LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1, 2008
Obama Tries To Win Over Latino Voters
Washington Post: Democratic Candidate Confronts Ethnic Tensions In Bid For Votes
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Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill, center, talks with supporters at a "Stand for Change" rally at Veterans Memorial Coliseum Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008, in Phoenix, Ariz. (AP)
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In a sun-drenched community college courtyard in the heart of East Los Angeles on Thursday, Sen. Barack Obama tried to confront one of his greatest obstacles to doing well on Super Tuesday next week: winning over Latino voters.
About 1,200 people -- a mix mostly of Hispanics and African Americans -- listened as local Latino elected officials urged them to support Obama. Several made explicit comparisons between the senator from Illinois and 1968 Democratic presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy, who along with President John F. Kennedy had strong backing among Latinos, and whose brother Edward M. Kennedy, a senator from Massachusetts, endorsed Obama this week.
Then Obama took the lectern and plunged into his familiar theme of national reconciliation, applying it specifically to the history of tensions between Hispanics and African Americans. He started by telling his audience that he has allied himself with Latinos from his days as a community organizer in Chicago.
"It's so important to come together," he said. "We've heard the cynical talk about how black folks, white folks, Latinos will not come together; we've heard talk about the so-called black-brown divide; and whenever I hear this, I take it seriously, because I'm reminded of the Latino brothers and sisters I worked alongside on the streets of Chicago two decades ago."
Hispanic voters here say Obama has a lot of ground to make up before Tuesday, when Democrats in California and 21 other states will vote. Obama is contending not only with the legacy of friction between blacks and Hispanics -- a relationship that is particularly complex in Los Angeles -- but also with a more basic problem: Many Los Angeles Latinos just don't know much about him and feel more comfortable with his opponent for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.).
"It's the marquee value. They still remember [President Bill] Clinton and those whole eight years. Obama comes out of nowhere, and Latinos are like, 'What? An African American?' " said Herbert Siguenza, a Latino theater troupe member who came to see the candidate. "He's won over liberal Latinos like me, but for more recent immigrants, he's unknown. They recognize the Clintons and are comfortable with them."
The stakes for Obama are high. He lost the Nevada caucuses in large part because of his steep deficit among that state's Hispanic voters, and Clinton's lead among Hispanics in California -- 40 percent of the population and maybe 20 percent of the Democratic electorate -- is the main reason she has an edge in the ultimate Super Tuesday prize.
Yet recent polls show the race in California tightening, and Obama got a big boost this week among Hispanic voters with the endorsement of Edward Kennedy and his niece Caroline Kennedy, John Kennedy's daughter, with ads now already up on television here with Caroline Kennedy comparing Obma to her father.
The Obama campaign attributes his weakness with Hispanic voters to a general unawareness of his strong ties with Latinos in Illinois or of his role in pushing comprehensive immigration policy revisions in the Senate. Obama is an outspoken supporter of the Dream Act, which would allow high school students who are illegal immigrants and want to attend college or enlist in the military a route to eligibility for legal status and to obtaining loans. He also favors giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, which Clinton opposes after initially hedging on the issue.
"I know I can get Latino voters if they know my track record," Obama said in a recent interview with reporters. "The challenge we've got is we've got to do it very quickly. We have such a short span of time."
Members of the Hispanic community say, though, that the Obama campaign would be further along in educating voters about his background had it made a more visible attempt to win Latino support earlier. Voters such as Victor Castellanos are not good news for the campaign.
"I haven't heard anything about Obama. I haven't heard him talking to us, so my vote is with Clinton," said Castellanos, at the butcher counter in an East Los Angeles market this week. "I've heard of him, but not enough."
The Obama campaign said it has been pursuing the Latino vote for months, citing an October town hall meeting with the candidate at a local high school. This week a television ad featuring Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) began airing on Spanish-language TV, with Edward Kennedy pictured beside Obama.
But the pace of the official effort last week moved six activists in South-Central Los Angeles to organize a rally of their own at Jefferson High School, a formerly all-black, now Hispanic landmark at the meeting point of historically black South-Central and the Latino east side. They tried to get across a crucial point that they worried many voters are not grasping: that Obama, like many of them, has fought his way up against tough odds.
