REPUBLICANS AND HISPANICS, IT AIN'T OVER – AT 9:18 A.M. ET:  The conventional wisdom is that Republicans have lost Hispanics forever.  But former Governor Frank Keating of Oklahoma, in an excellent op-ed piece in the Washington Times, says it just isn't so:

...before our friends on the left break out their vuvuzelas, they need to take a look at Puerto Rico.

On Jan. 2, 2009, the commonwealth installed Luis Fortuno as its governor. He was elected by the largest margin in 44 years, the same year that Barack Obama and other Democrats swept to victory. Though the island doesn't use the same party nomenclature as the 50 states, Mr. Fortuna is a Republican and the Republican National Committee member from Puerto Rico. The commonwealth's newly installed House speaker and Senate president are similarly from the right. The governor's inaugural message was unquenchably Ronald Reagan.

The owner of the government's checking account "is the working people, and the government must adjust its spending to match its revenues," the new Republican governor said, adding that the government "must be smaller to be more agile and effective." Borrowing the best from the Gipper, Mr. Fortuno concluded that "government is no longer the solution to all your problems, but rather has become a problem that we must all strive to fix."

And...

Hispanics are natural Republicans: They are pro-life and socially conservative. Puerto Rico, for example, is 60 percent Catholic and 30 percent evangelical Protestant. They are fiscally conservative: Homeownership in the commonwealth is an astonishing 73 percent, far greater than in the 50 states and other territories. Hispanics believe that a "dollar in the hands of the people will last longer than a dollar in the hands of government." They are anti-tax. Education is viewed as the oxygen for social mobility. Parents want choices in education, including charter schools. Welfare is described by the governor as "destructive of the family unit" — a unit, by the way, that expects such old-fashioned practices as enjoying meals together.

But what can Republicans do, consistent with their ideals, to avoid alienating Hispanic voters and, instead, bringing them into the fold:

How does the party of Lincoln get out of the ditch? Don't "dis" Hispanic voters. No more "Party of No."

"The Hispanic community feels rejected," Mr. Fortuno observes, and "the discourse has turned ugly." Republicans must "reach out to Latinos and stress our policies." The Hispanic community is now more monolithic and "if one community is rejected, all of us are rejected," Mr. Fortuna says.

While 95 percent of Hispanic parents encourage their children to speak English, it is still not advisable to "dis" Spanish, the governor warns: Don't act like "we don't want you."

Finally...

Mr. Fortuna concludes that moving these new Americans to the political right will not be difficult: They are already Republican. "We don't need to change our policies," the governor observes. "We need to underscore our policies." Pro-life, limited government, low-tax, pro-family, pro-work immigrants will never last long in the party of dependency and victimization. They are too independent and proud for that. Their legacy is that of Lincoln, not of Jefferson. All that is needed is a gentle and inclusive nudge. Hispanics will cross the river and never cross back.

COMMENT:  Well said, I think.  Republicans must concentrate on Hispanic Americans and welcoming them into the fold.  As the piece says, they are natural Republicans. 

Democrats have the welcome mat out.  But once Hispanics are inside the Democratic tent, they're treated only as votes to be had on election day.  I think our side can do better.

July 14, 2010