In his originally off-the-record turned on-the-record remarks to the Des Moines Register, President Barack Obama credited former President George W. Bush and aide Karl Rove with being “smart enough” to recognize the importance of the Latino vote, according to
Business Insider.
"The second thing I’m confident we’ll get done next year is immigration reform. And since this is off the record, I will just be very blunt. Should I win a second term, a big reason I will win a second term is because the Republican nominee [Mitt Romney] and the Republican Party have so alienated the fastest-growing demographic group in the country, the Latino community.
"And this is a relatively new phenomenon. George Bush and Karl Rove were smart enough to understand the changing nature of America. And so I am fairly confident that they’re going to have a deep interest in getting that done. And I want to get it done because it’s the right thing to do and I've cared about this ever since I ran back in 2008," Obama told the Register.
Business Insider pointed out that in the 2000 election, Bush received 35 percent of the Latino vote and in 2004 received 44 percent, which was only nine points behind Democratic nominee John Kerry. The Latino vote essentially helped Bush capture the White House and retain it in two close elections.
In the 2012 race, Obama leads Mitt Romney by a 45- to 50-point margin, Business Insider reported.
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