Democratic Presidential Wannabes (minus 1) Throw Latinos a few Bones
Democratic All American Forum and will participate in the Republican All American Forum? I think Univision missed the ball here in reaching young Latino voters.
But, that said, Univision does get props for what was one of the more dynamic forums I've seen so far. The questions, especially the ones on the hot button immigration issues, were spot on and aimed at making some candidates uncomfortable. You had to love watching Dodd, Clinton, and Obama dance around why they supported the border wall between Mexico and the US. They all cited security, but as made clear in the question, that answer doesn't fly for Latino voters after all none of the 9-11-01 attackers came in through Mexico.
The simultaneous translation from English to Spanish did prove a little difficult to my bilingual code switching ears who tried to listen to both languages at the same time. Language was in fact a critical point of the forum. Bill Richardson, who loud and proud proclaimed (yet again) that he is the only Latino candidate running for president made a huge stink about not being able to answer in Spanish, when doing so would obviously give him a huge advantage. I know once I know someone speaks Spanish that I immediately defer to that language. It's a "you're my friend" kind of thing and I think his mini temper tantrum over the issue reflected poorly on him.
But the rest of the forum really was nothing more than a who loves Latinos more or who can be most Latino competition. Hillary Clinton was the first candidate to mention immigration when asked about her participation in this forum, knowing it would perk people's ears. Mike Gravel appealed to people's sense of just how hypocritical the immigration debate is and how Latinos are being used as cannon fodder in the Iraq war by bringing up the Soriano case. While all candidates pledged to deal with immigration reform within their first year in office, if they got to THE office, how they appealed to the Latino immigrant experience could only be described as hilarious. Barack Obama made sure to mention his own father coming from a small African village as well as making a Cesar Chavez Martin Luther King Jr. connection. Mike Gravel mentioned English not being his first language. Chris Dodd made it clear that he was a "friend to Mexico".
Chris Dodd, in my opinion, really got to the root of the immigration issue clearly when he stated that its the current free trade agreements and how they impact Latin American economies, that explains the growth in Latin American (documented or not) immigration in recent years.
Finally moving away from the immigration issue, no one dared to call Hugo Chavez a dictator. John Edwards did call him dangerous however. Mike Gravel was downright favorable towards Chavez pointing out that the CIA helped in a coup attempt against Chavez. Speaking of coups, Chris Dodd gets extra points for mentioning the U.S. under Nixon backed coup of Salvador Allende. Bill Richardson said that relations with Cuba could be normalized only if Fidel released political prisoners.
Latinos didn't hear anything new when it came to the stock issues of taxes, health care, and education (although Richardson said he was pro-bilingual ed).
All in all, sitting through the first half of the debate was an enjoyable experience, not because anything groundbreaking was said, but because it gave Latinos a better sense of how the candidates view us, as voters and even just as people all struggling in one way or another with the "American dream". And hey, while they may have pandered some, at least not one of them tried to salsa or sing a Mexican tune.
Image Via / Univision
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And to top it off all you see is anti-american sentiment flowing out of mexico.
We should open our country to people who hate us?
This will end badly and with much bloodshed before it's all said and done. There is simply to much hatred on both sides.
Spanish language debates wouldn't be happening if people had listened to the Esperantists. It's not too late!
Oh and any who are outraged at this should consider "Abiendo Caminos", the ENTIRE TELEVISION PROGRAM (Spanish-language) just for Republican-inclined non-English speakers that is produced by the Republican Party.
Mexico is and should remain a separate country from the United States. Any candidate that favors runaway illegal immigration AKA 'immigration reform'(let's see the fine print on any of this creative writing, here) won't get my vote, democrat, republican, or otherwise. Why? Am I mean-spirited, the evil grinch of immigration? No, not really, I support immigration, as long as all such goings-on are legal, above-board, and are subjected to a very high level of public transparency. Immigration law is a great field to go into if you're out to make a buck, and cross-border revenue, legal or otherwise, flows in a steady stream, and would likely flow even more steadily if the legal waters could be further muddied than they are already, hence the interest in so-called 'immigration reform'. If there was no money to be had by fiddling with the border and immigration laws and sand-bagging their enforcement, even as they already stand today, there'd be no pressure to do so. Since there is, the motives of the people seeking such reforms need to be considered and examined. It's good, though, to see that the Catholic Church has wisely stopped trying to manipulate our political process in this matter...b
We don't know who came in from Mexico or who is here now who has come in from Mexico. I say, when Calderon opens the Mexican border to all comers and lets foreigners go into Mexico to take jobs away from Mexicans, when Calderon makes English the second language in Mexico, then we could consider some of these demands for the U. S.