"He's the son of an immigrant, and we're Latinos. We're injecting that [point] because he's not doing it," said Alberto Renata, shaking his head at Clinton's savvy Jan. 11 visit to the iconic fast-food joint King Taco. A community organizer in South-Central, Renata spent Saturday going door to door for the Obama campaign. He was cheered on the 3900 block when Norma Hernandez said, "My daughters have been supporting him."
Obama's appeal to young voters may translate to undetected strength in Latino households where children interpret the unfamiliar new world to immigrant parents, and often guide decisions.
"My children already speak English pretty well, and they translate in the media," said Salvador Flores, 36, a butcher from Mexico who has been in the United States for three years and supports Obama. "Mrs. Clinton has experience because of her husband, but Obama is like us. He's starting from zero." But it's hard to compete with the head start that Clinton has because of the memories of the eight years of economic prosperity under her husband.
Over the past month, every day Clinton spent in California involved at least one Latino event. The state's highest-profile Hispanic politicians, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, were lined up early.
Then there are the obstacles lurking in the dynamics of minority politics here. "It's race, man," said Giovanni Zavalza, 35, a tattoo artist on Cesar Chavez Avenue. "People think it's all over, but it's not. Race is always there."
The nature of the divide between black and Latino voters is a subject of robust debate n Los Angeles, where gang violence along ethnic lines has given the issue an edge that leaders on both sides say is exaggerated.
African Americans in 2005 voted in large numbers for Villaraigosa, who is Mexican, while Latino support helped Tom Bradley, an African American, win five terms. But analysts point out that both candidates lost their first attempts at the mayor's office, and needed years to build trust between two groups divided by culture and competing for resources, especially entry-level jobs.
"Obama, he's helping more his people," said Carlos Toledo, 20, a construction worker in East Los Angeles, the day after Obama won South Carolina with 80 percent of the black vote. "If you think about it, Obama's race is voting for him, not Latinos."
In his hour-long appearance in East Los Angeles, Obama made clear attempts to connect with the Latinos in the audience, focusing on bread-and-butter issues such as his plans to address foreclosures and affordable housing, health disparities in the inner city and the failures of urban schools.
At one point, he made what appeared to be abid at a cross-racial bond with his audience, saying that "too many Americans feel like the system is not designed for people like us." And he stated his support for immigration policy revisions in stronger terms than he often does.
"What I don't like are people focusing on just south-of-the-border immigrants," he said. "I don't hear about immigrants from Ireland or Poland. "It's very important that we have an intelligent debate about immigration not tinged with attitudes about what people should look like." He went on to note that when his own father arrived in the United States from Kenya, "he didn't look like he stepped off the Mayflower," and that plenty of the earlier European immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island were also not documented.
"Not everyone had their papers all in order. I'm just telling the truth now; not everyone had their stuff together."
Political scientists say Obama can take solace in other characteristics of Latino voters in California: They are known for changing their minds quickly. Harry P. Pachon, head of the University of Southern California's Tomas Rivera Policy Institute, recalled 70 percent swings between polls and election results on initiative measures that affected the community.
"If this was like a six-week campaign and Obama started running his ads on Univision and Telemundo, given the volatility of the Latino vote, that might have given him a chance," Pachon said. "As it is, it's probably a little bit too late and not enough."
© 2008 The Washington Post Company
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See all 97 CommentsNo one trusts children and education to phonies and liars like Hillary and Bill. Education is about learning truth, honesty/compassion, and example!
Shoeshine having grabbed a taco and his serape ...
presented himself at El Slicko''s stall to find him & Teddy with intern
advised Slicko "****** we don''t need no stinkin badges".
And I am so sick and tired of the media trying to use racism as an excuse. Get a life...
"Ma''am, your husband''s presidency was marked by scandals running from the salacious to national security, you''ve run a campaign based on race coding, and both you and your husband have scant regard for the truth.
"What could you possibly have to say to young people, what could you possibly bring to the table, for those who need to hear a message of honesty and integrity, as personal responsibility is the cornerstone of government accountability?"
Martin Edwin Andersen
Churchton, Maryland
Not a comment about Latinos but of people in general, but I''ve heard these kinds of statements before. Take an hour, one little hour, and actually read up on each candidate''s platform.
