President Obama Targets Latino Vote; Interview With Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson; Obama Speaks to Latino Legislators
CROWLEY: President Obama scored a few applause lines in a speech to a friendly crowd of Latino leaders in Florida. He ended his remarks with a promise to keep fighting for the Hispanic community. But there is one promise from his 2008 campaign that still haunts the president.</s>OBAMA: We will have, in the first year, an immigration bill that I strongly support and that I am promoting.</s>CROWLEY: No immigration bill was ever passed. And while the president now enjoys a double-digit lead in polling among Latinos, the Obama campaign knows that the real challenge is getting Latinos excited enough to show up and vote. Joining me now is someone who knows a lot about the importance of the Latino vote, former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Thank you so much for joining us, Governor. I want to play something actually from Mitt Romney's speech yesterday to this same group of Latino leaders and something he said about what has happened in the Hispanic community since President Obama took office.</s>ROMNEY: While the national unemployment is still above 8 percent and has been for 40 straight months, Hispanic unemployment is at 11 percent. Over two million more Hispanics are living in poverty today than the day when President Obama took office.</s>CROWLEY: Governor Richardson, he's absolutely right on those figures. Can you tell me the reason behind the strong Latino support for the president, which is running about 66 percent, when put up against Mitt Romney?</s>RICHARDSON: Well, Candy, the governor's statistics are not right. In fact, Latino unemployment has gone down 1.6 percent in the last 27 months, from 13 to about 11. Secondly, on the economic front, too, because of the president's payroll tax cut, 25 million more Hispanics have gotten a tax cut, loans to Hispanic-owned small businesses. The president wants to grow the economy from the middle out, rather than from the top down. But on the immigration issue, the president has tried to have a comprehensive immigration bill, but when it's filibustered by Republicans, opposed almost by every member of the Republican Party, it's hard to pass that. So the president deserves credit for trying, for finding ways to push for the DREAM Act, which gives college opportunities to Hispanic kids that have been in the military or have come here at a very young age. And then, lastly, what the president has done is stop some of the senseless and cruel deportation of children, promoting family reunification. This is why the president enjoys this lead, which if he keeps this lead, Candy, at 66 percent, 65 percent is the barometer that would allow a Democratic candidate for president to win the Latino vote nationally and, therefore, the presidency because of the importance and...</s>CROWLEY: But if we are told, continuing along those lines, that Latino voters, while they care deeply about immigration, they are like all other Americans -- they are more interested in the economy -- why is the Latino vote so different in the way its support -- we see the national polls just sort of nationwide, and we see that President Obama leads by about 4 percentage points, I think in the last poll I saw, and yet this gap is huge. So, clearly, this is not totally a pocketbook issue.</s>RICHARDSON: That's right. And the Republicans have been so harsh in their primaries, with Santorum and Gingrich and Romney taking extremist positions, anti- immigrant positions that make them look almost totally, totally on the extreme hostility. And this is the reason why I think Latinos sense that the president is on their side. And he is on their side. And this is why he enjoys this overwhelming support.</s>CROWLEY: You have called Marco Rubio, I think, intriguing. Can you tell me what you think about him, first as the political star he seems to be, and second as a possible way for Republicans over time -- I'm not talking about this election -- but over time, being able to attract more Latino support?</s>RICHARDSON: I always want to see Latinos in both parties, Republican and Democrat, do well. There's no question that Senator Rubio is an attractive senator. He speaks well. I don't know him, but I would like him to take more positive positions on the DREAM Act and immigration. What he wants to do with the DREAM Act is not comparable to what President Obama wants to do. It's not comprehensive. It's sort of short-term. But, yes, I do find him intriguing. And so this is why I find his potential candidacy positive. But I don't think it's going to be enough to overtake President Obama in the general election, which I predict he will win narrowly...</s>CROWLEY: OK.</s>RICHARDSON: ... but also among Latino voters.</s>CROWLEY: All right, Governor Richardson, thank you so much for joining us all the way from Paris. I know you are on business there, but try to have some fun. Thanks.</s>RICHARDSON: Thank you. Thank you, Candy.</s>CROWLEY: A Turkish military plane has vanished, and Syria claims it shot down the plane. And remember when gas cost less than $3 per gallon? Those prices might be coming to a pump near you this year.