| a convention of diversity |
| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Tuesday, July 20 2004 |
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| The Democratic National Convention this year will be the most diverse in party history. At least that's what party leaders are claiming as more than 4,300 delegates convene in Boston to officially declare John Kerry the Democratic candidate for the presidency of the United States. Out of those delegates, almost 40 percent will be members of an ethnic minority.
The Democratic National Committee says there will be more African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Native Americans and Hispanics at the convention than ever before. But of all these groups, the voters who pose the biggest challenge to the Democratic Party are Hispanics.
Democrats don't have to worry too much about the African-American vote -- they've got it. In 2000, an overwhelming 90 percent voted for Al Gore. And although the number of African-Americans identifying themselves as Republicans is growing, it's not enough to sway the vote in the other direction. Native American voters have historically been a steadfast Democratic constituency, and that is not expected to change this election year. And the Asian-American vote, which is usually evenly split between Democrats, Republicans and independents, leaned toward the Democratic Party in the last election, giving Gore 63 percent of the vote.
So it's the Hispanic vote that poses the biggest challenge. For the first time in years, Democrats have finally realized that they cannot take the Hispanic vote for granted. Gone are the days when seven out of 10 Latinos voted Democratic. In 2000, George W. Bush got 35 percent of the Hispanic vote, and Republicans are fighting tooth and nail to increase that number to 40 percent for the Nov. 2 election, which could very well get Bush re-elected.
Latinos are not only the fastest-growing minority in the country, they are also the fastest-growing voting bloc with 16 million eligible voters this year, and they are becoming increasingly independent. Polls show that up to 40 percent of Latino voters are still undecided about whom they will vote for.
That makes Latinos the ultimate swing vote. And that is why Democrats are now aggressively courting Latinos. A step in the right direction was naming Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico as the first Hispanic chair of the Democratic National Convention. Richardson will oversee almost every aspect of the meeting and will address the delegates, as will New Jersey Congressman Bob Menendez, chair of the Democratic Caucus.
In the past few weeks, Kerry has addressed three major Hispanic national organizations: the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, the League of United Latin American Citizens and The National Council of La Raza. In his speeches, he outlined his vision for U.S./Latin America relations, saying, "In the Americas, foreign policy and domestic policy blur into one." Kerry vowed to strengthen ties with our neighbors and invest more to promote democracy and economic development in the region.
Kerry has also laid out a plan in which he would overhaul what he calls a "broken" immigration system in the first 100 days of his presidency. Among other things, his proposal would provide earned legalization of undocumented workers, provide English and civic education, facilitate the reunification of families and strengthen our borders.
Just like many Americans, Hispanic voters don't know much about John Kerry. That is why he is now spending $1 million in Spanish-language advertising, and relying on an army of Latino supporters who, under the movement "Unidos con Kerry," are going door to door across the United States introducing Kerry in a "get out the vote" mission.
I have covered political conventions, both Democratic and Republican, for the past five presidential elections. And believe me, they are not all they are made out to be. But even if no "big" news comes out of the Democratic Convention the week of July 26 or the Republican one at the end of August, it's still a good opportunity to learn more about what each party has to offer -- especially if, like Latinos, you are part of the ever-growing number of undecided voters.
Footnote: I will write about the challenge the Latino vote represents for the Republican Party, and what the Bush/Cheney campaign is doing to capture that vote, before the Republican Convention in New York. |