If it''s too much trouble to find out what the contenders to be your next President think, maybe you shouldn''t vote. And remember, ignorance of the candidates equals incredibly stupid voting choices - such as we saw in 2000 and 2004, for example.
Yeah, that would be when Hillary did that appalling fake southern drawl "Ah Don''t Feel No Ways Tired", last year in the black church.
OMG candidates are trying to reach out and connect with specific ethnic groups in the primaries?! Who would ever expect them to do that? Next thing you know, they''ll be adjusting their speeches depending on which state their in, to personalize the message and appeal to more voters!
Posted by tiredofit11
What gestures has Hillary made towards latinos? I don''t recall seeing any - does that mean latinos are just voting based on nostalgia for Bill Clinton?
"When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man''s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses."
America is tired of the arrogance, corruption and lack of that elusive thing called grace that characterized Bill Clinton''s "co-presidency" with Hillary.
Or, to put it another way, as the ancient Romans said: "When Cicero had finished speaking, the people said, ''How well he spoke,'' but when Demosthenes had finished speaking, the people said, ''Let us march.''"
America is on the move again.
MARTIN EDWIN ANDERSEN
Is the U.S. Failing in Afghanistan?
It was malice in wonderland at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday as Bush Administration envoys insisted things are getting better in Afghanistan, while angry lawmakers from both parties cited facts and figures showing just the opposite. Even the senior Republican on the panel, Senator Richard Lugar, found the Administration''s claims wanting. "I''m not sure that we have a plan for Afghanistan," he said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20080201/us_time/istheusfailinginafghanistan;_ylt=AvoRUtKThB_bKioyKDhNnsGs0NUE
"All of us, from the wealthiest and most powerful of men to the weakest and hungriest of children, share one precious possession: the name %u2018American.%u2019 It is not easy to know what that means. But in part to be an American means to have been an outcast and a stranger, to have come to the exiles'' country, and to know that he who denies the outcast and stranger among us at that moment also denies America."
During the debate Thursday night, Barack Obama echoed RFK when he said, to applause, that arguments about how the inner-city unemployment of blacks is related to the influx of immigration is a case of "scapegoating" immigrants.
Hillary, fresh from her campaign of racial coding in South Carolina, countered by claiming that voters needed to realize that immigrants do take the jobs of low-income Americans.
America is tired of the arrogance, corruption and lack of that elusive thing called grace that characterized Bill Clinton''s "co-presidency" with Hillary.
Clean slate !!!
Barack Obama,
''08 !!!
----------------------------------------
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%u2026%u2026%u2026%u2026%u2026%u2026sorry the squeaky clean image for me is in conflict with what we dont know about the Senator, what I is perceive as lack of substance, and the Rezko Obamas house purchase when he knew Rezko was under federal investigation by Patrick Fitzgerald USA from Il, I can not square that with a his claim of high Ethical standards and claiming it was boneheaded is not enough the very thing Rezko is charged with is political corruption of public officials. No sale maybe after the trial concludes%u2026..maybe hopefully it is done prior to Nov
Obama''s link to Saddam Hussein exposed by London Times today, no wonder he was against the war! Today the Times of London discovered: "Mr Obama%u2019s long-serving bagman Antoin %u201CTony%u201D Rezko, a Syrian immigrant to the United States, has been linked to Nadhmi Auchi, the Iraqi-born billionaire who is one of Britain%u2019s richest men. The relationship is a potential embarrassment for Mr Obama, who has made his opposition to the Iraq war a central plank of his campaign. Court papers describe Mr Rezko as a close friend of Mr Auchi. The Times has, however, discovered state documents in Illinois recording that Fintrade Services, a Panamanian company, lent money to Mr Obama%u2019s fundraiser in May 2005. Fintrade%u2019s directors include Ibtisam Auchi, the name of Mr Auchi%u2019s wife."For you who do not know, Nadhmi Auchi is an Iraqi with deep ties to Saddam Hussein and made billions off him! Was also co-chair of the of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University between 1996 and 2000 and is a wanted fugitive in France! The trail of the newly crowned Prince of Camelot is beginning to really become more open! No wonder Obama was against the war in Iraq and people complain about the Clinton''s being involved in bad things, this is beyond bad!! See what not knowing a stump speecher without substance hides? Hope this is further investigated by American reporters!
