LOL, GOP Hispanic outreach.

Anti-Immigrant Republicans Block ‘GOP en Espaol’ Outreach Program

After resoundingly losing the Hispanic vote in 2012, Republicans are making their pitch to Hispanic voters. These new efforts range from pushing for immigration reform to Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) plan to deliver the GOP’s State of the Union response in both Spanish and English. However, the House Republican Conference’s new “GOP en Espaol” initiative to distribute Spanish translations of Republican State of the Union reactions proved to be the last straw for some factions of the party.

Opposition from Rep. Steve King (R-IA), who has sponsored “English-only” legislation to make English the official language of the US, stalled the launch of GOP en Espaol. In an interview with the National Journal, King explained:

“There’s a conflicting message that comes out from the Republicans if we want to recognize the unifying power of English, and meanwhile, we send out communications in multiple languages. Official business and documents needs to be in English.” […] He says that English is “empowering and unifying” and that the GOP en Espaol program “sends a subliminal message in contradiction.”