Latino Vote: It’s The Issues Stupid
By Victor Escalante
“Politics is the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen.” Winston Churchill
With four short months to the November election it’s safe to say the train has left the station on Latinos casting most of their vote for the Democratic ticket. The two questions everyone is trying to predict are by how much and how many.
This election has all the makings for records to be broken and set for new Latino voters and our vote. According to Rice University political scientist Mark Jones, “What Republicans, particularly the more pragmatic ones, have tried to do is a dual strategy: Keep Hispanics from having an issue around which to mobilize, thereby keeping Hispanic turnout low and not doing anything that pushes Hispanics who normally would vote Republican to vote Democratic.”
Back to the future of voter registration circa 2007.
Cesar Rodriguez, a very charismatic immigrant entrepreneur is nearing his term as President of the Camara de Empresarios Latinos de Houston. His Cinderella story of rags to riches as one of Houston’s restaurateurs is legendary. Cesar has already set records with his leadership style and raised more money and grew the Camara at unprecedented levels so he sets his sight on new Latino voter registration.
If anyone could set a new record for registering new Latino voters it was up to Cesar, so it seemed. I got to see some of the logistical work behind the scenes and even handled some of the advertising working for the only major daily newspaper.
Everyone had worked very hard to cook up a miracle in Houston that September day on the grounds of Robert’s Stadium at the University of Houston. Many groups and organizations had been brought together to roll out the red carpet for new voters. The grounds were covered with tents, booths, and a stage as though this was a top rank concert.
When the official hour came to start the program everyone looked around to see only the organizers and exhibitors.
This was one pachanga that only a handful of targeted people came. Collectively thousands of dollars and thousands of man hours had been spent to register a small number of new voters.
A sign of the times of 2007.
No social media
No “issues to mobilize” around to beat the drums and fan the flames of passion.
Nothing to “push Hispanics that would normally vote Republican to vote Democratic.”
These three points leading up to the election will no doubt play a significant role in busting the myth that “Latinos don’t vote”, or will they?
In my next article I will bring you a success story of how some Latinos cooked up a winning strategy to get out the Latino vote in this year’s primary.
[Photo by Victor Escalante]Cesar Rodriguez pictured in the center in a grey shirt
