Romney will surprise

One of the key things that should be observed at the Republican National Convention, to be held in Tampa, is whether the presidential Romney-Ryan will be able to connect with Hispanics and improve low level of approval among Latino voters. They could do some things, but I doubt that will.

According to the survey of Latino voters NBC / Wall Street Journal released last week, the first held after the Republican nominee Mitt Romney chose to Congressman Paul Ryan, of Wisconsin, as his running mate, President Obama leads Romney by 63 percent to 28 percent among Latino voters.

What is even worse for Romney, the Republican platform draft is expected to be approved at the convention has taken a tough line with regard to immigration, proposing among other things to build a wall along the entire border between United States and Mexico, the undocumented remove subsidies to study in state universities, and ban so-called sanctuary cities, which are those that do not pursue these immigrants.

To try to overcome their low approval ratings among Hispanics, and closer to 40 percent of the Hispanic vote that succeeded former President George W. Bush in 2004, or the 31 percent who reached the former candidate John McCain in 2008 - Romney's campaign recruited an impressive representation of Latino politicians as speakers at the Republican convention. (Not so with the artists, as the official list of singers who will encourage the Republican convention does not include any Latin).

Florida Senator Marco Rubio to Romney present at the time of highest television audience of the convention, while in earlier days speak the Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, the candidate for senator from Texas, Ted Cruz, the governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Fortuno, and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez.

They project the image of the Republican Party as the party of diversity and economic opportunity, and endeavor to convince the audience that Mitt Romney is a friend of Hispanics, according to Republican strategists tell me.

Its main objective is to counter the image among many Latinos that Romney is a candidate of the rich whose intolerance against undocumented hides a certain contempt for all Hispanics.

What Romney could do to dispel that image? Among other things, the following:

- It might surprise us all anti-immigration extremists criticizing GOP to continue to perpetuate the fantasy that you can deport 11 million illegal immigrants living in this country, and that encourage racial hatred alleging among other things that undocumented immigrants bring dangerous diseases into the country.

- I could admit that many undocumented enter the United States illegally because under current immigration rules outdated can not get visas to legally work in jobs that Americans will not take.

- I would say that, if elected, will not rescind the recent executive action by President Barack Obama to grant temporary residence for two years to more than a million and a half students undocumented youth-the so-called "dreamers" - who were brought to small the country by their parents.

- Could take away from its proposal to achieve "autodeportation" of all undocumented. Many Hispanics interpret this proposal as a plan that will make life miserable for the undocumented, and by extension affect all Latinos.

My opinion: The fact that Ryan has chosen Romney over several Spanish-speaking politicians-including Rubio and Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, as his running mate, you've done your per-convention tour of foreign policy in Europe and Israel, without even a symbolic stop in Mexico, and that did not mention any matter related to Hispanics during his recent visit to Miami, makes me think he has thrown in the towel as the Hispanic vote.

Romney's team believes the Hispanic vote nationally is irrelevant, since the majority of Latinos live in states like New York or California, that anyway will vote Democratic.

So Romney is focusing on Hispanics few swing states like Florida, and is doing so with a speech focused on the economy.

It might work, but I doubt it. Unless you give us a surprise, Romney's decision to ally with the far right of his party rather than seeking the center will cost the loss of the Hispanic vote, and perhaps the election.