Phyllis Schlafly is doing her part to keep the Republican Party white.
The conservative activist lashed out at Latinos during an appearance on the Clay and Marty Show last week, saying Hispanics don’t understand core principles of U.S. government philosophy and have too many kids out of wedlock.
She recommended that the GOP abandon efforts to win the Latino vote, saying it is a waste of time because of fundamental ideological differences.
“I don’t they have Republican inclinations at all,” Schlafly said. “They’re running an illegitimacy rate that’s just about the same as blacks are.”
Schlafly then offered this analysis of Latin American politics:
The plain fact is, they [Hispanics] come from a country where they have no experience with limited government and the types of rights we have in the bill of rights. They don’t understand that at all, you can’t even talk to them about what the Republican principle is.
The United States helped topple several Latin American democracies and financed military dictatorships throughout the region during the Cold War.
It’s not the first time the Eagle Forum founder has used airtime to bash Latinos.
“The people that Republicans ought to reach out to are white voters,” Schlafly said lat month during an appearance on conservative radio show Focus Today, in which she said “there is not any evidence at all that these Hispanics coming in from Mexico will vote Republican.”
Former President George W. Bush -- who speaks some Spanish, supports immigration reform and does not rant against Hispanics during interviews with the media -- won 44 percent of the Latino vote in 2004.
Many in the Republican Party have tried to reach out to the Latino community, particularly by taking a softer line on the immigration issue, after GOP contender Mitt Romney’s poor performance against President Barack Obama in November’s election. Romney fielded only 27 percent of the growing Latino vote, compared to Obama’s 71 percent -- the worst performance since Bob Dole’s failed run against Bill Clinton in 1996.
But other figures within the conservative movement like Schlafly continue to publicly bash Hispanics, undermining the GOP’s efforts.
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