Ken Blackwell’s warning: ‘We are in danger of alienating the Hispanic community’

Matt K. Lewis Senior Contributor
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How should conservatives react to President Obama’s decision to effectively cease deporting many young illegal immigrants?

That is the question many are wrestling with today.

The Daily Caller has obtained a memo on this very topic — authored by Ken Blackwell, a former Secretary of State of Ohio, and policy board member American civil rights union — being circulated at top conservative conclaves about this very topic.

In the memo, Blackwell warns Republicans of the dangers involved in attacking the president over this move:

For the next 141 days, I would caution against using President Obama’s moves on immigration as a stand alone example of his contempt for the Rule of Law.

1. President Obama won’t be impeached.

2. The only way to stop his riding roughshod over the Rule of Law is to defeat him in November. We need 35-40% of the Hispanic vote to do this.

3. Failing that, the next best answer is to increase GOP numbers in the House and Senate.

4. There is a risk, that no matter how much we protest that it is lawlessness we are against,we will be said to be anti-Hispanic (and anti-family, in this case).

5. Many GOP leaders argued that their vote against the Civil Rights Act was not a vote to maintain segregation, but only to protest federal usurpation of power. None of that had the slightest impact. They were depicted as hostile to civil rights. Their principled opposition was enough to alienate  many black voters from the GOP.

6. We are in danger of alienating the Hispanic community over this.

7. Far better, in my view, to argue that President Obama’s failure to defend the Defense of Marriage Act shows his contempt for the Rule of Law.

8. We might also argue is his failure to charge Nidal Hasan with violating the Unborn Victims of Violence Act by killing the unborn child of Francheska Velez at Fort Hood. This is another example of Mr. Obama’s “failure to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.”

9. If we choose marriage and life to show his contempt for the Rule of Law, we will be taking a stance on grounds that will appeal to and not likely to alienate Hispanic voters. (we should work to couple these issues with immigration, when we are making our case.)

To sum up, Blackwell believes that if conservatives are to make an issue over President Obama’s failure to follow the Rule of Law, they should avoid talking about his recent DHS order, and focus instead on other issues, such as his failure to defend DOMA.

Matt K. Lewis