FLASHBACK: With Immigration Reform, Union Leader Predicts 8 MILLION New Progressive Voters

Perhaps the progressives in the Republican Party that have a suicide pact. Regardless, a speech given by former SEIU leader Eliseo Medina should be all they need to know about the true purpose of immigration reform.

Speaking at the America’s Future Now conference in 2009, Medina said:

We in the last election had the largest turnout of Latino voters in our history and everything tells us these voters fully intend to become engaged into the elections in the future. They have tasted what it is like to participate and win and they are not going to go away because their involvement is basically because they feel that they are being taken advantage of, they are being singled out and they are being scapegoated.

Now, when they voted in November, they voted overwhelmingly for progressive candidates. Barack Obama got two out of every three voters that showed up.

So I think that there are two things that matter for the progressive community. 1. If we are to expect this electorate to win, the progressive community needs to solidly be on the side of immigrants. That will solidify and expand the progressive coalition for the future. … 2. We reform the immigration laws, it puts 12 million on the path to citizenship and eventually voters.

Can you image if we had even the same ratio – 2 out of 3 – if we had 8 million new voters that care about our issues and will be voting, we will create a governing coalition for the long term, not just for an election cycle.

To progressives, that’s what immigration reform is about. It’s not about dignity. It’s not about allowing immigrants to enjoy the fruits of America. It’s about expanding a voting base that will ensure their continuation of power.

 

Thanks for sharing!