aimed at identifying, registering and turning out new Democratic voters.

Over the weekend, the campaign held a training session in Las Vegas to teach local organizers how to canvass Hispanic communities. A similar forum will be held soon in Florida, Dean said, and sessions in other states are in the planning stages.

These efforts do not bode well for John McCain. His team says "we've already been doing all that." Whatever it is they are doing, it is not working at all.

Although Republican rival John McCain represents Arizona, a state with a strong Hispanic presence, Dean cited a poll last week by the Pew Hispanic Center showing Obama's approval rating with registered Latino voters at 66 percent nationwide, compared with 23 percent for McCain.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Sunday that he favors a proposed referendum in Arizona that would ban affirmative action, reversing a position he took a decade ago.

It's the latest example of McCain changing positions that had once put him at odds with conservative Republicans, including his new proposals to extend President Bush's tax cuts and expand offshore oil drilling.

In 1998, McCain described an anti-affirmative action effort in his home state as "divisive." On Sunday, McCain backed a proposed amendment to the Arizona Constitution that would ban "preferential treatment" on the basis of "race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin."

• McCain Voted Against Increasing Funding For Veterans Programs By $1 Billion. In 2003, McCain voted against increasing spending on veterans' programs by approximately $1 billion and putting the same amount toward deficit reduction. The amount would be offset by a reduction in tax cuts. The amendment failed 49-51. [SCR 23, Vote #74, 3/21/03]

MCCAIN ON THE GI BILL

Bush and McCain Opposed GI Bill, Then Tried to Take Credit. "The Bush administration, and Sen. John McCain for that matter, initially opposed passage of the legislation, which was supported overwhelmingly by both Democrats and Republicans…McCain, campaigning last week, used language suggesting he supported the bill. In fact, McCain did not even cast a vote on the final measure. For Bush and McCain to try to claim credit now for a bipartisan effort they both opposed is a plain attempt to hoodwink the American voter." [Las Vegas Sun , 7/3/08]

McCain Refused to Endorse Webb's GI Education Bill. "Yet the former Navy pilot and Vietnam POW makes himself a target by refusing to endorse Webb's new GI education bill and instead signing on to a Republican alternative that focuses more on career soldiers than on the great majority who leave after their first four years." [Politico, 4/30/08]

Webb's GI Bill The Top Legislative Priority For Veterans Groups. According to The Hill, "Webb's bill is the top legislative priority for several veterans' groups, including the nonpartisan Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). Its projected cost to the federal treasury is about $4 billion per year.Webb has argued his bill is necessary because the current GI bill cannot pay for today's cost of higher education. [The Hill, 4/22/08]

Current GI Benefit Woefully Inadequate to Meet Educational Needs of GIs. "The most a veteran can receive now is approximately $9,600 per year for four years. Those who served combat tours with the National Guard or Reserves are eligible for even less -- typically just $440 per month, or $5,280 a year. By contrast, the College Board reports that the average four-year public college costs more than $65,000, or about $16,250 a year, for an in-state student. A private university costs on average about $133,000 for four years." [The Hill, 4/22/08]

HISPANICS UNDER THE BUSH-MCCAIN ECONOMY

June 2008: Unemployment Rate for Hispanics Nearly 8% and On the Rise. In June of 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for Hispanics in the United States was 7.7% up from 5.7% just a year prior in March of 2007. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation Summary, 7/3/2008; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation Summary, 7/6/2007]

• January 2001: 6% of Hispanics Unemployed. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in January 2001, the unemployment rate among Hispanics in the United States was 6%. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation Summary, 2/2/2001]
  

Hispanic Americans' Income Has Declined After Rising In The 1990s. The median income for Hispanic households has declined from $38,834 in 2000 to $37,781 in 2006. Yet from 1990 to 2000, Hispanic median household income rose from $33,394 to $38,834, respectively. [US Census Bureau, Historical Income Tables, http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/histinc/h16.html ]

MCCAIN IS SAME AS BUSH ON THE ECONOMY

McCain Claimed Americans Were "Better Off Because We Have Had A Pretty Good Prosperous Time." In the January 2008 Republican debate, McCain commented, "I think you could argue that Americans overall are better off, because we have had a pretty good prosperous time, with low unemployment and low inflation and a lot of good things have happened. A lot of jobs have been created." [CNN GOP Debate, 1/30/08, video]

