October 7,
2002
Hispanics
candidates will make modest gains in
November.
By Patrick Osio,
Jr. / HispanicVista.com
Hispanics whose
population exploded a whopping 57.9
percent from 22.4 million in the 1990
census to 35.3 million in the 2000 census
are poised to change the face of national
politics as we know it - but not just
yet.
One would think that
due to numbers Hispanics, particularly
Mexican-Americans, are positioned to make
great gains, but such is not the case.
There are a number of factors working
against them: political immaturity; lack
of recognizable national leadership;
naiveté; lack of funds; and a reluctance
to break from tradition.
Political immaturity
is an area where great strides are being
made, as more and more qualified
candidates enter races, losing but
learning a great deal. Within a few years
there will be a quantified number of
seasoned and politically savvy
campaigners either as candidates or
consultants. Already there are close to
1640 Hispanic elected officials
throughout the country, come November
there will be several dozen more, though
far from what it could or should be.
National leadership
is sorely lacking, but this may change in
November. In New Mexicoa Hispanic will
win as both leading candidates are such.
In Texas if Sanchez wins he will jump to
the head of the class. In California, a
chance was missed when Villaraigosa lost
the mayors’ election, but Lt.
Governor Bustamante may still emerge as a
national leader. But still these are too
few and far between. It will become
essential to have qualified and
trustworthy national leaders that will be
able to convince the huge masses of
Hispanics to register and then to vote.
Without national leadership raising
campaign funds will always be stagnant
and relegated to individual regional
efforts
Part of the naiveté
for the Mexican-American Hispanic
candidates is the not recognizing the
effects that events or issues between the
US and Mexico play on the non-Hispanic US
electorate. A large segment view
Mexican-Americans with some suspicion as
to loyalty – as a “foreign
minority.” Even when loyalty is not
the issue, the “sympathizing”
with “them” comes into play,
particularly when there are hot issues
pending between the two countries. In Texas,
Arizona and California the main issue is
illegal immigration, in Texas add the
“water debt,” and “death
penalty” issues.
The non
Mexican-American electorate wants to know
where Hispanic candidates stand on these
issues. Their objection is often not
voiced, their suspicion subliminal, but
nonetheless present. Yet Hispanic
candidates are reluctant to bring up
these topics. Federico Peña after
upsetting the Denver incumbent mayor in
1983 was asked if he had run as a Mexican
American answered that he had run as an
American citizen, is a lesson all
candidates should bear in mind.
At present the
overwhelming numbers of registered
Hispanics identify with the Democratic
Party. For decades they have blindly
followed and accepted whatever table
scraps were dotted out, always with faith
that slowly they were being groomed for
better. The Republicans offered little if
any competition, all but writing off the
Hispanic vote, other than the
Cuban-American mainly centered in Florida,
who are mostly ardent anti-Castro and
identify with the more hawkish
Conservative Republicans. However,
Republicans have done much to harm their
image in the Mexican-American Hispanic
community, such as California’s Pete
Wilson; Colorado’s Tom Tancredo, and
nationally Pat Buchanan.
But now that the
numbers indicate that the majority of US
Hispanics are of Mexican and Central
American heritage, the race is on to win
their hearts and votes. Along comes
President Bush who as Governor of Texas
wooed their vote, and was able to unseat
the Democrat incumbent, and during his
Presidential bid won 35 percent of the
Hispanic vote, opening the eyes of his
party – the competition is on.
Due in great part to
the Hispanic population explosion a
number of new Congressional districts had
to be redrawn, but instead of redrawing
them to create an opportunity for
Hispanics to gain office, they were
redrawn to make the districts “incumbent
safe.” There are districts were the
Hispanic population exceeds 60 percent,
but yet local Hispanics will not
challenge the local Democrats in office.
Hispanic candidates
must break with the traditional “support
the incumbent” mentality persistent
in numerous Congressional districts and
local elections. There will have to be a
realization that an incumbent’s
primary concern is his/her reelection not
the Hispanic advancement issues.
Until such mentality
changes or until Hispanic Republicans
start winning, the political gains will
be slow in coming, but coming they are
– one taco bite at a time.
_______________________________________
Patrick Osio, Jr. is
Editor of HispanicVista.com. He may be
contacted at: HispanicVista@cox.net
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