You are here: Home / Archives for LATINO POLITICS

WHY ARE THERE SO FEW LATINO LIBERTARIANS?

May 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment

THE HISPANIC BLOG IS THE LATEST HISPANIC NEWS BY JESSICA MARIE GUTIERREZ

photo source: Romney-Rubio 2012

The Republican Party is in serious trouble with Latinos. If Mitt Romney gets any less popular with Hispanics, he’ll disappear from their consciousness altogether. The reasons for Latinos’ antipathy toward the GOP include the endless insults that Republicans have lobbed at Hispanics, along with the fact that Latinos are not as socially conservative as people think.
Still, one would think more Hispanics would embrace that offshoot of conservative thought known as

photo source: Pew Research Center

This philosophy, which holds that the individual is the basic unit of society and must be subject to as little governmental influence as possible, should really resonate with people who have roots in lands where the government crushes all free thought. It should also appeal to people who often have to pull themselves up from their bootstraps (to use a favorite conservative cliché) and start over in a new country.

photo source: REUTERS/Mark Makela

But that hasn’t happened. Currently, libertarians “are largely white, well-educated, and affluent.” One could even say that “libertarians are mostly rich young white guys who, compared to most other Americans, live comfortable and financially secure lives.”

Of course, there are Latino libertarians out there. But in general, talking Hispanics into espousing the Ron Paul agenda is only slightly easier than getting the pope to show up at the Stonewall Inn for a drink.

photo source: AP

Libertarianism is still overwhelmingly the privilege of white men, who have a cultural advantage over other groups, regardless of what economic class they were born into. As such, they may believe they have achieved success solely through their own initiative. They may be blind to all the help they received, especially if their consciences are clear and they never discriminate against other ethnicities. They are certain they can do anything they set their minds to, because quite frankly, they often have done so (with society’s help, of course).
However, this mindset blinds them to the fact that certain things — and this is un-American to say — are beyond their individual control. These can range from sudden health issues to global economic upheavals. They can also include the fact that the game is rigged to benefit the rich and that people’s freewill decisions can be manipulated more easily than you think.

Perhaps Latinos, with our cultural baggage of Catholic fatalism and dictatorial governments, are more likely to know that a single person does not have unlimited power. Or maybe our emphasis on family provokes us to think beyond our individual needs. Or perhaps we realize that, despite a work ethic second to none, ceaseless labor and ambition are not always sufficient to get a person ahead in life.

Or maybe it comes down to the possibility that it’s very easy to demand a libertarian system when one has gotten a good start in life and reaps the benefits of being on top of the socioeconomic pyramid. It’s less common to advocate for that when you’re still trying to claw your way upward. In any case, I’m sure that if she had it to do all over again, Ayn Rand would have included at least one plucky Chicano objectivist named Hernandez in Atlas Shrugged.
Talk about a missed opportunity.

SUBSCRIBE to The Hispanic Blog to stay on top of the latest latino news, politics and entertainment!

Don’t be shy SUBSCRIBE – COMMENT – LIKE ME -CIRCLE ME AND FOLLOW ME

If you have any questions, concerns or simply would like to get a quote on my Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media and/or Events services, please feel free to contact me.

God Bless and make it a fabulous day!

powered by Influential Access – “Transforming the Ordinary to EXTRAordinary!” – CEO – Jessica Marie Gutierrez – Creator of The Hispanic Blog #thehispanicblog

Read More: Huffington Post

Filed Under: LATINO POLITICS Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

WHICH EIGHT STATES WILL SHAPE THE 2012 ELECTION

May 29, 2012 by Leave a Comment

THE HISPANIC BLOG IS THE LATEST HISPANIC NEWS BY JESSICA MARIE GUTIERREZ

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PBS SPECIAL

JUDY WOODRUFF: Christina, what does it look like, 50/50?
CHRISTINA BELLANTONI: Yeah, absolutely.
You’ve got — first of all, you’re going to see dozens and dozens of polls over the next five months. And some of them are going to be a little bit more important than others. But one of the things that you’re seeing nationally is that, since it’s been clear that Mitt Romney is the presumptive Republican nominee here, he’s starting to inch up a little bit on the president in national perspective.

