GOP Candidates Talk Tough on Learning English, Advertise in Spanish

WASHINGTON — GOP presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani garners screaming applause when he says that immigrants must learn to read, write and speak English to become U.S. citizens.

His rival, Mitt Romney, is greeted with a similar response when he advocates making English the nation's official language.

Meanwhile, both men have turned to the airwaves — in Spanish — to go after voters in Florida, a key state in the Republican primary and a must-win for Giuliani, according to political analysts.

Douglas Rivlin, spokesman for the National Immigration Forum, an immigrant advocacy group, said that GOP candidates are trying to have it both ways.

"Going from pandering to the deportation-only crowd, and pivoting towards attracting Hispanic voters is like watching Republican politicians playing Twister," he said.

The candidates contend that reaching out to Latino voters in Spanish does not contradict their positions on promoting English among immigrants. Learning English is a process and many voters have not yet mastered that language, they say.

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, said in a recent debate that he welcomed legal immigrants into his campaign and was "going to reach out to them in any language I can."

John J. Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College in California said there is an obvious tension between advertising in Spanish and stressing English as the nation's common language. Nevertheless, candidates can explain the apparent inconsistency, he said.

"Republicans can say that Spanish advertising is merely a stopgap, which is necessary because of the government's past failure to insist on English literacy," he said. "They could say that once their policies are in place, candidates will no longer have to advertise in other languages."

Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, another major GOP contender for president, has not advertised in Spanish. Neither has Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, another Republican candidate, released his first Spanish radio ads about three weeks ago in the Miami area. The ads — which advocate ending the U.S.-Cuba embargo — are targeted to Cuban-Americans ages 40 and under, said Jesse Benton, a spokesman for Paul.

Hispanics are the fastest growing group of voters in the United States. The number of Hispanics eligible to vote rose from about 14 million in 2000 to 17 million in 2006, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. However, voter turnout among Latinos has been traditionally low. In 2004, about 16 million Latinos were eligible to vote, but only 7.6 million cast ballots.

Several Hispanic organizations and Spanish-language media outlets — including the Univision, Telemundo, and Azteca America networks — have waged aggressive campaigns to push Latinos to apply for citizenship and register to vote.

About 1.4 million people applied for naturalization in the 2007 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. But some may have trouble getting their citizenship in time to vote because of a backlog at the agency.

The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at the University of Southern California estimates that 9.3 million Hispanics will cast votes in the general election, including more than 1 million in Florida.

Recognizing the growing importance of Latino voters, all but one GOP presidential candidate participated in a debate on the Spanish-language Univision television network last month. Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado declined the invitation, saying that bilingualism is a great asset for an individual but "has perilous consequences for a nation." Tancredo dropped out of the race before the Iowa caucuses earlier this month after polls showed him in the low single digits.

One of Romney's television ads in Florida is narrated by his son Craig, who speaks fluent Spanish. Craig says that his father is a successful businessman and cut taxes in Massachusetts. He also says that Mitt Romney is a great father, husband and grandfather.

Mitt Romney also says in Spanish, "Soy Mitt Romney y apruebo este mensaje," or "I am Mitt Romney and I approved this message."

Craig Romney, who learned Spanish as a missionary in Chile, also appears in a video on a Spanish-language version of his father's campaign Web site and narrated an earlier radio ad in Florida.

Giuliani's ads tout his leadership skills. One television ad features a picture of Giuliani with former President Ronald Reagan, who is revered by Cuban-Americans because of his tough stance against Fidel Castro. Another radio ad includes testimonials from two local officials — Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina and Miami-Dade Commissioner Rebeca Sosa.

Sosa says in Spanish that Giuliani demonstrated his qualities of compassion and leadership after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and she urges people to "vote for the proven leader."

Giuliani's voice can be heard in Spanish at the end of the ad, approving the message.

Last Fall, Giuliani was endorsed by a Philadelphia cheesesteak restaurant owner who became famous for posting a sign that read: "This is America. When ordering, please speak English."

Rivlin, with the National Immigration Forum, said that such hardline positions "don't seem to be delivering the votes" and are risky for GOP candidates.

"The resentment being felt by Latino and immigrant voters and people interested in realistic immigration solutions is just starting to come into focus," he said.

On the Web:

Mitt Romney presidential campaign: www.mittromney.com

Rudy Giuliani presidential campaign: www.joinrudy2008.com