"All of us, from the wealthiest and most powerful of men to the weakest and hungriest of children, share one precious possession: the name %u2018American.%u2019 It is not easy to know what that means. But in part to be an American means to have been an outcast and a stranger, to have come to the exiles'' country, and to know that he who denies the outcast and stranger among us at that moment also denies America."
During the debate Thursday night, Barack Obama echoed RFK when he said, to applause, that arguments about how the inner-city unemployment of blacks is related to the influx of immigration is a case of "scapegoating" immigrants.
Hillary, fresh from her campaign of racial coding in South Carolina, countered by claiming--against all evidence--that voters needed to realize that immigrants do take the jobs of low-income Americans.
America is tired of the arrogance, corruption and lack of that elusive thing called grace that characterized Bill Clinton''s "co-presidency" with Hillary.
Clean slate !!!
Barack Obama,
''08 !!!
Martin Edwin Andersen
Clinton vs Romney - Romney
Obama vs Romney - Romney
Obama vs McCain - Obama
and as much as I don''t want a McCain presidency, if it comes to:
Clinton vs McCain - god help us McCain
BARRACK OBAMA''S CHURCH HONERS RACIST LEADER OF NATION OF ISLAM LEADER LOUIS FARRAKHAN WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.
Barack Obama is a member of Chicago%u2019s Trinity United Church of Christ. Its minister, and Obama%u2019s spiritual adviser, is the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. In 1982, the church launched Trumpet Newsmagazine; Wright%u2019s daughters serve as publisher and executive editor. Every year, the magazine makes awards in various categories. Last year, it gave the Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Trumpeter Award to a man it said %u201Ctruly epitomized greatness.%u201D That man is Louis Farrakhan.
Maybe for Wright and some others, Farrakhan %u201Cepitomized greatness.%u201D For most Americans, though, Farrakhan epitomizes racism, particularly in the form of anti-Semitism. Over the years, he has compiled an awesome record of offensive statements, even denigrating the Holocaust by falsely attributing it to Jewish cooperation with Hitler %u2014 %u201CThey helped him get the Third Reich on the road.%u201D His history is a rancid stew of lies.
http://www.theodoresworld.net/archives/2008/01/post_25.html
-Now what''s in it for Latinos from Hilary? Nothing, but a neglected group, since she no effort to make toward them. They are an ''acquired'' voting base for her.
Obama, being a son of immigrants, spent a respectable time into street social work in Illinois, and better knows the sufferings Latinos and other immigrants, than the lush and luxury life Hilary been ''provided'' in exchange of services for a particular community.
the real reason why barack HUSSEIN obama did not vote for war against SADDAM is %u2026.
he CAN NOT go against his MUSLIM BROTHER!
once A MUSLIM always A MUSLIM!!!!!!!!!
DO NOT FORGET 911!
the real reason why barack HUSSEIN obama did not vote for war against SADDAM is %u2026.
he CAN NOT go against his MUSLIM BROTHER!
once A MUSLIM always A MUSLIM!!!!!!!!!
DO NOT FORGET 911!
Posted by akona2
Boy are you ignorant, the reason that he did not vote for the war was because it was based on lies any "Black" person remembers well from the 60s. Many of us instantly recognized them as they came from the Bush klan, and weren''t fooled.
Since when have the attackers of 9/11 been Iraqi? They were all Saudis, remember?
Please put the crack pipe down, and rest for a day or so before you come here with lies that don''t even begin to hide your racist intent.
you will note I didn`t say Fellow Americans,
I have come to realize that most of us have nothing in common but being on the same planet.
Fuzzy is this going to be a Bear day ? I think so I`m feeling devisive.
How many of you watched was it Dateline, the other night, anyway it showed the problems of a nice middle class family that due to an unexpected illness was losing their home.
come to find out this working class family voted Republican because they had Christian beliefs that oppose abortion. When asked could you support Hillary
they said we could except we don`t like the whole gay rights deal of the Democratic Party.
Which just proves to me there is No party of the
Working Class Christian family.
