Latinos for Trump?
by digby
Here’s a sobering bit of information:
Latinos for Trump? Oh yeah, that’s a thing.
Keep in mind three points. First, you have to understand that we’re talking here primarily about Latino Republicans, many of whom might live in red states such as Arizona or Texas. Those Latinos who are Democrats (as about 80 percent of them are, according to surveys) are busy dividing up their support between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, with most of it going to Clinton.
Also, when you look at the slate of Republicans running for president—which recently got shorter with the departures of several candidates after Iowa and New Hampshire—you have to consider what is behind Door No. 2. Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush can be expected to do well with Latinos. Ted Cruz might even do better than expected with those voters. Beyond that, it’s slim pickings, and so Trump might not look so bad.
Finally, if it’s true that Trump is inspiring voters who feel alienated and abandoned by the political process, then the fact that there might be Latinos who support Trump makes sense. America’s largest minority knows about alienation and abandonment. So they are no more immune than other voters to what South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley described as Trump’s “siren call.” What he’s saying and how he is saying it may be resonating with many Latino voters.
A new poll confirms it. In the national survey, which was conducted by Beck Research on behalf of the American Federation for Children, 38 percent of Latinos favor Trump. Ted Cruz got 15 percent. Jeb Bush pulled in 14 percent. And Marco Rubio, the guy who’s supposed to be the one who could unite the party and win? Just 8 percent.
There is also anecdotal information, including conversations I’ve had in recent months with Latino friends who are leaning toward voting for Trump.
There are also the emails I receive from readers like Ernesto Villareal, a Texas Latino who referred to himself as an “Orgulloso Tejano Americano.” Villareal wrote the following: “I have voted Democratic all my life. However, it will be a cold day in hell if I will vote for Mrs. Clinton. I strongly believe that Mr. Trump is the one to turn this great country of ours in the right direction.”
Ok. And yes, remember that this article is mostly about Latino Republicans of which there are very few. Still, I honestly don’t understand anyone who would think that what Trump’s unleashing in this country could possibly result in anything good for Latinos. It’s not just him. It’s the millions of white Americans who think he’s speaking for them and that being a bigot is nothing more than “political incorrectness” and therefore perfectly acceptable.
But those folks are a lot less representative than these, hopefully:
A group of Hispanic celebrities have signed an open letter denouncing Donald J. Trump and many of the Republican presidential candidates for “capitalizing on negative stereotypes” about Latinos to galvanize the party’s base.
The letter, put together by the People for the American Way and signed by celebrities including the actors Benjamin Bratt, America Ferrera and Zoe Saldana and the musician Carlos Santana, is one of the strongest denunciations to date by high-profile Hispanic figures of the current tone of the presidential race.
“In trying to win the nomination, every one of the leading candidates dug themselves into a deep hole pandering to the anti-immigrant base of the Republican Party that idolizes Donald Trump,” the letter says.
“There’s no coming back from this. We’ve seen clearly that all the leading Republican candidates have sided with the far-right at the expense of the Latino community,” the letter says. “They’re capitalizing on negative stereotypes and inaccurate information” for political gain.
The writers seek to prevent other Republicans from hiding their anti-immigration positions. Democrats consider Hispanic voters to be a key part of what they see as an emerging national coalition, as the party’s support from white voters has shrunk.
“This downward spiral began with Trump,” the letter says, adding, “We must not, though, let Trump’s xenophobia overshadow the extreme policies being pushed by every single one of the G.O.P.’s leading presidential candidates.”
“Trump is certainly an outlier for his racist remarks. But the rest of the Republican presidential candidates went off the deep end with him,” the letter says, also condemning the language of Jeb Bush and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Trump did not respond to an email seeking comment.
I’m glad they’re going after Bush and Rubio as well. If, for some reason, Trump finally collapses and one of the rest of the field wins, it’s important that they are not allowed to pretend that they are “moderate” by comparison. I’m glad to see them getting out in front of that.
.