The new pope’s ardent focus on poverty will undermine any efforts by GOP to reach out to Latinos, who care a lot more about poverty than abortion or gay marriage. When the Catholic church had a conservative white pope, the GOP had hope that he would encourage Latinos to vote more conservatively. Now Catholics have a Pope that is consistently and persistently focusing on the negative effects of poverty. He sounds more like a socialist than a capitalist.
GOP efforts to defund food stamp programs will hurt poorer Latinos, but they will also offend the Latino Catholic belief that you shouldn’t abandon children, the elderly, the poor and the downtrodden.
Most Latinos are not fans of Ayn Rand, and it is her brand of antisocial, anti-family, predatory capitalism that is worshiped by the GOP. Her views on poverty and capitalism will more likely offend Latinos rather than woo them to the GOP brand.