But in the battleground states, where the president’s team has really invested a lot of money in their ground game, their campaign infrastructure, hiring a lot of people and registering voters, you’re seeing it a little bit stronger for the president in some of them and then Romney having a little bit of ground to make up in both.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, speaking of those battlegrounds states, if you look at a map of the United States — and we just happen to have our Vote 2012 Map Center right here to show everybody — you see those states in blue that are considered either solidly or leaning Democratic. In red, we’re showing the states that are solidly or leaning Republican, and then yellow, eight states that are tossups.
So, Stu, let’s talk about those. And let’s start on the East Coast and work our way west with Florida, which keeps everybody guessing, at least at this stage of the campaign. What does Florida look like?

photo source: Flickr

STUART ROTHENBERG: Right, certainly as it did in 2000.
Well, there’s a recent NBC News/Marist poll that has the president up by four points, 48 to 44. That’s among registered voters. If you look historically at Florida, Judy it performs more Republican than the country as a whole. That is a few points more Republican. So, although President Obama won it last time, he didn’t win it by anything close to the over seven points he won nationally.
I think you have to look at Florida in a number of ways. Hispanics are an important constituency, senior citizens, of course. But really Florida is three states in one. North Florida performs the way the South does. It’s conservative. South Florida, particularly the Gold Coast, the Miami-Broward portion of the state, is more like New Jersey. So Florida is going to be determined probably by swing voters in the I-4 Corridor, that central part of the belt stretching from Orlando all the way over to Tampa-St. Pete.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Which we hear about in every election.
So, let’s move up a little bit north there to Virginia.
CHRISTINA BELLANTONI: Right. Virginia is the battleground of all battlegrounds. Of course, it did not vote Democratic — it voted Democratic in 2008, but it hadn’t since 1964. This was a big win for Barack Obama in 2008.
And they did that in part by targeting a lot of the expanding suburbs in the Washington area in Northern Virginia and also looking at this military region, Hampton Roads, and also targeting younger voters and the changing demographics of Virginia.
So, this is something — you’re going to see this, both campaigns put a lot of energy and resources there. It’s very easy for the president to cross over into Virginia and campaign here. You saw him hold one of his first reelection rallies in Richmond.
And you’re going to see a lot more there. And Mitt Romney has made very clear he’s going to contest here. When you look at where these campaigns are advertising, Virginia is almost always on the list for the campaigns and the super PACs that are backing them.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So long, as you say, a state the Republicans could almost take for granted, but not anymore.
So, Stu, let’s turn to the Midwest, and quickly look at three states there, starting with Ohio.
STUART ROTHENBERG: So there’s a recent NBC News/Marist poll that shows the president up by five points, though only in the mid-40s, against Mitt Romney. Ohio went for Bush in 2000 and 2004.
It then went for President Obama, not the way it did it nationally. Nationally, the president won by seven. In Ohio, it was about 4.5 points. I think one of the interesting things about Ohio is the economic recovery. The automobile industry and the overall sense that the economy is coming back, will that help the president enough to help him carry a state that, all things being equal — and they are never equal, Judy — but all things being equal, the Republicans have a slight advantage in.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Okay, and near and still in the Midwest, Christina,  Iowa.
CHRISTINA BELLANTONI: Iowa, this is a really interesting state because it has swung for both parties over the presidential years.
And, obviously, it’s very near and dear to President Obama’s heart because it is where he was able to sort of start his path to the Democratic nomination in 2008 by winning the caucuses. He put a lot of investment in getting the young college voters in that state to get engaged for him. He has campaigned there many times.
He has sent the vice president there many times. But it’s also an interesting state because the economy is a little bit better in Iowa than it is in other parts of the country. And you’re also seeing a pretty strong Republican effort in some of the down-ballot races. So, you have got some competitive congressional races. You’re seeing a lot of advertising at that level.
