Clarence Thomas: 'The elites' had to approve a black president
(CNN) – Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, the high court's only African American jurist, opened up recently about his thoughts on race and the White House.
Asked if he ever expected to see an African American president in his lifetime, the conservative justice said he always knew "it would have to be a black president who was approved by the elites and the media, because anybody that they didn't agree with, they would take apart."
"And that will happen with virtually – you pick your person, any black person who says something that is not the prescribed things that they expect from a black person will be picked apart," he said in an April interview at Duquesne Law School in Pittsburgh, which aired on C-SPAN.
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Poll: Latinos see poor GOP minority outreach
Editor’s note: In America follows the fight to win an essential voting bloc in Nevada, a battleground state with one of the fastest-growing Latino populations in the nation. Soledad O’Brien reports in “Latino in America: Courting Their Vote” on CNN TV at 8 p.m. ET Sunday.
By CNN Political Unit
(CNN) – A new CNN/ORC International poll released Friday finds Latino voters don't think the Republican Party has done a good job reaching out to minorities and the Democratic Party cares more about people like them, agree with them on important issues and can improve economic conditions.
Friday's release shows that only 33% of likely Latino voters think the GOP has done a good job reaching out to minorities compared to the 77% who think Democrats have done a good job.
The poll also indicates 69% of likely Latino voters believe the Democratic Party cares more about people like them while only 24% say the GOP cares more than the Democrats do.
The survey - taken entirely before Wednesday's first presidential debate in Denver - also shows 62% of Latinos think the Democratic Party can help to improve economic conditions. Only 32% think the Republican Party can better fix the economy.
Friday's survey comes after a CNN/ORC poll released Tuesday showed President Barack Obama retaining a significant lead over rival Mitt Romney in the key voting demographic–70% to Romney's 26%–matching the level of support he received from Latinos in 2008.
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CNN Poll: Latinos show big support for Obama policy
Editor’s note: In America follows the fight to win an essential voting bloc in Nevada, a battleground state with one of the fastest-growing Latino populations in the nation. Soledad O’Brien reports in “Latino in America: Courting Their Vote” at 8 p.m. ET Sunday.
By CNN Political Unit, CNN
(CNN) – President Barack Obama's decision to allow some young undocumented immigrants to defer deportation is very popular among Latinos, according to a CNN/ORC International poll released Thursday, pointing to one likely reason the president enjoys high support among the key voting demographic.
In the poll, 71% of Latinos said Obama's decision, which was announced in June and went into effect in August, is about right. Another 15% said it doesn't go far enough, and 13% said it goes too far.
The president's decision allows people younger than 30 who came to the United States before the age of 16, pose no criminal or security threat, and were successful students or served in the military to apply for a two-year deferral from deportation.
In the poll, a large majority of Latinos – 77% - said the focus of the country's immigration policy should be allowing undocumented immigrants to become legal U.S. residents. Twenty-one percent said the focus should be on deporting them and stopping more from coming to the United States. Non-Latino whites are twice as likely to say that the main focus should be on border security and deportations.
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CNN Poll: Obama at 70% among Latino voters
Editor's Note: In America follows the fight to win an essential voting bloc in Nevada, a battleground state with one of the fastest-growing Latino populations in the nation. Soledad O’Brien reports “Latino in America: Courting Their Vote” at 8 p.m. ET Sunday.
By CNN Political Unit
(CNN) – The latest national survey of likely Latino voters shows President Barack Obama retaining a big lead over rival Mitt Romney in the key voting demographic, matching the level of support he received from Latinos in 2008.
The poll also showed a majority of Latinos said the economy was a more important issue than immigration, and indicated enthusiasm among Latinos is lower than it is among non-Latino whites.
Obama enjoys the backing of 70% of likely Latino voters, according to the CNN/ORC International survey, slightly higher than the 67% of Latinos who voted for him in 2008. Republican nominee John McCain garnered 31% of the 2008 Latino vote. In 2004, 53% of Latinos went for the Democratic nominee John Kerry over the 44% who went for President George W. Bush, according to national exit polls.
Read the full post on CNN's Political TickerControversial private fund-raiser video shows candid Romney
By CNN Political Unit
(CNN) – Mitt Romney on Monday said his controversial statements caught on tape were "off the cuff" and "not elegantly stated," but he defended the main message of his remarks.
Romney took three questions in a brief press conference with pool reporters late Monday night in California, scheduled at the last minute in response to the release of secretly recorded video of the candidate speaking at a private fund-raiser in May.
The video quickly caught fire as potentially damaging material to the Republican presidential nominee.
In the footage, taped with a hidden camera, Romney argued nearly half of Americans will vote for President Barack Obama because they rely on government support, made apparent jokes about wishing he had Latino heritage, and talks about a Chinese factory his former firm purchased.
"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what," Romney says in one clip. "There are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent on government, who believe that, that they are victims, who believe that government has the responsibility to care for them. Who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing."
The non-partisan Tax Policy Center estimates that for tax year 2011, 46% of households will end up owing nothing in federal income taxes. But if payroll taxes are counted, the number of non-payer households drops precipitously – to an estimated 18% in 2011.
Adding to his argument about entitlement, Romney said his "job is not to worry about those people."
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About In America
What defines you? Maybe it’s the shade of your skin, the place you grew up, the accent in your words, the make up of your family, the gender you were born with, the intimate relationships you chose to have or your generation? As the American identity changes we will be there to report it. In America is a venue for creative and timely sharing of news that explores who we are. Reach us at inamerica@cnn.com.
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