Why Don’t Latinos Vote for Obama? Ask Racism…
As a Latino supporter of Barack Obama I’m a bit ostracized by some of my Latino friends for this support. Many of my friends ask why I would not vote for Hillary Clinton, and even though I could spend 2 hours talking up points they remain convinced that she is the best candidate to represent their needs.
When I, in return, ask why they believe that she is the best candidate the points I get in return are generally centered around the idea that she’s got all this experience while Obama’s a “new Senator;” that she’s been in the White House before (although they seem to etch out the idea that she was First Lady); and lastly presented by most of my female friends (Latina or otherwise) that she’s a Woman – as if that qualifies her above anyone else.
Don’t get me wrong, I am very much for a Woman in the White House, but that shouldn’t be the end all factor for her being qualified. Beyond the obvious in recent weeks you can see how some of Hillary’s supporters react when anyone dares spin something away from her – I mean most of us that watched the DNC’s hearings on Saturday can see that some of her supporters get very emotional at the thought that Hillary Clinton is going to loose the Primaries – 4 delegates or not short.
Back to my train of thought… When I ask these same people, “Well? Obama is Black, that’s a first too, why’s that a problem?”
The look I get to my last question is almost always a raised eyebrow and a lost look as if though asking, “You’re kidding right?”
I read this great article recently that I think speaks to what I believe when I get that quizzical look over at The Latino Insurgent, and man does this Brother speak the truth that most Latinos would otherwise say is a load of crap.
So, when you think of just exactly why/how Hillary has been getting huge wins in the Latino community, and most particularly her massive win yesterday in Puerto Rico, read on and judge for yourself, just exactly why Latinos don’t vote for Obama – at least when you are looking for the God’s HONEST truth:
Sphere: Related ContentMuch has been made about the lack of support for Barack Obama among U.S. Latinos and much has been left unsaid. Among the mainstream media, and the mainstream Hispanic media, the issue is barely debated and simply lumped into a generalized pro-Clinton attitude among Hispanics. This is bullshit and everyone within the Hispanic community knows this. Barack Obama is black. That’s the issue. That has been the issue, but no one will say it.
For the uninitiated it may come as a surprise that there is a great amount of racism within the Hispanic community. Not only does it exist, it is rampant, blatant, and without shame. Hispanics are the last bastion of pure unadulterated racism and it is high time we were called out about it.
Let me break it down:
If we are to greatly generalize, Puerto Ricans and Dominicans tend to have better relations with black Americans than do Mexicans and Cubans, and typically the more traditional or oldest members especially if they are recent immigrants tend to hold more anti-black sentiments than others.
That however is a generalization. I know black Dominicans who swear they are of pure European racial stock, or that their skin color is due to their Indian heritage. Many Puerto Ricans suffer from this delusion as well. And I’ve had friends laugh at me for dating an African American girl.
The issue is not a simple one and not one I expect any of the news channels to tackle in one of their so-in-depth 30 second interviews. In fact it is an issue that most Hispanics turn a blind eye to and go as far as arguing that in Latin America there is no racism.
The reasons for this racism are due to two main factors: 1) the racism practiced in Latin America and 2) the racism practiced in the United States. The message from both societies has been that it is better to be white above all else.
Americans should be aware that in Latin America it is still considered funny for comedians to go on stage with blackface on and that Latin America has never had a movement for black civil rights.
This is due to different sets of circumstances surrounding the histories of both the Anglo-American and Latin American societies. Slavery was never as institutionalized in Latin America as it was in the U.S. and discrimination was also less of an act supported by Latin American governments, unlike what we find in U.S. history. In fact while most Latin American countries had slavery, only Cuba and Brazil could be considered slave societies like the Southern States. And the transition to integrations while slower has also been smoother.
Still, we have a situation where most Latino immigrants to the U.S. come from places where the darker your skin is the less desirable you are and where the local equivalents to the word “nigger” are still in use even if it is not perceived as having the same negative connotation. Even black Latinos are often encourage to marry white or “whiter” Latinos “para mejorar la raza” or “to better the race”.