So, this is not a state that the Obama campaign can take for granted this year.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Stu, quickly to Wisconsin, which is a state that all — that also has a very closely watched governor recall.
STUART ROTHENBERG: Right. Right.
And the state is very polarized. The recall shows the race close, as Gov. Scott Walker facing a recall against Tom Barrett. Fascinating state, Judy. In 2000 and 2004, this state went Democratic by each time less than one-half of 1 percent. And yet in 2008, it blew open. The president won it by almost 14 percentage points.
The question is, now, is it going to come back? Some of these Upper Midwest states like good government candidates who talk about bringing the country together. I think the thing to watch here is white working-class voters and to what extent are they dissatisfied with the economy.
JUDY WOODRUFF: All right, we’re going to touch just very briefly now on these last few states we want to talk about.
Christina, in New   Hampshire, it’s only four electoral votes, but in a close race, that could matter.
CHRISTINA BELLANTONI: Especially when you have got Mitt Romney, who was the governor of Massachusetts. He owns property in New Hampshire. He has spent a lot of time there. He’s beloved by a lot of these residents and it really has got this independent streak. It backed President Obama in 2008, but they do like to make a little bit of a switch here.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Stu, moving out west, Colorado?
STUART ROTHENBERG: I would say the two keys here are Hispanics and suburban voters. This is the West, but it’s not the West like Wyoming or Arizona or Montana.
There are a whole bunch of suburban voters here around the Denver area that probably will decide this election and again the Hispanic turnout.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Christina, the last of these swing states we’re looking at is Nevada.
CHRISTINA BELLANTONI: Yes. And the Hispanic turnout is very, very important in this race.
And you have also got the president was able to activate a very strong Democratic base in that state in 2008. He helped Senator — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid win reelection in 2010 with that. And that’s what he’s trying to do now. And we have noticed these campaigns are not advertising there, in part because the president is standing strong.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So let’s finally look at the map again and talk just quickly about what the president and what Gov. Romney have to do to get to that 270, which is what they need. Several paths, Stu, for the president, but maybe only a few for Gov. Romney.
STUART ROTHENBERG: That’s true. Romney must win Ohio and Florida.
And then I think the key is going to come down to Wisconsin, Virginia, Colorado. I think Virginia is going to be a crucial state, Judy. And I don’t say that just because we’re located in Virginia at the moment. You know, when you do the math, if the Republicans win the states that they have in the past, if Romney wins them, it’s going to come down to a handful of states.
The president has a lot more opportunities. If he can pick off Ohio, for example, he makes it impossible for Mitt Romney to win.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Quick last word.
CHRISTINA BELLANTONI: And you can take a look on our Map Center. Basically, if the president is able to win all of these states, he wins reelection fairly easily. But if Mitt Romney is able to pick off just a few — he’s going to need a lot more than that. He’s basically going to run the table with some of these states to be able to make this happen.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And when our — I should just say that our viewers can go online to our Web site, look at this map. You can play with it. You can see what it means when different states go Romney or Obama. You can see the different paths and make it turn out any way you want. Is that right?
STUART ROTHENBERG: Yes, sure.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Unlike in November, when it really counts.
STUART ROTHENBERG: Right.
(LAUGHTER)
JUDY WOODRUFF: Christina Bellantoni, Stu Rothenberg, thank you both.
STUART ROTHENBERG: Thanks, Judy.

SUBSCRIBE to The Hispanic Blog to stay on top of the latest latino news, politics and entertainment!

Don’t be shy SUBSCRIBE – COMMENT – LIKE ME -CIRCLE ME AND FOLLOW ME

If you have any questions, concerns or simply would like to get a quote on my Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media and/or Events services, please feel free to contact me at thehispanicblog@me.com.