McCain Said A Lot of Americans' Economic Problems Are "Psychological." When discussing the gas tax holiday, McCain said, "I think, psychologically - and a lot of our problems today, as you know, are psychological - confidence, trust, uncertainty about our economic future, ability to keep our own home." McCain said that his gas holiday will give people a psychological boost and that solving the mortgage crisis would be a major psychological step forward. [FOX News, "Your World With Neil Cavuto," 4/16/08, video]

McCain's "Economic Plans Really Are an Extension of the Bush Administration Policies." "McCain doesn't like to hear it, but his economic plans really are an extension of Bush administration policies…When all the economic mumbo-jumbo is removed, that fact remains." [Boston Globe, Editorial, 7/9/08, boston.com]

But that is not what John McCain told right-wing bloggers on an October 25, 2007 conference call. McCain emphasized that he has "said it a thousand times" that he "got the message" on immigration. However, don't take my word for it, ask conservative blogger Paul Mirengoff:

As for the Dream Act, McCain told us that he would have voted against cloture (i.e., in favor of preventing a vote) because he "got the message" this summer that Americans want the border secured before we "go on to the rest." McCain would deem parts of the border secure when the governor of the relevant state so certifies.

Since McCain is clearly on record as to how he would have voted on the Dream Act cloutre motion, and since his vote was not needed to prevent cloture, there seems to be no basis for criticizing his departure for Iowa prior to the vote.

How about the National Review's Jim Geraghty?

On the vote on the DREAM Act yesterday: I would have voted against it I have said a thousand times, I have heard the message from the American people. They want the border secured first and then they want – well, at least I want to go on to comprehensive reform.

We released this video showing the two sides of John McCain on the DREAM Act. More proof that John McCain's willingness to pander knows no bounds. He will say anything to anyone to get their support.

To listen to the remarks from the conference call, click on the link below:

http://www.democrats.org/page/-/audio/calls/071408_conferencecall_remarks.mp3

The following are excerpts from the call:

Congressman Xavier Becerra (D-CA) (0:37)

"In terms of Senator McCain's remarks to the National Council of La Raza, we were hoping to find out which face of John McCain we'd see today, and we learned that we saw both faces. This is an individual politician who has become very good at sending different signals, depending on which audience he's addressing. At the National Council of La Raza I think he left probably more ambivalent feelings than anything else. It sounded like he might be in support of the Dream Act, but we've heard him say he hasn't been for the Dream Act; to try to help young Latino and other immigrant students make it into college.

"We find that he continues to be out of touch on issues relating to the economy, and certainly with regard to Iraq. We know that on immigration he has flip-flopped too many times to count, and at the end of the day this, to me, boils down to an issue of trust. For Latino voters, the issue of who will become the person who can deliver after eight years of seeing the serenades of President Bush and the Republicans, Latinos are very anxious to see someone who will deliver on the commitments to improve their economy, their job prospects, opportunities for good schools for their kids, healthcare, and certainly opportunities to become vibrant Americans, who are former immigrants. And so what we learned today, from John McCain in his presentation to the National Council of La Raza is that we didn't learn anything. We continue to see the two faces of John McCain, and we're trying to figure out which one we can trust, it's hard when you have someone who's flip-flopping on the issues."

Eliseo Medina, SEIU Executive Vice President (2:37)

"It seems to me that Senator McCain has had three opportunities, first with NALEO, second with LULAC, and third with NCLR to make his case of why the Latino community ought to support him for President of the United States. And I think that the Latino community more than anything else was hoping for some straight talk from the Senator, but I actually think after listening to him three times that we got the exact opposite. And it seems to me that the Senator is trying to have it both ways. First he says to our community that he appreciates our contributions to this society and that we are God's children, but at the same time, when it comes down to actually taking action to... match his words with acts, he fails. He walked away from McCain-Kennedy, the bill he helped to introduce, and carried his name. He walked away from the DREAM Act as the Congressman said. And at the same time, while doing all of these things, he wants us to believe that he's on our side and I think he's having a really hard time making it clear which side he's on."

Gramm told the Washington Times an interview published last week that the economy has "never been more dominant" and said we have become a "nation of whiners" constantly "whining and complaining." The McCain campaign may be quick to throw a top economic adviser under the bus but that does not hide the fact that John McCain offers four more years of George W. Bush on the economy.

We released this web video highlighting the shared belief of John McCain and Phil Gramm that these troubling economic times are "psychological" and a figment of your imagination.

