# Why did Mitt Romney fail with Hispanics **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 1, 2012, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659 "2012-12-01T07:59:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/21 "2012-12-02T00:10:47Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Can you 'splain to us how you come to the conclusion that Romney is Mexican? His dad was born there, mang. I mean sure it was because Romney’s dad’s dad was a cultist sicko who had a harem of female slaves, but aside from that and the fact that they were lily-white and utterly uninterested in assimilating, totally Mexican. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/22 "2012-12-02T01:08:09Z")
Don’t know for sure. Hispanics have historically been about 2-1 democratic, but under Romney they were 3-1. Bush made some inroads and only lost hispanics by about 10-15 points in 2004. I assume the anti-immigration rhetoric coming from the GOP combined with the bad economy and Romney being a plutocrat. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/23 "2012-12-02T01:59:04Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > His dad was born there, mang. > > I mean sure it was because Romney’s dad’s dad was a cultist sicko who had a harem of female slaves, but aside from that and the fact that they were lily-white and utterly uninterested in assimilating, totally Mexican. I know his family history. > [@WC](#): > > I assume the anti-immigration rhetoric coming from the GOP combined with the bad economy and Romney being a plutocrat. It was specifically the anti-[illegal] immigration rhetoric from Romney himself that was probably more important. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/24 "2012-12-02T03:02:04Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I know his family history. Yeah, I’m sure you do. But since you didn’t get what the OP was (ludicrously) suggesting, I was trying to help. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/25 "2012-12-02T03:58:42Z")
The answer to “Why did \_\_\_\_\_\_ lose the \_\_\_\_\_ vote?” is often: “Because \_\_\_\_\_\_ not-so-secretly holds \_\_\_\_\_\_s in contempt.” ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/26 "2012-12-02T03:59:21Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Trust me, dago is an Italian slur. If Jersey Shore didn’t convince, stop by my house for Christmas dinner. The word dago (as in “We’re such dagos!”) will be uttered at least once. But where does “wop” come from? ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/27 "2012-12-02T04:36:36Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > But where does “wop” come from? It’s the sound a Fiat makes driving by with a flat. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/28 "2012-12-02T05:48:25Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Yeah, I’m sure you do. But since you didn’t get what the OP was (ludicrously) suggesting, I was trying to help. No worries. I want the OP specifically to tell us why he thinks Romney is a Mexican. Looks like we won’t see him posting any more in his thread, though. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/29 "2012-12-02T09:35:08Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > But where does “wop” come from? I’ve heard it came from\* guapo\*, Spanish for “handsome.” (Spain ruled Naples at one time; checking Wikipedia makes me realize that, for somebody interested in history, I still have a lot to learn.) So, some of the Napolitanos called each other _guapo_–much as some American guys use (or used to use) “dude.” Many of our Italian immigrants came from that region. Like many racial or ethnic slurs, it’s not inherently offensive. But it was used rudely by xenophobes–so it became tainted… ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/30 "2012-12-03T22:58:06Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > I’ve heard it came from\* guapo\*, Spanish for “handsome.” (Spain ruled Naples at one time; checking Wikipedia makes me realize that, for somebody interested in history, I still have a lot to learn.) > > So, some of the Napolitanos called each other _guapo_–much as some American guys use (or used to use) “dude.” Many of our Italian immigrants came from that region. Like many racial or ethnic slurs, it’s not inherently offensive. But it was used rudely by xenophobes–so it became tainted… Then it got retro-fitted with an explanation that it stood for WithOut Papers, stamped on Visa applications or some such when they arrived in America. Which means that invective against “illegals” has been strong for a long time (I recall Mexican immigrants being called “wetbacks” when I was young, a term left over from an earlier era, and not in vogue anymore that I’m aware). As for the OP: The reason that he didn’t do well with Hispanic voters is that they recognize that his (and the Republican Party’s) proposals regarding immigration and the US - Mexico border are inherently discriminatory against Hispanics. I read somewhere just after the election (probably an op-ed by Charles Krauthammer) that the Republican Party should be willing to modify immigration policy to appease the concerns of Hispanic voters. Just agree that once the border with Mexico is verifiably secure (no significant numbers of illegal immigrants from south of the USA), offer some sort of pathway to citizenship/residency for those who are here already. Somewhere along the way, this person did not realize that the call to secure the southern border is inherently “racist” if you will, because it contains a premise that we somehow have to stem the flow of THOSE people into the country, without, of course, worrying about any other possible rivulets of illegally present persons. Ask elderly Chinese-Americans, and I’m sure they can advise you what this sort of antipathy is like (or just read up on American policy towards East Asian immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s). :smack: ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/31 "2012-12-04T00:18:42Z")