God Bless and make it a fabulous day!

powered by Influential Access – “Transforming the Ordinary to EXTRAordinary!” – CEO – Jessica Marie Gutierrez – Creator of The Hispanic Blog #thehispanicblog

Filed Under: FEATURED POLITICS, LATINO POLITICS Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

LATINOS DO VOTE: WELCOME TO THE SHIFT AND THE NEW CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN STORY

May 11, 2012 by 11 Comments

THE HISPANIC BLOG IS THE LATEST HISPANIC NEWS BY JESSICA MARIE GUTIERREZ

Today America finds itself at a new crossroads – our culture, our country and our companies are changing again. It’s a shift from exclusion to inclusion from borders to bridges; it’s the new chapter of the American story where our country becomes richer. Hispanic babies are being born this very minute and are like knights in shining armor riding in to save the age of the American boomer. We are replenishing a nation with an endless source of passion, hard work and rhythm. So take a breath, take it all in because we are a part of that shift! Latinos are shifting the message and the thinking because we are not just brown but we are white, black, blonde and so much more! We get to see the shift come to life! Welcome to the next big thing; it’s the end of a niche and the birth of what’s next! -2012 Hispanic Voice Town Hall Tour across America

HISPANICS 2012 “WE DO VOTE!”

“THE 2012 HISPANIC VOICE TOWN HALL TOUR WILL DEFINE AN AGENDA FOR HISPANICS IN AMERICA TO HELP US BETTER UNDERSTAND WHY WE MUST PLAY A MORE ACTIVE AND INFLUENTIAL ROLE IN THE REINVENTION OF AMERICA” -FOUNDER GREG LLOPIS

photo source AP

The League of United Latin American Citizens explains how the Latino vote has become a pivotal factor for many political candidates, including the presidency. Estimates from the U.S. Census and the rapid expansion of the population have created a tidal wave of activities aimed at attracting the Hispanic vote across the nation. Even Hollywood gets involved from Rosario Dawson, to Wilmer Valderrama to Eva Longoria are only a few of the actors/actresses getting involved.

photo source Getty Images

Since 1990, 1.5 million Latinos have naturalized. There are 6.6 million registered Latino voters across the nation. In California, Texas, Florida, Illinois and New York, five key electoral states, Latinos have emerged as powerful allies for candidates seeking office. Consider that at 50.5 million, the U.S. Latino population is already larger than the entire population of England and Spain. Latinos are not just large in population size, they have the double distinction of being the youngest and fastest-growing group in the nation.

SALVADOR GUERRERO / SHFWire Brent A. Wilkes, right, of LULAC, and Jose Calderon, left, of the Hispanic Federation are working with Hector Sanchez, of LACLAA, to launch Movimiento Hispano, a website dedicated to increase Latino Voter turnout.

The Hispanic Federation, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and the League of United Latin American Citizens announced their joint effort in February called Latinos for Democracy, which focuses on voting in the Latino community. The group has coordinated its efforts in 24 states and use the Movimiento Hispano project’s website to help Latinos stay informed on the latest political news.

photo source AP

Over the past 10 years, the members of LFD have worked with over 2.1 million Latino Trade unionists, 135,000 volunteer members, and over 100 community-based organizations to advance Latino voter mobilization. The Hispanic vote is growing by leaps and bounds. Nearly 10 million Latinos voted in the 2008 Presidential elections – an increase of almost 30% from 2004. And just think about the fact that every year for the next twenty years, 500,000 Hispanics will turn 18 in the United States.

Groups such as the the 2012 Hispanic Voice Town Hall Tour, is a group of Young Latinos ready to to change the story about Hispanics in this country. They’re ready to play a more prominent role in how our community influences policy makers, corporate leaders, and the rest of America. They’re starting to express themselves with a new attitude and a new sense of purpose. They’re excited to use the 2012 Hispanic Voice platform to showcase a new, energized Hispanic voice, a voice that hasn’t yet been fully unleashed. And most importantly, they want results: Less talking, more doing!

