John McCain: Lost In Translation?»

Our guest blogger is Dan Restrepo, the Director of The Americas Project at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

John McCain wants English to be the national language, but apparently not until after November.

Not only is he cutting ads in Spanish, he clearly hopes those ads don’t reach too many bilingual Latinos. Otherwise, they might notice he is trying to have it both ways on immigration policy again.

In the English narration of his latest Spanish-language ad, McCain touts “pro-innovation immigration policies” — something far less objectionable to Tancredo-Sensenbrenner conservatives than his pre-flip flop immigration position.

The Spanish text that appears simultaneous to that declaration trumpets “Immigration Policy Innovation” (or under the most generous possible translation, “Innovation in Immigration Policy,”) something that reads a lot like he is still supporting the comprehensive immigration reform he has since turned his back on and which enjoys overwhelming support among Latinos (and the population writ large). Watch the ad:

Either McCain needs Spanish lessons or he needs to stop trying to have it both ways on immigration. You must be either for or against practical, effective immigration reform. You can’t rely on the myth that Spanish-speaking Hispanics don’t understand English to attempt to pull the wool over their eyes while trying not to offend your most extreme base.

The ‘Forgotten Americans’ In McCain’s Own Back Yard»

Our guest blogger is State Rep. Cloves C. Campbell, Jr. from Arizona. He is the publisher of the Arizona Informant newspaper.

This week, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) begins his “Forgotten Americans” tour. His campaign intends to visit places most Republican candidates don’t, including African American neighborhoods. I applaud Sen. McCain for recognizing that Republicans don’t do a good job of reaching out to minorities and the poor. However, he is a part of the problem.

I have been politically active in the Black community in Phoenix for years, as was my father, Cloves Campbell, Sr. I also run the Arizona Informant, the leading Black Newspaper in Arizona. At my paper, we’ve interviewed the state’s top Republican elected officials, except John McCain — who has consistently turned us down. Why is that? You’d have to ask McCain that question, but my theory is that he just hasn’t cared about what black voters in Arizona think.

Despite popular opinion, the Black community is not a monolith. Especially here in Phoenix, where you have a lot of newcomers to the state — many of whom are not strongly tied to either party. Republicans would do well to start talking to some of them and engaging in a real dialogue about their issues and concerns. McCain says this is what he wants to do, but he’s had decades in public office to do so, and he hasn’t. That makes it hard for me to take this tour as anything more than a political stunt in a presidential campaign.

So, I’m glad Senator McCain is highlighting some of the neglected parts of our nation. But I have a suggestion for him. He needs to run the tour through his own backyard. If he wants this effort to be taken seriously, he has some work to do at home.

McCain Has Consistently Sided Against The Interests Of The African-American Community»

Our guest blogger is Daniella Gibbs Leger, the Vice President for Communications at American Progress Action Fund.

Today, John McCain is scheduled to speak in Memphis on the 40th Anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. To most, this probably seems like an un-extraordinary event –- a presidential candidate is paying tribute to one of our nation’s heroes.

But it is a big deal to me. McCain was against a federal holiday recognizing MLK in 1983. And while his position evolved –- he eventually came around to supporting the holiday in a 1990 Arizona referendum that failed –- it is a problem to me that he voted against it in the first place.

This happened in 1983. It wasn’t like it was the 60’s. By that time people around the world understood the significance that King had on moving our nation peacefully out of the days of segregation. But in 1983, McCain didn’t. That’s bad enough, but he also consistently sided against the interests of the African American community while in the House and Senate, including the 1990 Civil Rights Bill, affirmative action, and raising the minimum wage. And his stance on the Iraq war is completely out of tune with not just African Americans but the entire country.

McCain has an opportunity today that I doubt he’ll take. He has an opportunity to embrace the goals that King was fighting for the day he died –- the improvement of the lives of every day American workers. He can embrace an economic policy that works for all Americans, not just the wealthiest; he can embrace universal health care coverage; and he can embrace ending a war that King most certainly would have spoken out against. I am sure none of that will happen, but today –- of all days –- a girl can dream.