Why John McCain's Straight Talk Rings Hollow in the Hispanic Community
As Americans watch and listen to pundits mull over exit polls particularly among Hispanic voters, I remember all too vividly the campaign promises made by then Governor George W. Bush. It was eight years ago that Governor Bush campaigned as the "Compassionate Conservative" in Hispanic communities across the country. Rolling out such themes as family values, a commitment to faith and the rewards of a strong work ethic proved a winning message for Hispanic voters. Hispanics in turn rewarded Bush and to the Republican Party with a respectable increase of support the Republican Party hadn’t enjoyed since Ronald Reagan.
Bush’s campaign promises varied from commitments to solving our broken immigration system, to increased funding for higher education, both issues high on the minds of Latinos. Also, a highly publicized trip to Mexico to visit with then-President Vicente Fox folks imagined that there would be substantive advancements in our relationship. This relationship with our closest neighbors soon ceased when President Fox refused to support the war in Iraq. The message of opportunity and inclusion (often in Spanish) falsely struck a positive chord at the time with a large number of Hispanics of all age groups and was repeated with greater success in 2004.
Fast forward to 2008 and you will find Hispanics across the nation watching this presidential election through a much more discriminating lens. Today, John McCain, like Bush, is trying to sound like a compassionate conservative. But there is a fundamental problem facing McCain and the Republican Party.
John McCain's "straight talk" rings hollow in the Hispanic community because George Bush already showed deeds, not just words matter. Their failure to enact any campaign promises to the community is a testament to both of their legacies. What Hispanic families hoped for was a fair shot at the American dream and an even hand for their children's education. Instead, today's Hispanic family struggles to make ends meet.
With the high increase of college tuition, more and more Hispanic families are finding it difficult to even ponder the notion of sending their children off to college.
Our community is left to wonder where the next tank of gas will come from, all the while, we find ourselves the targets of inhumane immigration legislation. Latinos have seen an astronomical rise in violent hate crimes against our community because of, in no small part, the poisonous immigration debate fueled by the likes of Republican leaders, big and small, like anti-immigrant extremist Jim Oberweis who John McCain endorsed and campaigned for earlier this year.
But Hispanics are optimistic about tomorrow. One thing is for certain, we've learned that just because a candidate speaks Spanish won't necessarily mean it will translate into solving our greatest challenges; or that living in a state that borders Mexico will not make you more compassionate toward Hispanics. Today's Hispanic voter could care less if John McCain shows up with a 10-piece Mariachi band. They will want to hear an explanation on why the Republican nominee was campaigning for Jim Oberweis, and why John McCain now says he wouldn't vote for the immigration reform bill he once sponsored with Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy.
We have seen this play before and, unfortunately for Senator McCain, Hispanics have had enough hollow talk.
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