Cuauhtemoc “Temo” Figueroa, Obama’s top Latino outreach official, said [Texas] could be taken seriously as a presidential battleground if Democrats could win statewide races there in 2010. “I don’t know if it’s four years or eight years off, but down the road, Texas will be a presidential battleground,” Figueroa said. The reason is demographics. Across the Southwest, Latino voters are increasingly powerful. In Colorado, their share of the vote went from 8% in 2004 to 13% in 2008. Nevada, 10% to 15%. New Mexico, 32% to 41%. Every 30 seconds, a Latino is added to the American population, the fastest rate of any minority group. By 2050, Hispanics will represent 29 percent of the American population. In 2008, Latinos voted 67-31 for Barack Obama. Texas is already 35 percent Hispanic. You can see where this is going. http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2008/11/when-will-we-see-blue-texas-hispanics-will-decide

Driven by some Republicans’ sharp attacks on illegal immigration and — as many Hispanics perceived it, immigrants in general — Latino voters fled the GOP en masse in the midterm elections, then turned on John McCain, as well. He got 31 percent of the Latino vote to the 44 percent that George W. Bush took in 2004, according to exit polls. And it was enough to put much of the West and Southwest out of reach for the Republican Party, to give Florida to the Democrats and to hand Barack Obama the presidency. Now, as Obama moves to solidify his advantage, Republican leaders are sounding the alarm on what could be the party’s most pressing national challenge.

“Viva Bush” signs were prevalent when then-Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush made a campaign stop in Mesilla, New Mexico in 2000. Tracy Greer/Fronteras

JUST BECAUSE THEY SAY WE CAN’T DOESN’T MEAN WE WON’T! IN NOVEMBER OUR VOICE WILL ROAR!

There are hundreds of Latino organizations and/or local chapters taking charge by registering voters and creating an unprecedented Get Out The Vote movement across our nation. Groups such as Voto Latino, National Coucil of la Raza, the Tequila Party, Southwest Voter Registration, etc. and even local groups  like Mi Famila Vota in Las Vegas and Arizona, AACT NOW in South Texas, Teamsters in Chicago, etc. are doing their part to spearhead revolutions this November. The media is leading the public to believe that the Latino vote does not count or that the registrations numbers are down, but the truth is that the Latino vote and voice is powerful and in a few months it will be heard!

The GOP nominee will need a minimum of 35-40% of the Hispanic vote to be competitive in November, and that Marco Rubio offers the best opportunity to get there due to the rapid growth of the Hispanic population in a number of crucial swing states.

Alicia Menendez on MSNBC w/ Ben Monterroso of Mi familia Vota & Frank Donatelli

Hispanic rights activists holding a rally in 2010 at the Teamsters Local 705 hall in Chicago.

Groups such as the non-partisan Mi Familia Vota (My Family Votes) consists of Hispanic families all across Nevada not only working to register voters, but to also turn out the vote in November. Five days a week, about 20 staff members and several volunteers of Mi Familia Vota meet and brainstorm on ways to get the Latino community engaged in the voting process.  For now, they are visiting popular places within the Hispanic community. But in a few months, they will be going to door to door throughout neighborhoods. “We go to their grocery stores. While they are buying tortillas, we are telling them it’s time to vote. They are at the grocery stores.  They are at the 99 cents stores, at the carneceria’s, at the DMV,” said Leo Murrieta with Mi Familia Vota.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH WHAT MI FAMILIA VOTA IS DOING

BELOW IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THE NON-PARTISAN “AACT NOW” IS DOING TO REGISTER VOTERS AND GET OUT THE VOTE IN SOUTH TEXAS. THIS GROUP WAS FOUNDED BY THE REAL ESTATE TYCOON AND BILLIONAIRE FROM MCALLEN, TX.

