John Kerry's position on

Hispanic or Latino/a community: According to a recent Zogby International poll, Latino/as are interested more in the substance of policy issues and the candidate's record than mere rhetoric. This poll identified key areas of emphasis, the top issues being education, economy/jobs, immigration, civil rights, and health care. National Council of La Raza report. Thus, there are not specific Latino/a issues, but rather this group is looking at how candidate's stands on these issues will impact their lives.

Description of position: Senator Kerry is reaching out to Latino/as through his Unidos Con John Kerry campaign (link). His focus includes education, the economy, and jobs. Kerry website links and link For education, Kerry intends to increase funding to the No Child Left Behind Act, to almost $200 billion over 10 years, expand Head Start programs, increase funding for bilingual education, and several initiatives to increase number of Latino/as attending college&emdash;including the DREAM act, mentoring, and easier financial aid forms. Kerry pamphlet: English version En Español

For the economy and jobs, Kerry's plan is to raise the minimum wage to $7/hour by 2007, instate a New Jobs Tax Credit, which gives tax incentives to start new small businesses, and expand the Minority Enterprise Development Program. Additionally, within his first one-hundred days of office, Kerry will propose a new immigration bill which "allows undocumented immigrants to earn legalization, encourages family reunification, and strengthens our border protections," as well as a visa worker program which includes labor protections. Kerry pamphlet: English version En Español

Quotation: "America needs a new direction. In the last three years, Hispanic unemployment has increased by 19 percent, and more than 350,000 Hispanics have lost their jobs. Census numbers show that 1.3 million Hispanics have been pushed into poverty under Bush, and one out of every three Hispanics is uninsured today. Adding insult to injury, this administration has ignored the plight of Hispanic youth, as each year about half of Hispanics don't graduate from high school. Hispanic Heritage month is a time to celebrate, but it is also a reminder that America can do better." Kerry's Statement on Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15, 2004

Assessment of the proposal:

Positive: Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers and National Chair of Women For Kerry-Edwards, endorses not only for his support of Latinos, but also for his stance for women's rights: "Kerry has the history of public service that proves he is dedicated to working women. He will raise the minimum wage to $7, give tax breaks to small businesses, and ensure equal pay for equal work by strengthening enforcement of the equal pay law. These are policies that affect real people's lives. […The Kerry administration] will continue to represent the underlying values of "La Causa": equal pay for equal work, affordable and accessible healthcare, funding an education plan that supports our public education system, and ensuring minority and women owned businesses have the resources to succeed." September 6, 2004 statement

Negative: Raul Yzaguirre, president of National Council of La Raza, feels that Kerry has not gone far enough for Latino/as, and is just using them for their votes: "[R]elegating all of your minority staff to the important but limited role of outreach only reinforces perceptions that your campaign vies Hispanics as a voting constituency to be mobilized, but not as experts to be consulted in shaping policy. History has shown that the makeup of a campaign staff is a strong indicator of the future composition of White House and other staff in an Administration. In this context the absence of diversity at the senior levels of your campaign is disturbing." April 28, 2004 letter to Kerry campaign

Comparison: While both parties have Spanish campaigns, Kerry emphasizes the failures of the status quo and the need for change, particularly in regard to education and the economy. With new policies such as raising the minimum wage and immigration reforms, Kerry is arguing for change due to the president's failures in office.

Link to Bush's issue page.