Latino turnout revving up for November
San Francisco, Ca.,_ The Chronicle joined the chorus that says Latino votes and turnout could be the key to winning the White House in November. On the surface both candidates have advantages and disadvantages but should be able to make adjustments in their approach and wooing of Latino voters.
McCain actually holds the Latino experience advantage over Obama for having established a good record with Hispanics in Arizona. Obama holds the advantage of Latino leaders and the Kennedy family behind his efforts. But McCain can’t hide from the long term anti-Latino/immigrant rage within his party’s base that clearly signals “Latinos not wanted in our America or our party” to overcome. Obama will likely catch on and finally invite the grandchildren and family of Cesar Chavez to say “si se puede” with him on stage all across the country to help move Latinos into his column.
President Bush was able to win over 40% of the Latino vote in 2004. Since then Republican rhetoric has helped drive a vast majority of Latinos into the Democratic Party. A series of miscalculations by the Republicans have positioned the Dems and Obama perfectly for the fall run when Latino turnout is expected to jump from 7.6 million in 2004 to up to 10 million this year including a good portion in high stakes swing states. McCain will have to answer for his party and have to answer to his party when he tries to appease Latinos and that is a hard balance to strike.
He has Sensenbrenner and house Reps who have bantered about anti Latino rhetoric for the tall climb before him. On the other hand Obama and the Dems should benefit by the never before seen energy from Latinos, immigrants and natives alike, and especially from the past 2006 Spanish language media civic participation drive to urge Latinos to become citizens, to register and to get out and vote in elections. California will remain a blue state but New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado and Florida may along with others be moved this year from Republican to Democrat.
Perhaps super delegate Steven Ybarra will get his wish of real Democratic resource investment by his party. “There’s absolutely a sense of possibility, but it’s not going to happen without work,” said former Bill Clinton staffer and Hillary supporter Maria Echaveste, who also warned that Democrats must not write off McCain’s appeal to Latinos and added that those resources must go into field organizing and English and Spanish media aimed at Latinos.
