Backlash against Trump is not a movement, yet
By Victor Landa, NewsTaco
Felix Sanchez and America Ferrara have each published opinion pieces about the reaction to Donald Trump’s comments about Mexican’s and Mexican immigrants. Sanchez is the chairman and co-founder of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, Ferrara is an award winning actress. They make good points – that Trump sparked a Latino Spring, and that he has motivated Latinos to vote. I understand what they’re saying, but I feel they may be ahead of themselves.
Can we call it a Spring?
[pullquote]The reaction to Trump’s diatribe against Mexicans and Mexican immigrants has been loud, quick and emotional.[/pullquote]The reaction to Trump’s diatribe against Mexicans and Mexican immigrants has been loud, quick and emotional. It produced concrete results: NBC, Univision, Macy’s and Carlos Slim’s Ola TV have severed their business relationships with Trump. But it may be premature to call the reaction a “spring.” Attaching the word to a segment of the population, like “Arab Spring,” implies a movement but also a product of that movement. The Arab Spring mobilized people to topple Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. Latinos aren’t there yet. In comparison, Trump is an anecdote not a political goal. In the wake of his comments Trump’s favorability among GOP voters in Iowa and New Hampshire rocketed to 2nd place.
It’s not a movement yet.
[pullquote]… until we see a definite, quantifiable surge in Latino voter registration and participation it’s not a spring and it’s not a movement.[/pullquote]I see where the Trump incident may incite Latinos to voice their concern at the polls, but that hasn’t materialized yet.
The GOP is struggling to attract Latino voters to their side and Trump isn’t helping their cause. But until we see a definite, quantifiable surge in Latino voter registration and participation it’s not a spring and it’s not a movement.
That’s not to say it couldn’t be.
There is energy behind the Latino indignation. And I’m sure politicos on the Democratic side of the aisle are huddling to find a way to turn that anger into votes. But there’s a difference between a possibility and a result.
It’s important that we acknowledge the difference because if we don’t we run the risk of falling short.[tweet_dis] It’s one thing to click the “like” button on a social media post, or comment on someone’s angry criticism; it’s another thing to use that anger to register your family and neighbors to vote.[/tweet_dis] The latter would be the real “Spring.”
It’s like fuel to a fire.
To that end Sanchez’s and Ferrara’s articles serve the purpose of adding kindling to the embers. I’d like to think it’s foreshadowing. They’re right to be angry, as many Latinos across the country are. But Trump and his mouth have proven to be nothing more than a lightning rod. On the Republican side he was a side-show not long ago, now he’s near the top of the polls. On the Democratic side he’s a pariah, and it’s too early to see the effect.
It doesn’t mean Latinos should stop criticising Trump, but it does mean the criticism should soon be channelled to a political end.
[Photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr]
