* That song has been played at several Trump rallies.
It is revealing to observe how the MSM tries to tell us that Trump does not appeal to this or that demographic group, ethnicity or race. In fact, he has broad appeal across lines — while still having the respect of the base you identify.
I know several, legitimate immigrants and naturalized citizens who like candidate Trump. These people came here legally, with skills and culture. They jumped through all the hoops our laughable immigration system put in front of them. They paid all the fees, met every requirement, attended every appointment, took every test, and waited through every long step in the process. They resent anyone who cuts in line. They hate those who come here for a handout. They learned and speak English. They admire independent business owners.
Trump will win votes from the base and much more, particularly LEGAL immigrant naturalized citizens of every race — and their American friends and families.
Yeah, people respect strength. I think that if white conservatives demonstrate some self-respect and determination, they will find they have friends in some surprising places. I’m pretty sure my immigrant dad would vote for Trump if he were the GOP nominee.
The message our society currently sends to immigrants and minorities is, “Come dance on Whitey’s grave!” If that message were changed to, “We’re taking our country back; is your loyalty to us or to your old country?” there would be nothing to lose and a lot to gain. To put it differently, immigrants and minorities are currently spoken for by (as Steve recently observed) Jewish liberals in the media. If immigrants/minorities were put on the spot and made to speak for themselves, it could only be an improvement. At the very least we’d know whose side they’re on; one could no longer finesse tribal conflicts of interest with BS about dreams and propositions.
* I think Steve is hitting on something important here – Spanish really isn’t as cool as it used to be.
Back when Jeb!’s brother was selling himself as fluent in Spanish 15 years ago, it arguably was cool.
But I think a combination of the The War On Terror and the rise of China kind of put a kibosh on that. It looked cosmopolitan to brush up on your Spanish fifteen years ago, now it looks parochial.
Mandarin or Arabic, that’s where the smart kids are heading.
* Yeah, Jeb seems to be operating on the theory that the United States is just Florida writ large, so the approach he used successfully in Florida will translate seamlessly to the national stage.
In Florida’s political climate, seeing politicians switch effortlessly between Spanish and English is seen as no biggie, even for redneck voters, because everybody just writes it off as “oh, they’re pandering to the Cuban vote again.” Since Cubans aren’t (yet) seen as a wholly owned and operated subsidiary of the Democratic party, Republicans here don’t mind it that much. Jeb doesn’t seem to get that this sort of thing plays very differently in Iowa.
On the other hand, it does suggest that ethnic grievance groups who want real political power would be advised to spread themselves a little more widely across the political spectrum. Cubans, like Jews, have been very successful in getting their policy preferences set in stone precisely because they’ve been so good at avoiding being tied exclusively to one party — thus a Republican who panders to Cuban donors isn’t seen as “selling out” his redneck constituents.
The non-Cuban “Hispanic vote,” though, is still seen as monolithically Democratic and leftist, despite the best efforts of lobbyists — therefore, a GOP candidate who openly panders to Hispanics gets tagged as a Democrat in sheep’s clothing.
Or to put it in a way that iSteve readers might appreciate: While everybody knows most Jews are Democrats, everyone also knows there are some very loud, red-meat right-wing Jewish Republicans, so most white, Christian Republican voters aren’t terribly threatened by a Republican who talks up Jewish issues. There’s a similar dynamic at work in Florida with politicians pandering to Cubans. But where are all the loud, red-meat, right-wing Mexican-American activists and intellectuals? Where’s the Mexican-American version of Rush Limbaugh that Hispanics can point to and say, “see? Letting us have our way doesn’t have to be so bad.”
If La Raza or Black Lives Matter want to take it to the next level, maybe they need to develop their own neocon wings…
* Wanna know a big fat irony?
Bush 41 criticized Michael Dukakis in the 1988 campaign for campaigning to Hispanic voters in Spanish.