Recycling a comment that he made in 2012, presidential candidate and Texas senator Ted Cruz (R) doubled down on his statement that he has never seen a “Hispanic panhandler,” ThinkProgress reported.
While speaking earlier this week with the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Cruz was asked “how to inform, mobilize, and attract Hispanic voters in 2016. Cruz’s response was that the Hispanic community is “fundamentally conservative one” and that they “work their fingers to the bones.”
Some years ago, I was having lunch with a Hispanic entrepreneur in Austin.He asked me a question. He said, “When was the last time you saw a Hispanic panhandler?” And that’s a great question. You and I grew up in Texas. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Hispanic panhandler. And the reason is in our community it would be shameful to be begging on the streets.
Now if you want people to work their fingers to the bones — hard work — you’ll have Hispanic men and women lining up to work hard and provide for their families. Those are all conservative values. And I think the most potent ethos in the Hispanic community is what we believe in. It’s the shared value in our community.
Cruz also stood behind his anti-immigration rhetoric. He said he wanted to “[secure] the border,” and told the crowd that the Left was using immigration as a “scare” tactic to get the Hispanic vote.
Apparently what Cruz doesn’t understand is that it’s the fear of their family members being deported that pushes them to vote Democrat. Championing their work ethic isn’t going to change that.