HISPANICS HAVE REACHED A TURNING POINT, SO JUST BECAUSE THE MEDIA CHOOSES NOT TO FEATURE OUR LATINO MOVEMENT THE REALITY IS THAT IT IS HAPPENING AND WE ARE MOBILIZING! HISPANICS WILL SHOW AMERICA IN 2012 THAT THE SLEEPING GIANT IS AWAKE AND THAT OUR VOICES ARE ROARING. LATINOS WILL NO LONGER BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED…WELCOME TO THE SHIFT…WE ARE THE FUTURE!!!!

2012: THE “MINORITY” VOTE IS ON FIRE

Jealous said the NAACP is the only group outside of the two major political parties with a voter database for all 50 states. Photo credit: Ishton W. Morton

The NAACP has also launched its nationwide drive to register thousands of mostly minority, student and elderly voters before the November 6th, 2012 elections. The organization has chosen the State of Georgia to launch its voter registration push. According to NAACP President Ben Jealous, the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization will work harder and smarter to meet the new voting requirements. He framed them as a negative reaction to historic voter turnout in 2008 that led to Barack Obama’s election as the first black U.S. president.

Referencing the 2008 election he continued to say “Were we students of history, we would’ve expected that night, when everybody was celebrating, that we needed to be preparing for what we’re dealing with right now. We saw the largest most diverse presidential electorate this country has ever seen.

SUBSCRIBE to The Hispanic Blog to stay on top of the latest latino news, politics and entertainment!

Don’t be shy SUBSCRIBE – COMMENT – LIKE ME -CIRCLE ME AND FOLLOW ME

If you have any questions, concerns or simply would like to get a quote on my Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media and/or Events services, please feel free to contact me at thehispanicblog@me.com.

God Bless and make it a fabulous day!

powered by Influential Access – “Transforming the Ordinary to EXTRAordinary!” – CEO – Jessica Marie Gutierrez – Creator of The Hispanic Blog #thehispanicblog

Filed Under: FEATURED STORY, LATINO HISTORY, LATINO POLITICS Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

TOP 9 LINGERING QUESTIONS ON THE POLITICAL IMPACT OF GAY MARRIAGE

May 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

THE HISPANIC BLOG IS THE LATEST HISPANIC NEWS BY JESSICA MARIE GUTIERREZ

WILL GAY MARRIAGE HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE LATINO VOTE?

President Obama made history at the White House yesterday when he told my GMA co-anchor Robin Roberts that he supports same-sex marriage. But how will the politics play out come November?  That’s the question we’re tackling today on the Bottom Line.

Hard to read — and certain not to supplant the economy as the campaign’s top issue.  No question that’s right.  To borrow a phrase from Donald Rumsfeld, Obama’s shift raises more “known unknowns” than firm conclusions.  So I have more questions about the politics of same-sex marriage right now than answers.
Here are my top nine:

#1 — Will this fire up Christian Conservatives who have had some real qualms about Mitt Romney and skepticism about his Mormon faith?  Enough to put them enthusiastically in Romney’s camp in solid numbers?
#2 — Did this cost President Obama North Carolina? We saw the results of the referendum on Tuesday with 79 percent of the electorate supporting a ban on same-sex marriage. Additionally twenty percent of voters in the Democratic primary voted against Obama, which could show that he’s got some trouble in a state he won four years ago.

#3 — Will this motivate under 30 voters enough to get their turnout back to 2008 levels? We know they haven’t been “fired up” yet, but it’s also true that young voters are driving support for gay marriage.  According to our ABC News/ Washington Post poll 61 percent of voters under the age of 40 support same-sex marriage compared to only 40% of voters over the age of 65 who support it.  Will Obama’s shift make them believe again that he’s the candidate of “hope and change?”
#4 — On the flip side, how much will older voters be turned off?  Are they more likely to focus on Obama’s stance on gay marriage, or Romney’s plans for Medicare?  That’s the key question for this group — and how they turn could make the difference in the mega battleground of Ohio.  Same goes for Iowa — and Obama’s marriage shift could put Wisconsin in play for Romney too.