So here is Barack Obama, a perfectly qualified person for the Presidency of the United States and to whose campaign I have donated, and much of the Hispanic population is unable to see him for anything else than a black man. Why?
Because in the Hispanic community the Republican Party for years has been characterizing the Democrats as the “Party of Blacks” and if you vote Democrat you must then be either black or a “nigger-lover”. This is discourse that has been unsavory in most white American communities for a couple of decades. But for the throngs of Hispanic immigrants who come every year into the U.S. the message is new and it is a threat.
If someone is trying to start a new life in the U.S. free from discrimination or oppression the last thing they want is to be associated with the racial group considered most undesirable in the US, African Americans.
Due to political considerations, the Hispanic vote is still mostly Democratic, but the socially progressive message of the party is often lost when Republicans scare Hispanics with the message that black candidates will only serve black constituents often at the loss of Hispanic political influence and government services.
Latinos everywhere must enlighten themselves and see the system for what it is and recognize that African Americans and Hispanic Americans sit in the same boat, and if we stop rowing simply because the other is rowing, we’ll just go around in circles.
I support Barack Obama, because I do believe in his message, because I believe in his politics, and because we should want to be more than just tokens as we were under the Clinton & Bush administrations and as we would be under McCain. I believe him to be a person of considerate thought, a person of responsibility, and a person who learns from his mistakes, and that’s who I want watching over our country and our future, and to deal fairly with our brothers in Latin America and Africa.
And to my Latino brothers and sisters who cannot stand the thought of voting for a black man, I hope you find your shame before it is publicly found for you.
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You can’t be surprised – Americans have a long history of voting on the “like” ticket. They vote for candidates they feel are “like” them – color, background, gender with a glancing consideration of the candidate’s issues. It’s the main reason we’re in the socio-economic cesspool we’re in now.
We can piss and moan about the obvious racial divide or the Obama camp can realize that running the creds up the flagpole isn’t going to cut it. You can cry all you want about politicking as usual, but if we want to have a unified party with a shot of sitting in the White House, we need to put a smorgasbord of food on the political table so everyone gets to eat.
There’s a great article in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/us/politics/15hispanic.html) that lists a few key things that I believe are key.
1. Hillary has a track record. Whether you think it’s contrived, or derived (from being First Lady), it doesn’t matter to the masses. Obama needs to do a better job of tooting his horn in the trenches of the Hispanic community.
2. ¿dónde está Michelle? – Michelle Obama is equally as poised, educated and personable as Hillary and her presence would go a long way towards the family/maternal image of the Obamas and she is more than qualified to spread his message. She is also a key adviser as to how to spread his message in private, grass-roots channels and I hope he takes her advice in the weeks to come to build that momentum and a few bridges as well.
3. Person(a) versus politics – Barack Obama’s message, politics and ideas are about as honest as I’ve seen in a long time (and I’m no newbie cynic to be snowed). But often, the persona is bigger than the politics. Does any Republican honestly remember the first thing they can recall about Dubya other than his Texas drawl and his promises? We need an image to wrap our brains around, a persona to grab our attention. The trick is for Obama to balance that refreshing honesty with something that grabs our attention. It doesn’t matter if the speech is great – it’s like a direct mail piece, you have 10 seconds to make me want to open the envelope.
4. Hillary as a running mate – it’s gotta be on the table. While I believe there may be more “golden” ticket candidates, I believe this is the more party unifying one, no matter what the staunchest Hillary delgates say.
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Truth…It’s What’s for Dinner
Blacks are hated in Latin America too. In fact, they are considered primitives from California to Paris to Tokyo and everywhere in between. Who exactly is surprised by this? Were you born yesterday?
Thanks to the World Wide Web it is much easier to see how universally derided the black race is round the world. Democrats can no longer fool people so easily.