SAN DIEGO — Barack Obama continued his courtship of a crucial voting bloc in the coming election, using a Sunday appearance in front of a Latino civil rights and advocacy group to unveil a new element of his economic plan.
Speaking to more than 2,000 members of the National Council of La Raza in San Diego, the Illinois senator said he intended to give tax credits to small businesses that provided their employees with health insurance.
"We know that small businesses are the engines of economic prosperity in our communities, particularly Latino communities," said Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. The plan would "help more employers provide health benefits for their workers instead of making it harder for them, as Sen. [John] McCain would do."
He would give a credit of up to 50% on premiums paid by small businesses on behalf of their employees, according to a statement from his campaign.
In a general election that seems likely to be tight, Latino votes could be crucial, especially in Southwestern swing states, and both Obama and his Republican rival have gone out of their way to woo them.
"I know Sen. McCain used to buck his party on immigration by fighting for comprehensive reform -- and I admired him for it," Obama said. "But he abandoned that courageous stance and said that he wouldn't even support his own legislation if it came up for a vote. Well, I don't know about you, but I think it's time for a president who won't walk away from something as important as comprehensive [immigration] reform just because it becomes politically unpopular."
McCain, who trails Obama among Latino voters in opinion polls, recently unveiled Spanish and English ads tailored to appeal to the demographic. Addressing the League of United Latin American Citizens in Washington last week, McCain said the government should deal "practically and humanely with those who came here . . . to build a better, safer life for their families."
A Gallup poll this month gave Obama a 59% to 29% lead over his rival among registered Latino voters. But on his campaign plane to San Diego from Chicago on Saturday, Obama told reporters that although he was encouraged by such polls, he still faced an uphill battle.
"I'm not as well known in that community as I would like to be," said Obama, whose campaign has recruited and trained organizers to get out the Latino vote in crucial states such as Florida, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico.