#5 — A majority of African American voters are against gay marriage, but will Obama’s support for this issue reduce turnout in the black community in November? ( I doubt it)
#6 — And what about Hispanics? President Obama was counting on their vote in the Southwest, specifically in Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. But many Hispanics are Catholic and culturally conservative. Could this issue somehow tamp down turnout for the president in those key states?

#7 —Six of Obama’s top bundlers come from the gay community. Will this increase their pull in the campaign? And will it open up more contributions, especially in the Obama aligned Super PACS which have been lagging in fundraising compared to the Republican aligned Super PACS?
# 8 —Voters tend to punish whichever candidate seems to be putting the issue of same-sex marriage front and center in a political campaign.  By November will it still be front and center?  If so, will voters blame Obama for his switch — or buy his argument that Romney made it a national issue by supporting a Constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages everywhere?

# 9 — The President told Robin that he wants to leave the question of same sex marriage to the states for now. But will he face pressure to have the Justice Department join litigation seeking to strike down state bans?  That could be the next front in this war.

Those are my nine questions. Let me know yours.  I’d love to hear some of your answers too.

Read More: Yahoo News

SUBSCRIBE to The Hispanic Blog to stay on top of the latest latino news, politics and entertainment!

Don’t be shy SUBSCRIBE – COMMENT – LIKE ME -CIRCLE ME AND FOLLOW ME

God Bless and make it a fabulous day!

powered by Influential Access – “Transforming the Ordinary to EXTRAordinary!” – CEO – Jessica Marie Gutierrez – Creator of The Hispanic Blog #thehispanicblog

 

Filed Under: FEATURED POLITICS, LATINO POLITICS Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

GERALDO RIVERA ASKS FELLOW REPORTERS TO DROP THE “ILLEGAL ALIEN” PHRASE ENTIRELY

May 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment

THE HISPANIC BLOG IS THE LATEST HISPANIC NEWS BY JESSICA MARIE GUTIERREZ

Just as blacks marched in the 1960s for civil rights, Hispanics are marching today for immigrant rights. And just as many non-blacks marched back then in support of black civil rights, today many non-Hispanics are marching in support of Hispanic immigrant rights.

Cable news and talk radio are making a killing demonizing undocumented immigrants. In terms of ratings, few issues resonate as reliably. Since the fiery period of 2006-2008 when Congress first seriously contemplated rational immigration reform under the leadership of senators John McCain, R-AZ, (yes, that John McCain) and the late Ted Kennedy, D-Ma, but then ran from the issue in the face of furious backlash, ample file footage exists in every news outlet’s video library of young Latinos jumping the border wall or wading across the Rio Grande.

The story is therefore easy and cheap to illustrate. The fact that it is a lazy stereotype of undocumented immigrants, which ignores the hefty percentage of European, Asian, Australian and African visitors who overstay their visa is irrelevant, too complicated and lacking emotional punch. Thus, the typical report consists of a TV anchor or radio talk host lamenting either how our nation is being drowned by the brown tsunami from south-of-the-border, how they are sucking the nation’s life blood or how one of the invading Latino hordes committed a crime, which is far more egregious than if a citizen committed the same crime, “because they had no right to be here!”

photo source: AP

Further, no branding has proven more effective than the combination of two powerful pejoratives, illegal and alien.

