Morning NewsTaco
Tuesday October 2, 2012
Hispanic Chamber: Where’s the spending on Spanish TV? (Tampa Bay Times): This article goes to the heart of a Latino political quandary. Should politicians spend money on Spanish TV ads, meaning, do registered Latino voters watch Spanish TV, or are they English dominant? What’s more, the presidential campaigns have spent only 4.5% of their ad buys on Spanish TV in the 9 swing states, even when Latinos are heavily represented in four (Colorado, Florida, Arizona and Nevada). The outlying question: Are the presidential candidates really serious about the Latino vote, or just 4.5% serious?
Spending on Spanish-language ads doesn’t track rise in Hispanic registration (Orlando Sentinel): Along the same lines of the Tampa Bay Times piece. They part from a US Hispanic chamber of Commerce study of Spanish TV political ad spending in swing states since Labor Day. This article takes the idea a step further and compares the spending to the rise in Latino voter registration, then compares party spending accordingly.
Telemundo Media to Offer Bilingual Approach to Advertisers (New York Times): Apropos of the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce report, the NBC-Universal-Comcast-Telemundo media beast has unveiled an answer to the English/Spanish advertising-to-Latinos quandary: use technology and data to target language down to the neighborhood. Genius. This should revolutionize television advertising and make the media beast tons of truckloads of money.
Do More Spanish-Language Ads Mean More Votes for Romney? (ABC News/Univision): Interesting piece, draws a line connecting Romney Spanish TV ad spending to his support among Latino voters.
Churches using ‘souls to polls’ to rally vote (AP/Seattle Times): It was bound to happen. Voter ID laws, voter purges, tougher voting rules were sooner or later going to remind folks of the civil rights struggles of decades past. It’s a wonder this took as long as it did. Churches across the nation (remember, churches are where the civil rights struggle got started) are stepping-up, passing out voter registration cards along with collection plates organizing, getting ready for election day. This time, Latino congregations are involved as well. Good article.
Latino voter eligibility at all-time high in US but turnout likely to remain low (The Guardian): Interesting to read what they’re writing and reading about US Latino politics across the pond. It’s also refreshing to see a piece about Latino politics not mention the “sleeping giant.” The Guardian’s take: Genie in a Bottle, as in political potential. I kinda’ like that. The piece also has good numbers on eligible Latino voters in battleground states.
5 Questions on Immigration We Wish Jim Lehrer Would Ask (Huffington Post): Nice gimmick. It puts immigration at the forefront of the presidential debate and suggests five questions. Basically, the immigration debate we’ve been having for years distilled into five points, with a question mark and the end.
California Governor Brown vetoes bill that allowed towns to release undocumented immigrants (NBC News): This gets down into the weeds of immigration enforcement. A California bill would have let local cops free detained undocumented immigrants even if federal authorities asked for them to be held for possible deportation. The bill outlined serious crimes that were exempt from the allowance. Governor Brown vetoed the bill saying the list of crimes detailed in the list was incomplete.
The Economic Benefits of Passing the DREAM Act (American Progress): Summary of a study that finds that passing the DREAM Act would “add $329 billion to the U.S. economy and create 1.4 million new jobs by 2030, demonstrating the potential of the proposed law to boost economic growth and improve our nation’s fiscal health.”
California Hispanics Hold Key as Democrats Target Congress Seat (Bloomberg): Good breakdown of the race for the 41st district in California. Important because it’s now a Latino majority district, made that way because of a non-partisan redistricting committee (huge nudge at Texas and other states). Could be a preview of politics to be played out in Latino communities in the future. Interestingly, there is no Latino candidate this time around.
In North Carolina, Latino Voters Could Be Crucial To Winning The State (NPR): Latinos make up 3% of the electorate in North Carolina. Last election President Obama won the state by 14,000 votes. The number of registered Latino voters in NC has doubled since 2008. You get the picture. The article lays out a good case for why NC is crucial for the overall presidential campaign.
Mexican superstar band Maná plays at Obama event (AP/San Francisco Chronicle): You know it’s serious when the presidential campaign brings out Maná to play for your crowd and sling an endorsement your way; especially in swing state Nevada. The band was formed in Guadalajara. Does anyone know if the band members are US Citizens? Not that it matters, I’m just wondering.
Colorado survey finds education top issue among Hispanic voters (Denver Post): This comes from the heart of the place where the Presidential debate will take place. Latinos in Denver place education as their top priority, as do almost all Latinos across the country. The writer is quick to acknowledge that the survey is not scientific.
Hispanics Like Coffee More Than Other Racial Groups (CSNews): I’m sipping on a cup of café as I write this. I think we all had an inkling that this was true; we even have the diminutive “cafecito'” because we feel so attached to it. Now we have a study to back it up – done by the National Coffee Association (yeah, I didn’t know there was such a thing either). Apparently Latinos are really into espresso and cappuccino. The study is pithy, goes into national and language breakdowns as well as age, gender, region and matches it all to the overall US population.
Hispanics are less-likely to see a doctor, says Census (NBC Latino) Don’t know if this has anything to do with all the coffee we’re drinking… It’s a good article with plenty of Census numbers that tell us that while people are visiting their doctor with less frequency – mostly because of the economy – Latinos are seeing their doctors even less than the average. This has to do, experts say, because of Latinos’ lack of access to healthcare. A good foundation for a great discussion and spark to action.
Blockbuster® Debuts New Latino Genre Movie Section in Select Stores (Daily Finance): It must be something about the Latino market…? It’s the latest iteration of the “salsa has overtaken ketchup sales” story: A Latino movie section at the movie rental place. The company big-wig said: “We value our Hispanic customers and wanted to invest in an area of our stores that not only celebrates the Latino genre of film but also offers a unique shopping experience,” Cha-ching!
