La Union de Campesinos Respaldan a Clinton

If you're having trouble understanding the headline of this article, then chances are you are also not following one of the biggest stories of the 2008 Democratic primary season.

Yesterday (Jan 22) in a packed college gymnasium in Salinas, California, the United Farm Workers endorsed Hillary Clinton for President (Spanish as listed on the UFW web site: "La Union de Campesinos Respaldan [sic] a Clinton").   With more than 27,000 members, the UFW will be a welcome addition to the Clinton ground team as they compete for The Golden State--the biggest prize of all on Tsunami Tuesday (Feb 5).  Chances are good that whoever wins California will also win the Democratic nomination. In recent polling, Clinton holds double digit leads on Obama and Edwards, her two top rivals in the Democratic field.

More important to Clinton than the number of UFW members, however, is the iconic value of the UFW in U.S. politics.  The UFW is, quite simply, the historic symbol of the Latino civil rights movement in America.

Started in California's central valley by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta in the 1960s, the UFW was the Latino counterpart to Martin Luther King, Jr.s civil rights movement in the south.  With its predominantly Latino membership the UFW continues to be as much an anchor of Latino identity in America as it is a driving force for the rights of farmworkers.

In an election where the Obama and Clinton campaigns have raised equal amounts of money, the UFW endorsement signifies Clinton's considerable advantage over Obama and Edwards amongst Latino voters in California and elsewhere.

With few exceptions, the English-speaking media has not really picked up on this story.

Writing for Salon.com, Joan Walsh recently shed light on the difference way that Latino voters think about Clinton and Obama.  Following an Obama campaign Spanish-language ad critical of Clinton in Nevada, Walsh quoted the following observation about the two candidates as offered by Dolores Huerta:

[Huerta] argued that Clinton has a "cultural, political and social relationship with the Latino community, which Senator Obama does not have." Latinos call Clinton "Hilaria," Huerta said, adding derisively that they call Sen. Obama "Como se llama?" (as in "What's his name?")

(read the full post, here)

Given how inaccurate polling has been thus far, whether or not a candidate has an affectionate nickname in the Latino community might just be one of the better indicators of how well Clinton is doing in California.  And in a week where Barack Obama has already showed himself to be more than a little annoyed by the tone of the debate, the moniker "What's his name" is likely to throw even more cold water on his campaign.

As for John Edwards, the UFW endorsement of Clinton will likely put him in a very difficult position.  Having framed his campaign as a movement for the rights of working middle class and poor Americans, Edwards must now be very careful in how he criticizes Clinton.  If ever there was a union that lived the principles Edwards is espousing, it is the union that just endorsed Clinton.

In a Democratic primary season already marked by heightened emotions, the UFW endorsement of Clinton will likely result is some activist soul searching amongst a fair number of Edwards and Obama supporters.  Or maybe not.

Whatever happens, Americans can expect to hear an iconic phrase return to American politics, but this time with a whole new meaning.  When Cesar Chavez and his followers shouted 'Si se puede!' ('Yes, we can!') in the 1960s, it meant 'yes, we can organize!'  My guess is that 'Si se puede' will become a rallying cry at Clinton campaign events in California and more than a few newspaper headlines. 

'Can we win the nomination for Hilaria?!'

'Si se puede!'

(cross posted from Frameshop)

Comments

[westview]

I was lucky enough to be able to attend the event in Salinas described in this article. I was thrilled to see the turnout of the latin community for Hillary. The event was packed with Hillary fans from all over CA of every racial background and men and women all of whom were very excited to get to hear her message in full and uncensored. We filled the gym at the community college and the overflow also filled up the second gym. Due to a very poor sound system in the second gym,and a deafening reflected roar of the crowds in the sound system, no chairs as the school had not realized how big the crowd would be,and Hillary arriving late that day, many in the second gym moved on hoping to hear it on TV that night. That left about half the second gym still waiting and the library was opened to house us.
We were all thrilled to get to hear her full speech that day. She has tremendous, faithful, and affectionate support here in CA, especially on the central coast. That day she did a speech in the morning in SC,then a speech in Oakland, CA, our event in Salinas, and she finished that night in AZ. Wow, what a backbreaking schedule! She held up beautifully to all of it.
Too bad her events get no tv hoopla like other candidates, she is a great speaker. She is warm and spontaneous, she ends her events answering as many questions from the crowds as she possibly can. Her last answer to a question from the wife of a wounded vet with head injuries moved many of us to tears. She explained exactly the type of injury the ladie's husband had and the long term care issues around it. She talked about how many vets are coming home with similar injuries and what had to be done to change our veteran's health system for our men and women coming home from this war. Her grasp of issues and ability to discuss them at a moments notice is just amazing.

[Tasies]

I'm Hispanic and it's time to recognize that the Mexican community in the US has a problem with race. Specifically, a problem with Blacks. It's not an over assertion, and it comes as no surprise that Hispanics are overwhelmingly for Hillary. I know, I'm very familiar with the attitudes held by Mexicans with regards to Blacks. We can ommit Hispanics of African-American descent from the issue. I do know that some Hispanic congressmen/women have backed Barack, but the lower you go down the education totem pole within' the Hispanic population and the more resentment you hear with regards to African Americans. It's tough to admit, but I've been around it long enough.