Why Mexicans have the idea that they're some kind of privileged group who should do whatever they please no matter the laws of other countries is beyond me. But disregard for the rule of law in your country of refuge doesn't seem like a good criteria for citizenship.
I find it odd that a debate was created for Latino voters. This is the U.S.; should all people living here legally not simply be called American voters? The whole idea of this debate aimed at one group seems racist. Will there be debates targeting Asian or African American voters? Male and female voters? What about American voters of European descent? (No, I thought not on that one.)
Also, do voters of Latino background all hold the same views the issues? What a simple-minded, and again, somewhat racist notion. For instance, I'm sure many who have lived here for decades applaud the wall, especially those living in states where illegal immigration has profoundly affected hospitals, school, jails, et cetera.
Well, at least it was in English.
"Hispanic" or "Latino" are terms which lately have been treated as if they referred to some monolithic culture or nationality. The reality is quite the opposite. There is as much cultural and political diversity amongst the "Latinos" [from which, ironically, Italians are excluded] as there is between the White European Americans, Asian Americans, and Aro-Americans. "Latino" or "Hispanic" is just a way for the globalists to create a new tribe of identity politics for people who call themselves "Latinos" as opposed to Mexican American, Cuban American, Puerto Rican, etc.
I mean, what does an Indigenous Mexican from Oaxaca have in common with a Cuban exile living in Miami? What does a Puerto Rican from Spanish Harlem have in common with a Chilean vintner? Other than the fact that they [with the possible exception of the Oaxacan] speak some kind of Spanish, not much. The major Latin American media outlets serve as agents of "pan-Hispanism" which unifies many of its unknowing viewers around the media culture itself, thus creating a new form of media dominance, all working to advantage of globalization, free trade, and the politics of identity as opposed to the politics of the common good. Hopefully, these groups will not be suckered into the Corporacracy's celebrity driven deceptions.
I want the next Democratic Presidental Debate to be held in my living room. Mine is the only ass the Democrats have not gotten around to kissing yet.
As a AFRICAN American, I offended by the thought, of anybody breaking into our country, and taking jobs away from our kids, as well as abults.
Many people try to trivialize, the fact that most who break in are poor. But I must remind them, if i break a law!!!!!!!!, and they know who I am!!!, no matter how long, I run from the law!!, when i get caught( no matter, what kind of life, I've been living, since my crime) I still have to serve the time and or go through the courts, for my offence!.
Illegal Immigration, and the fact, our leaders, don't enforce the laws on the books, makes this topic, as sticky, as it has become.
The biggest arguement, that I hear today(in my area)is what jobs are they really taking???.
CONSTRUCTION,LAND SCAPEING,FAST FOOD,WHARE
Further, eroding, my potential for work, and a deasent days pay.
Not including the fact!!!, that thier children!!
Now I don't mind helping anybody, but don't STEAL from me!!! and thats what is really happening.
STEALING !!!!
I didn't even get on the health care issue!!! .
They have the babys and we pay for it!!!.
We use to have 11 childrens hospitals in our area, now, we have TWO left!!!!.( NO MONEY, AND TOO EXSPENSIVE TO RUN)
I brought up the fact, that I am African American, WHY, because, WE!!! had to fight, just to be considered, PART of AMERICA, let along, AMERICAN.
We payed Taxes,and still couldn't get our rights.
Until , we said as a group!!
WE HAD ENOUGH!!!.
It's time for AMERICA, to say,
WE HAD ENOUGH!!!!!!
It dosen't matter what party, you are a part of. We need people who understand, WE COME FIRST, when it comes to OUR MONEY(TAXES) and JOBS.
TheN and only then, can the REST OF THE WORLD, HAVE WHATS left!!!!!
This ongoing dog and pony show has let all of us see Gov Richardsons' limits.
He certainly wasn't the best choice for UN Ambassador
We all didn't know what would happen in Iraq. I knew, you may have known, Bill Richardson knew, but Hillary Clinton was ignorant as hell (and appears to still be), John Edwards didn't know either. Bill Richardson's insight is a mark in his favor in my opinion, not against it.
I just find it that Spanish is add in the list of threats to America...
It weird though, If English is our official language, then why such low scores on the subject.
Well feel free to go to one of them.
Otherwise speak english in the USA.
Or learn a useful language like mandarin chinese, russian, or farsi in order to deal with the upcoming international business environment.
Tell that to our prez, or my governor (Ahnold). Neither of them have mastered English. I think they should be the first to be sent abroad.
