NiLP Commentary
Are the Parties Over?
The Latino Vote
Beyond the Party Conventions
By Angelo Falcón (July 29, 2016)
With 100 days left, it is now Clinton versus Trump (with Stein and Johnson looking on). We have survived two weeks of the major party conventions, where they picked their champions and unfolded their messages to the electorate. The contrasts between the Democrats and the Republicans couldn't be greater, making the Latino role clearer regarding who to vote for, but they may have, at the same time, fed a cynicism that could wind up depressing Latino turnout.
The main takeaway in the media about the conventions was that Trump's message was very dark while Clinton's was too rosy. Both events tried to humanize their standard bearers given the extremely high unfavorability ratings both have accumulated. The results were mounds of insincerity poured on highly imperfect candidates expressed in the "Never Trump" and "Bernie or Bust" movements that, in the end, went nowhere.
It has become clear that the Republican Party under Trump is banking on their ability to win primarily with the White male vote, largely discarding Latinos and other communities of color except rhetorically. The themes of the Republican National Convention on "law and order," immigration as a crime issue, Muslims as terrorists, and so on all resonated as powerful racial dog whistles.
This was
reflected in the sparse Latino presence at the RNC Convention last week. Of the 2,472 delegates, only about 133 or 5 percent were Latino. Of the 72 speakers, only 6, or 9 percent was Latino. Latinos currently comprise about 18 percent of the US population.
The Democrats were much more inclusive of Latinos in their convention. Of the 4,766 delegates attending, 747 were Latinos or 16 percent of the total. Of the speakers at the convention, 19, or 14 percent were Latino. The biggest absence at both conventions was that of Latino musical performers; both events were salsaless.
However, it is interesting that the Republican Party has been more successful in fielding Latino candidates for high-level elected office. The only two Latino state governors are Republicans, as are two of the three Latinos serving in the United States Senate. It is also interesting that despite what some refer to as Democratic "Hispandering" Latinos remained the most underrepresented groups in federal government employment (only 8 percent) and even worse off with President Obama's appointments (only 7 percent Latino).
Regarding
the leadership of the Democratic National Committee, on the other hand, appear well-represented, at least for the time being. Of the ten leadership positions, three are held by Latinos. Once if a Vice Chair, Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, the National Finance Chair, Henry Muñoz III, and the Communication Director, Luis Miranda. Miranda, unfortunately, has gotten caught in the middle of the Wikileaks controversy and even has Latino immigrant rights advocates calling for his resignation.
It is, therefore, surprising that the 18=member DNC Platform Committee had only one Latino member, U.S. Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Illinois). Also, while they include representatives from non-elected officials, such as a business owner, the Center for American Progress; Union Theological Seminary and the Arab-American Institute. No Latin organizations were included.
An argument can be made that while the focus has been on Trump and Sanders as unusual political, personal outliers that, at the core of the current electoral instability we are experiencing, is the result of the increasing dysfunction of the American two-party system. The Republican Party completely lost control of its candidate selection function and the Democrats have barely held on to it. For outsiders like the Latino community, this dysfunction creates opportunities to male political gains.
The Republicans are in such disarray that what this party will be morphing into is not knowable ta this point. The Democratic Party, on the other hand, is finding itself with an unexpectedly competitive election and a strong potential interest left internal reform movement courtesy of the Bernie Sanders campaign. Under these circumstances, the role of the Latino vote becomes more important than ever in some battleground states creating an a-unique opening for demanding a greater decision-making role in both the DNC and the Clinton campaign.
Related
"Latino Opinion Leaders on the Presidential Election: Findings from NiLP's July 2016
National Latino Opinion Leaders Survey" By Angelo Falcón,
The NiLP Report
(July 21, 2016)
Angelo Falcón
is President of the National Institute for Latino Policy, for which he edits the online information service, The NiLP Report on Latino Policy & Politics, He can be reached at [email protected].
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