FLASHBACK: In April, McCain Cited "Economic Conditions" for His Reversal on Balancing the Budget in Four Years; Said He Would Balance the Budget in Eight Years. "Senator John McCain offered the broadest look yet at his economic policies in a speech on Tuesday in Pittsburgh, outlining a series of tax reductions and backing away from his pledge to balance the budget by the end of his first term. … Mr. McCain -- who said in February in Wisconsin that he would balance the budget by the end of his first term as president -- seemed to reconsider that on Tuesday, saying at a news conference later in Villanova that 'economic conditions are reversed' and that he would have a balanced budget within eight years. His economic aides said they could pay for all the tax cuts with spending cuts." [New York Times, 4/16/08]

REALITY CHECK:

Skepticism on McCain Plan to Balance Budget by 2013. "The package of spending and tax cuts proposed by Senator John McCain is unlikely to achieve his goal of balancing the federal budget by 2013, economists and fiscal experts said Monday. 'It would be very difficult to achieve in the best of circumstances, and even more difficult under the policies that Senator McCain has proposed,' said Robert L. Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan budget watchdog group." [New York Times, 7/8/08: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/us/politics/08budget.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1215518925-QuYWpPHGac28nR3Qprw1lg ]

McCain: No Plan to Keep Balanced Budget Pledge. "Mr. McCain has promised once again to balance the budget by the end of his first term in 2013, his advisers said Monday. They were reverting to an earlier pledge that Mr. McCain abandoned in April, when he proposed a series of costly tax cuts and, citing the ailing economy, said that it might take two terms to balance the budget… But it is unclear how Mr. McCain intends to balance the budget. Fiscal analysts who have examined Mr. McCain's plans say his calls to extend President Bush's tax cuts and cut corporate and other taxes without calling for comparable spending cuts could increase the federal budget deficit significantly." [New York Times, 7/8/08: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/us/politics/08econ.html ]

FactCheck.org: McCain's Spending Plans Don't Add Up. According to the non-partisan FactCheck.org, "McCain's big promise is that he can balance the budget while extending Bush's tax cuts and adding a few of his own. He likes to leave the impression that this can be done painlessly, for example, by eliminating 'wasteful' spending in the form of 'earmarks' that lawmakers like to tuck into spending bills to finance home-state projects. We found that not only is this theory full of holes, it's not even McCain's actual plan." [FactCheck.org, 5/13/08: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/the_budget_according_to_mccain_part_i.html ]

Washington Post Fact Checker: 4 Pinocchios for McCain's "Fantasy" Plan to Balance Budgets by Cutting Earmarks. "McCain's talk about eliminating $100 billion a year in earmarks is largely fantasy. His advisers are now promoting a more realistic plan of eliminating $100 billion in overall spending. But it is difficult to take even that promise very seriously given the fact that the senator refuses to identify exactly which projects he will be cut. To use a phrase coined by George H.W. Bush, this is 'voodoo economics,' based more on wishful thinking than on hard data or carefully considered policy proposals." [Washington Post Fact Checker Blog, 5/23/08: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/05/mccains_fantasy_war_on_earmark.html]

Cost of "Four More Years" Placed At $6.3 TRILLION. The CBO "January Budget and Economic Outlook" showed continued deterioration in the budget outlook with the projected 2008 deficit growing to $219 billion. But as bad as the budget situation has become under the current Republican Administration, continuation of the Republican policies by any of the Republicans on stage tonight will only make things worse. The majority staff of the Senate Budget Committee estimates that funding Republican priorities like making the Bush tax cuts permanent and funding ongoing - and perhaps permanent - operations in Iraq will add $6.3 trillion to the CBO's already dismal ten-year predictions. http://budget.senate.gov/democratic/documents/2008/cbojanupdatefactsheet2008.pdf

McCain only middle-class tax cut proposal completely leaves out 101 million households - including those working and middle-class Americans hardest hit by this downturn. In contrast, Senator Obama's plan benefits 95 percent of workers and their families. The principal middle class tax cut proposed by John McCain is an increase in the dependent exemption that will not be fully in effect until 2016. Most households without children would see nothing under the plan - a total of 101 million households, including 67 million households currently paying income taxes but who would not benefit because they have no dependents, and 34 million low-income households with no income tax liability but generally paying payroll taxes. Nearly all seniors (37 million out of 38 million) would be left out. Even for families with children, the increase in the dependent exemption provides only a modest tax cut. In the first year of the plan, it would be worth about $125 to a middle-class family with two children. That same family would eventually see their taxes increase under the McCain plan, because his health care plan would raise taxes on middle-class families over time. This is completely inadequate, and will not help the very people whose reduced spending is contributing to our slowing economy. The Obama plan offers more generous tax relief for middle class families, including a "Making Work Pay Credit" that would benefit 95 percent of workers and their families, providing $1,000 for a typical working family. Obama's plan would also expand tax credits to help families save, send a child to college, pay for childcare, and afford their mortgage, while eliminating income taxes for all seniors making less than $50,000. [Obama for America memo, The McCain Economic Plan: Four More Years?, 7/7/08]

IMMIGRATION REFORM: WHERE DOES MCCAIN REALLY STAND?