3fingerbrown.
Sorry Buddy, but comparing Canada to Mexico is just plain silly. Like the say on TDS, Canada is everybody's friendly harmless gay uncle.
Gee now where are the gun packing drug dealing gangs from Canada? Face it. Folks across America are not waking up to stories in their local paper concerning murders, drug busts, rapes, serial child molestations, drunk driving tragedies involving Canadians. We are seeing this day after day with Mexican, Central and South American illegal aliens. And it is not just SoCal, its Indianapolis the rest of middle America.
If the Democratic Leadership want to delude themselves with pandering fiestas and dismiss anybody who supports a the mass popular movement towards Immigration Restrictionism as simply racist, the party is facing a trainwreck in 2008.
Besides, Canadians don't want to come here.
Some (maybe a LOTS) do, mainly for the superior medical coverage,(
Maybe it is the language. Maybe it is the culture. Maybe it is the similar tradition (inspite of the radical departure in 1776) but Canadians are more respectful of American Laws.
Latinoes admire Castro, Chavez (Hugo and/or Ceasar), Santa Ana and Pancho Villa.
Canadians admire none of the above.
And why don't Canadians want to come here? Because there are livable conditions in their own country, which is a heck of a more effective immigration deterent then walls. Why don't we focus on pressuring the Mexican government to raise the living conditions of its poor? For every cent the minimum wage is raised, and for every labor abuse prosecuted on their side of the border, that will be a percentage less of Mexicans that feel they are forced to cross the border to our country...
So why aren't working on making Mexico "everybody's friendly harmless gay uncle" as well. We've put so much effort and blood into futily attempting to re-arrange Iraqi, Sudanese, and other far flung society. Yet, we've ignored a country who society has a huge impact on our well-being right here in our own continent. We could be putting pressure on Mexico to fight corruption to lower crime, we could be putting pressure on mexico to raise its minimum wage, therefore eliminating the need for its people to migrate illegally. But we don't, we prefer to demonize the people most hurt by there own government - the extreme poor of Mexico fleeing to our country to escape it. As if they caused their own conditions. Their government did, and we should be dealing directly with it.
"It's as racist as it is impractical, and shame on any Democrat for supporting it." AMEN! wouldn't it have been nice to hear one of the candidates say that! dare to dream...
What's racist about trying to secure your borders?
When we reach 0% unemployment it will be the time to throw open the borders to illegal aliens that do not speak English or have a High School Diploma. Until then do we really need 12 million (and climbing every day) illegals driving down wages in the US?
Before you say I'm racist do you favor unlimited immigration for everyone or only Mexicans?
Only mexicans apparently. All others need to wait in line and do it legally.
They expect us to ignore the fact that there is no way to verify who these people are, their health, education, criminal background, etc, not to mention the fact that anti-americanism is the national pass time in mexico.
They hate us but desire to live among us and expect us accept them as equals.
It's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in my life.
Fantastic review, and I especially liked how you got to the root of the candidate's different motivations and styles of handling this new challenge. Well done!
I'm excited to see young voices shaping the direction our country is going. Speak loud and proud, and keep those analyses coming. We're learning alot!!!
I fell to see any racist motives behind the construction of a wall along the Mexico/USA border. There IS a major problem of illegal crossings. The completion of the wall will either make it more difficult to cross, or drastically reduct the numbers illegally crossing.
Give me a break people. Racist? Is there anything America can do regarding illegal immigration that you all wouldn't deem racist?
You guys all latch on to the symbolism of a wall like we're living in East Berlin or something; as if the U.S. is the only country on earth trying to seal its borders.
Which isn't to say it's necessarily a good idea; I'm not sure a wall would be effective or the best use of resources. But it's about the least-racist thing I can think of.
It seems the majority of commenters can stay on topic. Every post is some tangential exercise in moral equivalence ("Don't label us x when GWB does the same thing" "We may do x, but this group is worse because they do y"). The whole discussion is childish and not serious.
The only sensible approach from a national (not ethnic) perspective is to seal the borders in the most effective way we can and then proceed to a more efficient means of allowing more legal immigrants than we did previously.
Actually, I think the most effective way to stop illegal immigration would be to pressure Mexico to take care of its citzens. For every cent they raised the minimum wage (a pathetic $4.50 per DAY), that would be a percentage less of Mexicans who could survive in their own country. We can legislate, penalize and demagogue all we want, but while the Mexican minimum wage is 1/11th of our own, not enough to buy food by the Mexican governments own statistics, the US will continue looking attractive
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