Like the words ‘Jew’ or ‘slob’ or ‘slut’, the phrase ‘illegal alien’ has the elegance of being harsh, but defensible, if accurate. Although it can be used as a cutting reference, it can still be uttered in polite company without fear of raising many eyebrows, especially among those who feel similarly negative about the individual being described.

photo source AP

Recently, a campaign has been mounted by Latino activists and supporters to ban use of the “I” word (as in Illegal). Ironically, the campaign has found traction first in Arizona, the state now most vividly associated with anti-immigrant sentiment and the birthplace of SB1070. Back in 2008, before things got truly vitriolic in the Grand Canyon State, Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth McGregor agreed to ban the terms “illegal” and “alien” in all hearings or trials in state courtrooms.
The decision came after the High Court was criticized for using the words “illegals” and “illegal aliens” in several opinions by Arizona’s Hispanic Bar Association, known locally as “Los Abogados,” which asked Chief Judge McGregor for the ban. Their reasoning is as obvious as the motive of those who resort to using the offensive language. The terms create a contemptible brand, which stokes anti-immigrant bias and in the process, “tarnishes the image of state courts as a place where disputes may be fairly resolved.”

The biggest myth they were peddling, of course, was that Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth McGregor had banned the use of the words “illegal” and “aliens” to refer to the undocumented migrants in state courts. In reality, McGregor received a letter from the Hispanic Bar Association (Los Abogados), expressing concern over the use of what they deem to be derogatory terms towards MMPs (Mexicans Minus Papers). McGregor simply shared the letter with her colleagues. She didn’t order them to do anything about it.

Because the cause is righteous, the movement to ban the expression has recently been re-energized and may spread, perhaps first to Florida. There, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, D-Miami, has introduced a bill to ban the phrase “illegal alien” from official state documents.

(AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

“I personally find the word ‘alien’ offensive when applied to individuals, especially to children,” she said recently. “An alien to me is someone from outer space.” While no penalty is attached for using the expression, the flamboyant Senator Wilson added, “we don’t say ‘alien,’ we say ‘immigrant.'”

Aside from its unstated but intended negative reaction, I have a lawyer’s reason for wanting media outlets like my own to ban or at least modify the phrase. Absent a finding by a judicial or administrative body, it assumes a legal conclusion, that a person has no right to be in the United States. Given that every person whose resident status is questioned has the presumed right to a hearing on the matter, with an appellate process following a negative result, isn’t the media’s use of the expression as lazy as assuming the guilt of a person accused of every other crime?

Sheriff Richard K. Jones has a website for “illegal aliens” http://butlersheriff.org/illegals/

How is it that accused murderers, robbers and child molesters are called “alleged” perpetrators, but immigrants are not accorded the same courtesy of accuracy, indeed, the same presumption of innocence?“Illegal alien” is a cheap shot. The oft-used plural of the adjective “illegal” as in “illegals” isn’t even recognized as an English noun by Microsoft Word.

photo source: Fickr

It is stigma piled on stigma, and the potential consequences to a person so described following a judicial finding can be devastating. Anyone who suggests that deportation isn’t punishment is being disingenuous. So, if you insist on using the ungrammatical slur, at least await a finding of illegality before branding usually hard-working, otherwise law-abiding undocumented immigrants snared by authorities.

photo source: Flickr

photo source: Flickr

“Alleged illegal alien” may not be much of improvement, but it’s a step in the direction of accuracy. A voluntary decision by my cable news and talk radio colleagues to drop the phrase entirely would be humane and more in keeping with our immigrant nation’s centuries old traditions.

Read more: Latino FOX News

SUBSCRIBE to The Hispanic Blog to stay on top of the latest latino news, politics and entertainment!

Don’t be shy SUBSCRIBE – COMMENT – LIKE ME -CIRCLE ME AND FOLLOW ME

If you have any questions, concerns or simply would like to get a quote on my Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media and/or Events services, please feel free to contact me.

God Bless and make it a fabulous day!

powered by Influential Access – “Transforming the Ordinary to EXTRAordinary!” – CEO – Jessica Marie Gutierrez – Creator of The Hispanic Blog #thehispanicblog

 

Filed Under: LATINO POLITICS Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
«Previous Page
Next Page»