Surprise! La Raza Smears Its Opponents

The vice president of the pro-amnesty organization La Raza, in a move fairly typical of the organization, is concerned about the effect talk radio had on the recent Senate amnesty bill. Apparently, opposition to amnesty by talk radio was a "wave of hate." Story from the Washington Times.

The nation's largest Hispanic advocacy group says it must come up with a strategy to combat "a wave of hate" its leaders say came from talk radio's efforts to sink the Senate's immigration bill.

"That had an extraordinary impact in the Senate, and as a nation, I don't think we should be comfortable with the fact that the United States Senate responded to what was largely a wave of hate," Cecilia Munoz, the National Council of La Raza's senior vice president for research, advocacy and legislation, told The Washington Times after meeting with NCLR affiliates to talk about a new strategy.

Stung by the collapse of the immigration bill in the Senate last month, NCLR leaders and members at the group's annual convention in Miami Beach, which began yesterday, say they will have to start a campaign to register and mobilize voters, to warn against crossing the line in the debate and to force lawmakers to take a clear stand on what they are willing to tolerate.

"I think we have to shine a light on it," Ms. Munoz said. "At the end of the day, we believe people need to take sides, that you can't stand on the sidelines, especially if part of what is motivating the actions of the United States Congress is not really about the public-policy debate, but is about their discomfort with Latinos."

This is nothing new. In the debate over illegal immigration, groups favorable to amnesty like La Raza, MALDEF (Mexican-American Legal Defense and education fund), the ACLU, and several Republican and Democratic senators have attempted to portray their opponents as bigoted racists. Instead of debating on the merits, a novel concept, these groups engaged in the politics of demonization.

(Hat tip: Hot Air)