Ted Kennedy's Attempt to Woo Latinos in East LA

I went to his rally for Obama on Friday morning at East Los Angeles College (ELAC). Those in attendance were Congressmen Xavier Becerra and Adam Schiff, LA City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, and notable state legislators such as State Senator Gil Cedillo who has authored the California Dream Act and bills that would allow undocumented immigrants to have driver’s licenses.

 

The crowd was enthusiastic, but something was missing; it was the rally’s target audience, Latinos. They were present, but not a significant number. This rally was held at East LA, which is known for being predominately Latino. The crowd was diverse and made up of people you wouldn’t normally see on a normal day at East LA.

 

Senator Kennedy made two claims that I thought were interesting and would appeal to Latino voters. First, Obama sponsored the Illinois Dream Act as a state legislator. Second, he and Obama were the only U.S. Senators to march during the May 1^st immigration protest. Obama did so in Chicago, while Kennedy marched in Washington, D.C.

 

I think this would change some supposed Latino behavior towards Obama if they knew this information about him. I thought it was a great rally, but failed in its attempt to reach out to the Latino constituency in East LA.

Obama, Ted Kennedy and the Latinos

Obama received Ted Kennedy’s endorsements today. What I found interesting while reading various news sources today of the endorsement from Ted Kennedy is that more than once it was suggested that his endorsement “will help Obama with traditional Democratic groups where Clinton has been strong – union households, Hispanics and downscale worker.”

 

Being that I am second generation Mexican American, I am trying to think of how this endorsement will help with Latinos. My dad and his siblings overwhelmingly supported Obama before the endorsement. They lived through the JFK presidency as children, but what about those Latinos that didn’t? I mean those specifically that arrived during the massive immigration of the 1980s.

 

In the polls, Latinos prefer Hillary. I am thinking it is because they witnessed the Clinton presidency of the ‘90s. I do not think many Latinos that naturalized in the U.S. and are registered voters know the history behind the Kennedy family. I also think racial tension plays a factor and more so with those who have not been here long.

 

I do not know how significant endorsements are in attracting votes, but I am curious about the results of Super Tuesday, especially those from California.

 

Ted Kennedy will be campaigning for Obama throughout Arizona, New Mexico and California. I am looking forward to the Spanish-speaking media’s coverage of Ted Kennedy campaigning and the effect it has. Today both Obama and Kennedy were interviewed by and Spanish reporter at Univision, Spanish television station.

 

I didn’t find any article focusing on the connection between Ted Kennedy and Latinos. These two articles I borrowed snippets from for my post:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0108/8161.html

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0108/8134_Page2.html

Obama is not winning amongst Latinos!

I read an article about a week ago in the New York Times that discussed the racial and gender issues that are prevalent in this upcoming election. Although this election has been heavily circled around the issue of national security, this upcoming election can be ground breakingbecause there is a possibility that an African American or a woman will become the next president of the United States of America.

This article was very interesting because it discussed the alliance the Latino community has with Bill and Hilary Clinton. The Latino community feels that Hilary will address their social issues and represent their socio-economic interests. What was even more interesting is that Bill Clinton has had a long affinity with the African American community, therefore it seems as if Hilary Clinton is winning the minoritycommunities; especially in cities like New York City. Bill Clinton made a wise decision in placing his office in Harlem, New York.

We should ask our selves if Bill Clinton's close relationship with the Africa community benefit Hilary Clinton's campaign and increase her opportunity to win the 2008 election?

Unfortunately, Obama may be negatively affected because of the lack of support that he will have from the minority communities.

Ironically, the debate tonight covered the debate of race vs. gender. Does race triumph gender?