Understandably, Republicans are anxious to show that they can do better among Hispanic voters without immigration reform. The problem is that there aren't many recent examples of Republicans doing well among Hispanics. The solution, apparently, is to just make up examples where they don't exist.
The Weekly Standard's Michael Warren wrote in the latest issue about Texas Governor Rick Perry's secret formula for appealing to Hispanics: showing up to events with Hispanics, embracing a conservative and populist economic message, running advertisements in Spanish. It was an inspirational tale.
The problem, of course, is that Rick Perry didn't do well among Hispanics. He only did a few points better than McCain or Romney, and President Bush just made him look bad:
How did The Weekly Standard get tricked into thinking Perry knew how to solve the GOP's Hispanic problem? They saw that he did better in 2010 than he did in 2006. The catch? Perry only recieved a total of 39 percent of the vote in 2006, because it was a four way race. Obviously he managed to increase his share of the Hispanic vote after getting rid of half the field.
So Republicans: if you're looking for the solution to your Hispanic problem, don't consult Rick Perry. He managed to only do marginally better than McCain or Romney, without the burden of immigration reform and with the benefit of incumbency.