Letter from the Jeff Bell Campaign

Did I mention at the start of the summer that the first political campaign I recall knowing anything about -- back when I was a kid-- was Jeff Bell's run for Senate in 1976?  He primaried and knocked-out a RINO Republican, but then lost to Bill Bradley. 

Now Bell's back, running for Senate in NJ again, and within striking distance of Corey Booker. Sharing this campaign letter both to publicize Bell and because it's so different in tone from typical campaign letters. We'll see if it works, but I find it refreshing.

Dear Friend, 
I want to wish you Happy Hispanic Heritage Month.  

But rather than dish out trivia or talking points, I want to tell you why it's important to me as a conservative candidate. Ronald Reagan once said, "Latinos are Republicans, they just don't know it yet." Maybe that's politically incorrect to repeat in 2014. But I do agree with the premise behind his assertion: if the Republican Party makes the case to them, Hispanics will vote GOP.

  **Show your support for the campaign here**

But they do have a problem now. Our party has been unwelcoming. Republican members in Congress have refused to consider a path to legalization for those who came here illegally over the years or an expanded guest worker program that is open to low-skilled workers, not just Ph.D.'s. President Reagan tried to solve this problem in 1986, but the law he signed that year left out access for immigrants who want to come here and work temporarily without becoming citizens. It's led to the crisis we have today of millions of people who came from Mexico and elsewhere and simply stayed because neither the law -- which actually makes it a misdemeanor -- nor our border security encourage people to come here the right way.  

I like Rush Limbaugh and have been interviewed by him on other topics, but I have to say that I fundamentally disagree with his assertion that those who immigrate here from Mexico are registered Democrats in waiting. Hispanics in the U.S. have the highest rate of business creation among all ethnic groups -- and more than double the national rate. Moreover, they tend to share conservatives' beliefs that life begins at conception and marriage is composed of a husband and a wife. They are as good a prospect at voting Republican as any immigrants to America from anywhere in the world.   

If elected, I'm headed to the U.S. Senate to fight for a comprehensive immigration reform plan that includes a generous, market-based guest worker program so we don't repeat the crisis that stems from 1986. I'll fight against the special interests like Big Labor to get this done. As we achieve success, I believe Hispanic voters will move toward the GOP. Immigration may rank for many of them relatively low in a poll of issue priorities, but our party's stance on it has served as a barrier for them to consider the rest of our agenda that would appeal to Hispanics.

Fixing the immigration system is the springboard to making Ronald Reagan's words start to come true. 

Even if you disagree with my analysis -- believe me, many conservatives I know do -- I want to thank you for your attention to this important issue.

And please consider making a contribution to my campaign. Your support is critical.

As ever,
Jeff Bell, 
Leonia, NJ

 I like this so much. He talks plainly, he doesn't insult anyone, he lets his ideas speak for themselves -- and he believes in talking to voters rather than about them.