Uh-oh: Perry's Discussion With Sheriff Draws Condemnation From Latino Leadership

[FrenchieCat]

Guess he'll have to put Rubio on the ticket.

DALLAS, Texas -- Latino political leaders and activists have condemned Texas Governor Rick Perry for reportedly contacting anti-immigrant Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona’s Maricopa County to discuss immigration policy, saying the meeting is proof that a Perry presidency would spell bad news for Hispanics.

On Aug. 19, Arpaio used his Twitter account to inform his followers that Perry’s presidential campaign had reached out to him. Several weeks later, on Sept. 3, he revealed that Perry had called him at home and they'd had "a great conversation, especially about immigration and other matters."

Perry is "doing the wrong things to please the wrong people," said Lauro Garza, director of the Texas chapter of Somos Republicans, in an interview with HuffPost LatinoVoices. When he aligns himself with people like Arpaio, "it becomes harder to defend his attitudes towards Latinos."
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Seeking out Arpaio to discuss immigration was a "grave error" on Perry's part, said Fernando Garcia, founding member of the Texas Alliance for Immigration Reform and Executive Director of the Border Network for Human Rights. The phone call could be the "devil's kiss" -- the kiss of death -- to his presidential campaign as far as Latino voters are concerned, Garcia said.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/09/rick-perry-joe-arpaio-immigration_n_955990.html

[FrenchieCat]

1. Guess he's hoping this will make him popular

with the hard working real "Americans". :mad:

[alp227]

2. Romney/Rubio 2012? n/t

[K8-EEE]

3. The Freeps think he's "pro-amnesty" so he has to do this

To show them he really hates Damm Messicans....

[Honeycombe8]

4. This perception will HELP Perry. As it stands, Perry is viewed as allowing...

illegal immigration into Texas, so that there will be a wealth of cheap labor. He approved and signed into law a bill giving illegals the same school tuition rates as state citizen residents. Very few states have done that...if any. Texas is said to be a sanctuary state, like California. For the cheap labor.

So anything that seems to show he's working against illegal immigration will help Perry. He's running in the Republican primary, after all. And he needs the Tea Party vote.