> [@digs](#): > > The answer to “Why did \_\_\_\_\_\_ lose the \_\_\_\_\_ vote?” is often: > > “Because \_\_\_\_\_\_ not-so-secretly holds \_\_\_\_\_\_s in contempt.” You win the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/32 "2012-12-04T00:23:28Z")
> [@digs](#): > > The answer to “Why did \_\_\_\_\_\_ lose the \_\_\_\_\_ vote?” is often: > > “Because \_\_\_\_\_\_ not-so-secretly holds \_\_\_\_\_\_s in contempt.” So Barack Obama holds white people and men in contempt? ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/33 "2012-12-04T00:24:19Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > You win the thread. Concurred. That was pithy brilliance. ---
**Author:** ![mrpayday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@mrpayday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrpayday)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/34 "2012-12-04T00:36:23Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > I’ve heard it came from\* guapo\*, Spanish for “handsome.” (Spain ruled Naples at one time; checking Wikipedia makes me realize that, for somebody interested in history, I still have a lot to learn.) > > So, some of the Napolitanos called each other _guapo_–much as some American guys use (or used to use) “dude.” Many of our Italian immigrants came from that region. Like many racial or ethnic slurs, it’s not inherently offensive. But it was used rudely by xenophobes–so it became tainted… that;s interesting, a friend just told me guapo means handsome in Tagalog, obviously derived from Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/35 "2012-12-04T02:32:02Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Mitt Romney is a Mexican in the sense that Barack Obama is a Kenyan. Love it. So why wouldn’t hispanics vote for a conservative, mormon, old white guy? He personifies cool, got me perplexed… ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/36 "2012-12-04T02:57:15Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > So Barack Obama holds white people and men in contempt? Note that he did not specify which noun goes in which blank in each sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/37 "2012-12-04T03:07:19Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Note that he did not specify which noun goes in which blank in each sentence. Good point. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/38 "2012-12-04T04:46:54Z")
Oh, hi, author of the blankedy blank post finally having time to check back in. To find that I … won the thread? (I’m assuming I have to get my own trophy made, with a little bronze “Smart Ass” on top)\* I just wanted to point out that in the case of Obama and rich old white guys… the contempt flows in the other direction. \*Come to think of it, as soon as I get that trophy made, though, I’m dropping it off at Smapti’s apartment: > [@Smapti](#): > > Mitt Romney is a Mexican in the sense that Barack Obama is a Kenyan. ---
**Author:** ![Esox\_Lucius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Esox\_Lucius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esox_Lucius)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/39 "2012-12-04T14:15:11Z")
Calling Romney a Mexican sounds like Republican bubble spin to convince themselves they’d win. The OP would have made more sense as “Culturally, Hispanics are generally anti-abortion and anti-gay, yet Romney got less than a third of their vote. Why?” Perhaps because they saw in Obama, when he announced the DREAM Act, someone actually reaching out to them and thoughtfully treating them like human beings instead of being just another immigration basher. > [@](#): > > Elizabeth Alvisar is exactly the sort of voter Mitt Romney needs. > > A victim of the brutal economy in this swing state, the 30-year-old tax preparer has been out of work for months. She’s a foe of abortion and gay marriage, and was naturally drawn to the Republican ticket. > > But Alvisar has switched her support to President Barack Obama because of his support for legislation known as the DREAM Act. > > [HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/21/obama-hispanic-voters_n_1997898.html) ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659/40 "2012-12-04T15:16:18Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Mitt Romney is a Mexican in the sense that Barack Obama is a Kenyan. Oh, no. Barack Obama’s father was born in Kenya to Kenyan parents whose residence in what is now Kenya goes back several generations. Barack Obama is Kenyan in the sense that Michael Dukakis is Greek. (On one side, anyway.) Mitt Romney’s father was born in Mexico to parents born in the United States who were in religious/cultural/legal exile at the time. George Romney was Mexican in the sense that John McCain was Panamanian. Mitt Romney’s claim to being “Mexican” is, by definition, even more tenuous. Nothing there to help with the Latino vote that I can see. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-mitt-romney-fail-with-hispanics/642659.md?page=3)