Opinion

The Latino paradox of the Republican party

Flea's Cartoons Marko Rubio Ted Cruz final

Art by Herschel Levin/The Cougar

Hispanics are aiming to break precedent on both sides of the ballot box.

For the first time ever two – yes, two – Hispanics are vying for a shot on the Republican presidential ticket. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas are both solid contenders.

In a strange parallel universe known as the electorate, Hispanics – particularly Hispanic youths – make up a large chunk of eligible voters. They are a force to be reckoned with. Statistics show that every 30 seconds a Hispanic turns 18, which is why Hispanic millennials make up 44 percent of the 27.3 million eligible Latino voters.

Yet these two aren’t meeting in the middle. This dynamic is more of a Batman versus Joker parody: an immovable wall meeting an unstoppable force.

Sure, Hispanic voters aren’t known for turning out in primaries. And like all aspects of American politics, there’s a polar split, primary and general elections being no exception.

“The primaries tend to be non-Hispanic whites (who are) more conservative, evangelicals that have nothing in common – except maybe religion – with Latino voters,” associate professor of American and Latino Politics Jeronimo Cortina said.

Rubio and Cruz, both of Cuban descent, have no empathy for the immigration plight, even though Cubans have historically been given refugee status that expedited their paths to citizenship.

Both senators are running stanch immigration reform, anti-legalization campaigns. Or at least Cruz is; Rubio flip-flops on that issue. Both candidates play down their ethnicity to keep in cahoots with the more conservative voters. They’re the difference between “descriptive” and “substantive” representation.

“During the Chicano movement we were fighting to have a seat at the table,” Cortina said. “Now it’s more about substantive, bread and butter issues.”

Historically, Latinos have never voted red, nor have they really voted at all recently. A record low for Hispanic turnout took place in 2014 – an estimated 18.3 million out of the total 25.1 million eligible voters didn’t vote. But it’s pretty clear that those who show up won’t be vying for Rubio or Cruz’s descriptive representation.

Which brings up the greatest irony of the Republican primary: the Trump card.

Latino voters still don’t know how they feel about the majority of the candidates. For the most part, it’s because they still don’t really know the candidates, which is to be expected this far out from the general election. Except with Trump. The voters’ disdain for him is higher than any other candidate.

“Everything Trump has said (about) ‘rapists, criminals’… Latinos take it very personally,” Cortina said.

Latinos are dubbed the least politically active, but can Trump break that losing streak and mobilize 27.3 million Latinos – no matter their specific races and cultures – with his disgusting, racist  rhetoric?

As the primary race ticks down, UH will host a GOP debate this month, days before Super Tuesday, and it’s garnering attention.

“This will be the first time…in modern memory that Texas will make a difference in the Republican primary,” Paul Simpson, Harris County Republican Party Chairman, said.

Texas has 155 GOP delegates, the second most of any state, on Super Tuesday. Republican turn out is expected to be the biggest yet, an anticipated 300,000 as opposed to 161,250 from 2012. Despite rampant assumptions, that alone won’t ensure Texas stays red.

“The reality of the nation is Texas with our diversity, we are the new political reality,” Cortina said.
The stakes are high. The candidates are polarized. Latino voters might just be ready to throw their weight around.

Should it really take two decades and blatant racism to send Latinos to to the ballot box? Is Trump actually the Dark Knight we all know we don’t want? The real Latino electorate needs to stand up.

Opinion columnist Leah Lucio is a journalism senior and may be reached at [email protected]

3 Comments

  • Leah, Leah, Leah … I think you are jealous that the two Hispanics running for President are against your ideology? And the SocDems can only muster Jurassic white old people, who have to wear Depends to avoid going to the bathroom every couple of hours.

    I believe Hispanics are overall Conservative. Do they all run to Planned Parenthood when a fetus takes life? No. Do most strive to improve themselves without government intrusion? Yes. Legal Hispanics have seen with the last seven years of the Obama Regime, that their prospects have been reduced.

    And a sudden increase of legalized Hispanics will be a big problem for those of us legal Hispanics, especially those who are low skilled. For instance, if your Father is a janitor, and your Mother cleans houses, and your family just obtained a new house; an influx of newly legal workers will cause havoc with your families finances. The increase of new workers will be paid at a lower rate, and prospects for personal improvement will be that much tougher. Which falls into the SocDems line of having a dumb and dependent underclass to keep them in power.

    Your problem is that you think you are safe from SocDem policies. You think you will be above the fray, because you know if all the people coming over the border were journalism seniors, you wouldn’t be thinking this way.

    I think you will be surprised how much support Hispanics will throw behind Trump. He’s talking increased prosperity, which is hard to find in the Clinton and Sanders SocDem camps. Heck, my Vietnamese tailor likes Trump.

    Look, we have 95 million people out of work, and unemployment is at 4.9%. Really? Obama gets no blame for that, and very little blame for anything else. I believe you know he is a failure as it comes to being an American. Unfortunately, he is succeeding as a Socialist, and the Constitution is suffering for it.

    • As usual, your racist attempts to hijack the topic away from the subject matter and back to Obama-bashing knows no bounds. The topic is the Hispanic voters who, like it or not, as has been stated, have no history of getting behind WASP Republicans autocrats like Trump and so certainly will not vote for that petty tyrant. Why would anyone vote for someone who wants them deported or who thinks they are a rapist and murderer? That’s like thinking Jews would vote to elect Hitler if he were running. What’s wrong with your brain?

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