2005: McCain Introduced Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation With Senator Kennedy. "Millions of undocumented workers in the United States could come out of the shadows by registering with the government and paying fines or fees of at least $2,000 to begin earning permanent residency under the most sweeping immigration-reform bill in two decades. The bill introduced Thursday was dubbed the 'Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act' by its bipartisan group of sponsors, led by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. It would create a temporary-work visa program for foreigners to fill jobs requiring few or no skills, for up to six years. The legislation was touted as ensuring tougher enforcement of laws at the border and in the workplace while speeding the process of reuniting immigrant families. In addition, Mexico and other countries would be encouraged to enter into agreements to play a more active role in helping prevent illegal immigration into the United States, including promoting more economic opportunity back home. House sponsors Jim Kolbe and Jeff Flake, both Arizona Republicans, and Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., joined McCain and Kennedy on Thursday in casting the legislation as a comprehensive approach to immigration reform and national security." [The Arizona Republic, 5/13/05]

2008: McCain Said He Would Oppose the Legislation He Authored With Kennedy. Asked whether he would vote for the immigration legislation he previously sponsored, McCain eventually replied, "No, I would not." [CNN GOP Presidential Debate, 1/30/08]

2006: McCain Said an "Enforcement First" Strategy Focusing Only on Border Security is an "Ineffective And Ill-Advised Approach." "In April [2006], the Senate overwhelmingly passed, in a bipartisan fashion, a comprehensive immigration reform package designed to secure our borders as well as address the economic need for workers in our Nation. In passing this legislation, the Senate rejected the argument for an 'enforcement first' strategy that focuses on border security only, an ineffective and ill-advised approach. Congress cannot take a piecemeal approach to a national security crisis. I believe the only way to truly secure our border and protect our Nation is through the enactment of comprehensive immigration reform. As long as there is a need for workers in the United States and people are willing to cross the desert to make a better life for their families, our border will never be secure." [McCain, Congressional Record, 9/29/06]

2007: Presidential Candidate McCain Touts Securing The Border First. In 2008, McCain said, "And our proposal has got to be securing the borders first. The American people have no trust or confidence in us that we would secure the borders." In November 2007, McCain argued, "I want to assure you that I'll enforce the borders first." [CNN Larry King Live, 2/14/08; CNN/YouTube GOP Presidential Debate, 11/28/07]

2007: McCain Acknowledged His Shift on Immigration Reform During the Republican Primary Campaign. "John McCain spent months earlier this year arguing that the United States must combine border security efforts with a temporary worker program and an eventual path to citizenship for many illegal immigrants. Now, the Republican presidential candidate emphasizes securing the borders first. The rest, he says, is still needed but will have to come later. 'I understand why you would call it a, quote, shift,' McCain told reporters Saturday after voters questioned him on his position during back-to-back appearances in this early voting state. 'I say it is a lesson learned about what the American people's priorities are. And their priority is to secure the borders.' The shift in approach is likely to draw criticism from McCain's GOP opponents. Immigration has been a flash point in the race, with rivals Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson all seizing on it." [Associated Press, 11/3/07]

The latest numbers from Florida show Senator Obama holding a two-point lead over McCain, and maintaining a fourteen point lead in Florida's Hispanic community, 51 percent to 37 percent. [PDF with the cross-tabs available here.] Public Policy Polling found an eleven-point lead for Senator Obama with Hispanics in Virginia roughly two weeks ago. [PDF]

Nationally, Senator Obama holds significant leads in several polls in recent weeks. Gallup showed the presumptive Democratic nominee with a commanding lead on John McCain, 62 percent to 29 percent. In mid-June, the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found Senator Obama leading 62 percent to 28 percent. Last week, the Latino Decisions Poll found Hispanics backing Senator Obama over John McCain by 37 points, 60 percent to 23 percent.

Hispanics voters want change this November and know they won't get it from the candidate who walks in lockstep with George W. Bush.