Unfortunately, there is nothing our leaders can do without turning our country into a paranoid police state to really prevent these kinds of crimes. Hate crimes legislation does not deter those who hate from hating, or from acting on their hate, but it does give its advocates a sense of having done something about it. To really do something about hate crimes, one must address the reasons that this hate exists. Liberals want to enter the field of battle and win a decisive victory against the forces of darkness. Force cannot defeat hate.
Hate is born of fear.
Using force only reinforces that fear. One must reach out to bigots to show that they have nothing to fear from those they hate, not bash them over the head with the heavy hand of government until they heel. This is hard work that those who are pushing for this legislation do not want to carry out. It is much easier, and much more romantic, to win the one big victory of force than to reach out to the dispossessed who feel the hate. Unfortunately, the hard work necessary to really prevent the bigotry that causes hate crimes will probably not get done.