Fuzzy what about Republicans ? another sham this is the party of the Corporate lobbiest that uses the silly twits of Iowa to maitain their voting base.
Fuzzy what about the Democarats ? even a bigger sham
the party of Ted a disfranchised Mobster that uses the
black twits to do his bidding.
Anyway we need just a good old fashioned Party for working class people with none of the frindge elements.
Sincerely Fuzzy Bear
There is no link to Saddam, this is the ultra right death worshiper, who still advocates genocide against Muslims, trying to insert lies into the dialog.
You are correct, in Washington DC there is only the party of the corrupt. There are no Democrats or Republicans, no "liberals" or "conservatives" only virii pretending to be from those groups.
The sooner we understand this and quit arguing about the political philosophies of people who really don''t have any, the sooner we can address real issues.
REMEMBER 911. how the MUSLIMs infiltrate the american society by being one of them.
Posted by brianbwb
What we need to do for Working Class Americans, and this includes about 90% of America, is establish a party for the Working Class with no fridge elements,
we need the Working Class Republican Christians of Iowa to Work with the Working Class Democrats of Illinois, and we need all the other people the Salmon
Fisherman of Alaska and the Pineapple pickers of Hawaii we need to just sit down and create our own party. We need to pick candidates that are for all of Us, and our main interest is preserving the rights of the Majority Of Americans.
Now this can be difficult John Edwards was kinda on the right track except we need to include good Small
Buisness Owners whos corporate Headquarters are located in the United States and not offshore in
the Cannary Islands, we need Doctors, Farmers, Auto Mechanics, Nurses, School Teachers, Fishermen,
Truck Drivers, Crossing Gaurds, Store Keepers,
we need everyone that works for a living.
we need to seperate ourselves and party platform away from the
Elietist Party of Washington D.C. so we need candidates that are not part of the status quo of Washington.
Hey feel free to chip in at anytime I`m open to
discussion. We need to save America before the Washington Establishment drives us into ruin.
Sincerely Fuzzy Bear
ARE WE READY FOR THE NEXT MUSLIM PRESIDENT (barack HUSSEIN obama)? Even his endorser mistakenly called him OSAMA... or not.
If , If , If
We could establish the Working Class Americans party
with 90% of Working Americans whose only goal is to provide a safe clean society for themselves and their children.
This would send a shutter of terror among the Elietist Party of Washington D.C. and bring them to their knees.
We could once again the right to rule.
`` We THe People ``
anyway its something to work for, just a Dream for right now, but with good potential.
Sincerely Fuzzy Bear
akona2
If you have to lie to make a point then you don''t have a point. I''m sorry that you are a moron.
If, If, If
WE ARE READY FOR THE FIRST MUSLIM PRESIDENT (barack HUSSEIN obama),
you can forget about the 90% working class american party. you will say "We the people" (of MUSLIM). it will be a HUSSEIN-OSAMA party.
This is not code that is being wielded it is Psycho Politics and Sociology 101, this type of politics while very ugly is effective to control group behavior it also is not victimless politics and can create danger in our communities as it elevates anger not just inflames passion we all need to be careful of the Masterful Puppet Pullers%u2026%u2026%u2026%u2026%u2026%u2026.
The Dem are palying with fire
"All of us, from the wealthiest and most powerful of men to the weakest and hungriest of children, share one precious possession: the name %u2018American.%u2019 It is not easy to know what that means. But in part to be an American means to have been an outcast and a stranger, to have come to the exiles'' country, and to know that he who denies the outcast and stranger among us at that moment also denies America."
During the debate Thursday night, Barack Obama echoed RFK when he said, to applause, that arguments about how the inner-city unemployment of blacks is related to the influx of immigration is a case of "scapegoating" immigrants.
Hillary, fresh from her campaign of racial coding in South Carolina, countered by claiming--against all evidence--that voters needed to realize that immigrants do take the jobs of low-income Americans.
America is tired of the arrogance, misrepresentations, corruption and lack of that elusive thing called grace that characterized Bill Clinton''s "co-presidency" with Hillary.
Clean slate !!!
Barack Obama,
''08 !!!
MARTIN EDWIN ANDERSEN
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