More of the same, more of the same, the U.S. government seems to be saying, after the monumental collapse of the immigration reform bill in the Senate last week. A "triple shipwreck," according to an editorial in respected left-leaning Mexican daily La Jornada, and pretty much the majority of reasonable voices in Mexico:
The most powerful country on the planet will have to continue living, for many more months, with the scandalous contradiction between its laws and the real needs of its economy, thirsty for cheap labor to guarantee the international competitiveness of its exports, especially in agriculture.
Could the survival of the status quo be any more self-defeating? Why, yes, The New York Times reports in this piece on the what the vote means for GOP efforts to woo future voters in a browning America: "In terms of the politics of perception, Hispanics may have been deeply alienated by the heated rhetoric that wound around the axle of the debate, most of it stemming from a few Republican opponents and the loud echo chamber of talk radio."
USA Today chimes in the topic, too, in "Hispanics turning back to Democrats for 2008." It's the shitty, racist rhetoric, of course. I mean, even Wonkette gets it. But sadly, not 76-year-old Laura Stevens, in Logan, Utah. She's banned from riding public buses for "harrassing" Mexican moms with what she deems as too many kids. I honestly didn't believe they made old ladies like that anymore. Silly me.
* As linked above, say hello to Guanabee, a new Latino pop culture blog out of New York. Looks like fun.