[TommyMcCarthy]

To the moderator: Comment(s) "stuck". Thanx.............tm

[mommadona]

I am truly surprised.

NAFTA/CAFTA must have paid off at that paradigm level.

They are voting against their own economic interests...did anyone bother to explain that to them?

That area is BIG floral/agriculture...
What do they think of the cheap rose and veggie imports that wiped out many of their work opportunities....

That was a Bill Clinton.
Hill/Bill - you won't tell the difference.
It's BUSINESS AS USUAL, in a Chamber of Commerce, DLC kinda way.

[MARTYB]

Yes indeed, there is a LARGE problem btwn Blacks and "Mexican" Hispanics and at street level there is no getting around it. Mexican Hispanics do seem to indentify with the racial pecking order that is the United States gift to the world, and as an earlier poster pointed out, all you have to do is look at UNIVISION for a tick and you will see that. Latin American countries that have an African population/mixture population on the average are a bit more "fluid' on the subject of color/race. The crack at Obama is just the tip of the iceberg, as it goes. I have heard/experienced worse.

[AlvaroCorral]

Obama is the true union candidate!
He picked with Congress Hotel Union members in Chicago and was a civil rights lawyer while Clinton was off building the WalMart empire.

[AlvaroForObama]

Its so unfortunate to see the UFW make the wrong endorsement. I had the honor of attending the Culinary Union Rally in Las Vegas and to here Latinos chanting "si se Puede!" along with Barack was very emotional for me. The Union endorsed Barack because he WALKED the picket lines with union workers of the Congress Hotel in Chicago, he's a man for unions.
While Obama was devoting his life as a civil rights lawyer, Hillary was on the board for Wal-Mart! How backwards is all this?
I'm very disappointed in Dolores Huerta's comments, she's a heroine of mine, and to see her express anti-African Am. sentiments with "como se llama?" is very troubling.

[lynnn]

I wonder if there will be white backlash from the Clinton's pander fest.

[Crowhaul]

Como he dicho varias veces, hay que parar el tratamiento del color de piel como una cosa que nos separa. Somos una raza, no varias razas...

[VespaGirl]

I hope that all voting groups realize that nothing will get done for anyone if we don't get a Democrat in the White House. The better John McCain does the more likely Hillary will be crushed. We all need Barack Obama because he's the only candidate who can reach independents and Republican crossovers. Hillary won't even be able to turn out all Democrats (I wish I had a dollar for every person I've heard say they WILL NOT vote for her in Nov.).

[OSUMercutio]

Wow. This article is unbelievably racist. You seem to believe that a 27,000 person farming union speaks for the entire Latino population of California? There is an estimated 3 million REGISTERED Latino voters. You think they're all farmers? Give me a break.

[Robin08]

I suspect Hillary will get the bulk of the Latino vote. Generally speaking non-white immigrant groups of every stripe tend to buy into America's racially stereotyped pecking order when they come to America looking for the "dream." In the land of white supremacy white is naturally at the top of stereotype pecking order and naturally all the new arrivals seek affinity with whoever's at the perverbial top of the heap.

That being said, I think Latinos are in for a rude awakening by hitching their wagon to the Clinton's. Bill and Hill are opportunist users in my estimation. They want to use Latinos to win the White House. If they win and it's to their advantage to throw Latinos under the bus on immigration for instance, Latinos better have their insurance paid up because Billary will kick them to the curb in a New York minute if they think it will gain them some advantage to do so.

[KaritaAllegheny]

In my opinion, this does not do credit to the memory of Cesar Chavez who fought for workers' rights as Edwards has been doing and always fought for the underdog as Edwards is, and as are the people he fights to help. He walks the walk as did Cesar Chavez and the SEIU had the wisdom to recognize this.

I walked the line for Cesar Chavez in the 60's, worked for Bobby Kennedy who walked the line for Cesar Chavez, too, and I walk the line for John Edwards today, for the same reason as I did then - to fight for poverty and injustice.

Karita Hummer

[JLM1977]

I"ve read a few of the postings and had to laugh at the misinformation which is being posted about this article.
First of all, individuals who claim that the UFW and other Unions have been bought out by the DLC are a big farce. Just to make it clear, some Unions have endorsed Edwards, others have endorsed Obama and some have endorsed Clinton.
Secondly, the Latino community will not support Obama because of the divisive spew which has come out of the mouths of African-American leaders. For example, comments like, "...they (immigrants) take jobs from African-Americans..." and "...they (immigrants) keep wages low..." these comments are not helpful, are not accurate and will keep the Latino community from voting for Obama. How can one expect the Latino community to support Obama, when the African-American community has excluded, degraded, and shunned us?
By the way, I work for a Union that did not endorse Clinton.

[RedBarberian]

Speaking of racial stereotypes, when Obama said he will decide whether Bill Clinton was the nation's first black president after he watches him dance, wasn't revealing his acceptance of the "natural rhythm" stereotype? I don't think that's what Toni Morrison had in mind.