From all the e-mail back and forth it looks like non-Latino activists have given us the “we’ve tried everything” treatment as to the reasons Latinos have not voted. My favorite was covered by Mr. Campos:
From Allan Jamail: “To name just a few let me say I’ve seen the Mexican language used on yards signs, flyers, letters, door hangers, bumper stickers, T-shirts, large signs, robo calls, ballots, TV & radio ads, Democrat Party rules, door to door Hispanic speaking campaign workers”
Well, golly gosh gee, thanks for doing the right thing!
Here’s the problem: it takes more than a lit-drop and a knock on the door nowadays. Latinos also respond to public policy as has been obvious since 2006 when the Democratic Party began to once again earn over 2/3 of the Latino vote, nationally. It wasn’t that the Democratic Party actually did something right, it was that the GOP was (and still is) doing everything wrong on public policy.
In 2008, candidate Obama gave us great reasons to vote for him, and nationally, Latinos voted in record numbers. But the investment in votes must also yield a return in public policy.
Now, it’s 2010 and where has the Democratic Party been? A promise from the President to enact Comprehensive Immigration Reform in his first year in office has now gone on to year two–and he’s punted the issue to Congress. The Democratic “majority” in Congress has buckled and is choosing to protect a bunch of blue-dogs who have also negatively affected the outcome of health care reform and other issues. What? Latinos don’t notice?
Has anyone noticed that Latino advocacy groups are responding to the public policy aspects of this debate?
Did anyone notice at VotoLatino was on MSNBC this morning talking about these very issues?
Some of us may have noticed how “purty we talk ‘merkin, too, hyuk!”
