NYT: Hillary Blames Lou Dobbs, Rush Limbaugh for Anti-Latino Demagoguery

September 11th, 2007 7:48 AM

In Monday's New York Times, reporter Patrick Healy described how Democrats pandered to a Latino audience during their debate on the Spanish-language channel Univision (although candidates spoke in English): "They expressed concerns that Republicans were enabling anti-immigrant feelings and even racist attitudes, or at least not taking a tougher stand against them." Hillary Clinton blamed media people for those anti-Latino and even racist attitudes:

Mrs. Clinton said legislative proposals to overhaul the immigration system, which all the Democrats at the debate endorsed, had been used by Republicans and some in the news media to "bash immigrants" and engage in demagoguery. Later, Mrs. Clinton added: "There are many in the political and frankly in the broadcast world today who take a particular aim at our Latino population. I think it’s very destructive." A spokesman for Mrs. Clinton said after the debate that she was referring to the CNN anchor Lou Dobbs and the radio host Rush Limbaugh, among others.

Hillary apparently also repeated the line that GOP proposals to stem the tide of illegal immigration "would have criminalized the Good Samaritan. It would have criminalized Jesus Christ." The Times account didn't include this, but CNN.com does. That story also adds that Hillary's attack on Dobbs and Limbaugh also included the thought that criticizing illegal immigrants "undermines our unity as a country."

Would Hillary consider that maybe the act of illegal immigration undermines American unity? Isn't it odd that she's pandering to potential voters on a Spanish-language channel and fussing about the lack of national unity?