Keeping an eye on the Latino vote
If as I do you follow Latino Decisions, you would yesterday have found out that 8 percent of Latinos have already voted early, enthusiasm up again in final week. There are some important takeaways in this post and the related polling data upon which I would like to focus:
Why disaster relief needs to be Federal - and more
Forty-five percent of Latino voters say they are more enthusiastic about voting in 2012 compared to 2008. That number is up from 37% from ten weeks ago when the initial impreMedia-Latino Decisions tracking poll was fielded. Furthermore, 87% of Latino voters say they are almost certain they will vote on November 6th, which includes 8% of Latino voters have already voted. In 2008, 84% of Latino registered voters cast a ballot according to Census statistics.Some had worried that Latino enthusiasm might drop, as many had not been happy with the rate of deportations under this administration. But the President acting to implement parts of the Dream Act by Executive Order, and reaction against the Arizona anti-immigrant law, and things like Romney supporting that bill, using its author
Why disaster relief needs to be Federal - and more
By now every reader of this site probably knows that Mitt Romney wants to get the Federal government out of the disaster relief business, if necessary, even privatize it. I want to offer a few thoughts of why he is wrong - and why it may have real political impact.
1. Many states lack both financial and infrastructure resources to respond to large-scale national disasters.
2. Many national disasters cut across state boundaries, and require someone to coordinate the responses.
3. Many of the resources that need to be applied reside in Federal agencies beyond FEMA - remember the role of the Coast Guard in Katrina? How about the Federal flood insurance program? What about emergency small business loans
4. Some specialized resources might be local elsewhere in the nation, but to quickly get them into action requires an ability to cross state and local governmental boundaries - think here of the urban search and rescue teams from places like Fairfax County VA - the federal government provides their transportation and guarantees
1. Many states lack both financial and infrastructure resources to respond to large-scale national disasters.
2. Many national disasters cut across state boundaries, and require someone to coordinate the responses.
3. Many of the resources that need to be applied reside in Federal agencies beyond FEMA - remember the role of the Coast Guard in Katrina? How about the Federal flood insurance program? What about emergency small business loans
4. Some specialized resources might be local elsewhere in the nation, but to quickly get them into action requires an ability to cross state and local governmental boundaries - think here of the urban search and rescue teams from places like Fairfax County VA - the federal government provides their transportation and guarantees