Latinos Legitimized in Harris County
Since posts by XicanoPwr and myself may not have been enough, and some of the insider Party gringos "went there" in regards to playing the Latino blame game for all of four Dem judicials not winning in the countywide category, we can thank Greg and Kuff for showing us some real analysis.
The fact is that Latinos did vote for Obama and most Dems at above 60%. Is this the 90% I want? Of course not! But the fact of the matter is that there has been few resources earmarked for genuine Latino GOTV and Voter Education. And when it does occur, it is during election season and in ways that just do not work as well as they did in years past.
As a colleague of mine and I agreed last night, it seems Latino politics is centered on Mexican Americans (that's my forte', as well), but unless we expand our focus, educate New Americans on issues and not just register them as they take the oath, our numbers will remain stagnant, at least as percentages go. If (big IF) the Obama administration does the right thing on immigration reform, not only will he have a big response from those already here, but those New Americans will also remember--but we must remind them, as well. The Latino vote--all of it--cannot be taken for granted.
We now, officially, have 2010 on which to work. Of course, we have a lot of practice sessions in between. City of Houston elections, school board, etc. We must utilize these opportunities wisely so that we can knock out statewide GOPers as we move toward 2012.
I do want to thank PDid, though, for stirring the pot. He and I do that so well, at times. But, as Greg mentioned, we have both heard it from others. I've heard it since election night! And I've been waiting for the numbers since then, and the above-referenced analysis, to plan my "pounce-back." I believe the notion that Latinos won't vote for African-Americans has, for now, been put to rest. I say "for now" because someone will keep bringing it up because as demographics change, the only weapon that will be available for diversity-naysayers is the divide-conquer play.
As Jose Angel Gutierrez alluded to the other night, it is time we realize that coalitions of interest will win out over hate-mongering and division.
The fact is that Latinos did vote for Obama and most Dems at above 60%. Is this the 90% I want? Of course not! But the fact of the matter is that there has been few resources earmarked for genuine Latino GOTV and Voter Education. And when it does occur, it is during election season and in ways that just do not work as well as they did in years past.
As a colleague of mine and I agreed last night, it seems Latino politics is centered on Mexican Americans (that's my forte', as well), but unless we expand our focus, educate New Americans on issues and not just register them as they take the oath, our numbers will remain stagnant, at least as percentages go. If (big IF) the Obama administration does the right thing on immigration reform, not only will he have a big response from those already here, but those New Americans will also remember--but we must remind them, as well. The Latino vote--all of it--cannot be taken for granted.
We now, officially, have 2010 on which to work. Of course, we have a lot of practice sessions in between. City of Houston elections, school board, etc. We must utilize these opportunities wisely so that we can knock out statewide GOPers as we move toward 2012.
I do want to thank PDid, though, for stirring the pot. He and I do that so well, at times. But, as Greg mentioned, we have both heard it from others. I've heard it since election night! And I've been waiting for the numbers since then, and the above-referenced analysis, to plan my "pounce-back." I believe the notion that Latinos won't vote for African-Americans has, for now, been put to rest. I say "for now" because someone will keep bringing it up because as demographics change, the only weapon that will be available for diversity-naysayers is the divide-conquer play.
As Jose Angel Gutierrez alluded to the other night, it is time we realize that coalitions of interest will win out over hate-mongering and division.
posted by Dos Centavos at 6:44 AM
1 Comments:
I'm happy to be wrong, Stace.
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