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By Callum Borchers, Globe Correspondent A day after Mitt Romney addressed the Latino Coalition , the presumptive Republican nominee released a secondSpanish-language ad outlining the agenda for his first day inoffice. But Romney s attempts to court Latino voters -- with whom he isunpopular -- appear half-hearted, according to some observers. Theads indicate Romney s early to-do list does not includeimmigration reform, a subject he also ignored Wednesday when speaking to Latino business owners at the US Chamber ofCommerce in Washington. One hypothesis -- and I hope I m wrong about this -- is he maybe writing off the Latino vote, said David Scott Palmer, aprofessor of international relations and political science atBoston University and the former chair of Latin American andCaribbean Studies at the US Department of State. A poll published Wednesday by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal showed Romney trailsPresident Obama by 34 points among Latino voters. The nationalsurvey revealed 61 percent support Obama, compared to 27 percentwho back Romney. In the past, it has been possible for Republican candidates to winthe White House, despite losing the Latino vote badly. In 2000,George W. Bush lost the Latino vote by 27 points; George H.W. Bushlost by 39 in 1988. But Latinos are a burgeoning segment of the electorate -- 3 percentin 1988, 7 percent in 2000 and 9 percent in 2008. Obama, who won 67 percent of the Latino vote four years ago, hasindicated his campaign will try to increase turnout among Latinovoters this fall. In a video last week that highlighted its recent initiatives , Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said the campaign wasbolstering its staff in Arizona, a state that has voted Republicanin three straight presidential elections but which has a sizeableLatino population. It wasn t a swing state last time around, Messina said, butif we can help register the hundreds of thousands of eligiblevoters who missed out in 2008, we can put it on the table thisNovember. Former Romney adviser Mike Murphy said last month that the growthof the Latino population means Republicans must pay closerattention to those voters than they have in the past. You don t have to win the Latino vote, he said during a paneldiscussion at Harvard University, but you can t lose by 30points. Though the NBC/WSJ poll showed Romney with much ground to make up,it also hinted at several pathways to do so. Only 29 percent ofLatinos identified themselves as liberal, a label Romney hasassigned to Obama. Sixty-five percent called themselves moderate orconservative. The survey also suggested Latino voters are not listening to theObama campaign s criticism of Romney s business record at theprivate equity firm Bain Capital. Only 11 percent said they havenegative feelings toward Bain Capital; 66 percent said they areunsure or are unfamiliar with the company s name. Meanwhile, 51 percent said Romney s business experience would givehim an advantage in efforts to improve the country s economic andjob conditions; just 14 percent said it would be a disadvantage. But so far, Romney s hard line on immigration -- on the fewoccasions when he has discussed it -- seems to be enough to repelLatino voters. He opposes the DREAM Act, a bill popular amongLatinos that would facilitate citizenship for illegal immigrantyouths who enroll in college or enlist in the military. FloridaSenator Marco Rubio, a potential Romney running mate and bridge toLatino voters, outlined a conservative alternative to the DREAM Actin April, but Romney did not embrace it. The former Massachusetts governor advocates a well patrolled fencealong the Mexican border and has described a strategy of self-deportation, which is people decide they can do better bygoing home because they can t find work here because they don thave legal documentation to allow them to work here. Callum Borchers can be reached at callum.borchers@globe.com. Followhim on Twitter @callumborchers. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Copper Annealing Furnace , Notching Machines Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Winding Machines.
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