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Hey Dems, earn the Latino Vote! [1]

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Date: 2024-06-17  

The Latino vote is important, like all votes. As a liberal, and a Latina, this is my advice to Democrat politicians: Just treat us like people. Stop making assumptions about who we are as a group (that’s the definition of racism), listen to what we care about as individuals, not just as Latinos, undress Trump as the hypocrite that he is regarding Christian values, and focus on the policies that would benefit all Americans.

Growing up in a Catholic, classist and racist Latin American country, I get it how some Latinos like, love, Trump. Not everyone that immigrates to the US is running away from persecution by a fascist military dictatorship, or a cartel; not everyone cares about politics – too preoccupied finding ways to feed their families, and not everyone cares about the collective. These are all assumptions. Enter my mother. She’s a very white Latina that came to the US at the age of 50 as a legal immigrant, who has racist thoughts (because we don’t let words come out of her mouth on the topic), who questions anyone on welfare – “if people are not working in America, it’s because they are lazy,” she says, who landed in California, a friendly state to immigrants then and now. She will vote for Biden, not because she agrees with the policies, but because she knows we’ll disown her if she doesn’t 😉. She’s 96.

The existential problem we face in America is beyond the typical ‘isms’. It’s about power and greed – a minority dominates a majority and compete on the race to being the wealthiest person on the planet. Oligarchism? Some Latinos want this too. Some are in the race.

Coupled with being a misogynist, a well-known behavior to us Latinas, Trump checks a box with many men. And there is the macho factor. “Macho: Derived from the Latin mascŭlus, which means "male". It was originally associated with the ideal societal role men were expected to play in their communities.” The description is so compelling, that the word has been adopted and it’s used in English and other languages. Why shouldn’t some Latin men want to be in control of society, just like their white and black compadres?

Will Latin women vote for Trump at the same rate than Latin men? Many will, but for different reasons. Enter religion and morality.

Trump has effectively convinced religious people that he’s been chosen by God, that Christianity should reign in this country, and family values will be preserved. Latinos are largely Christian, mostly Catholic. Today, only 4 Latin countries have legalized abortion. This is not because abortions are not happening. This is because the power of the Catholic church exceeds that of the will of the people, with a tried-and-true strategy: selling the eternal heaven for those that line up and sending the rest of us to hell, also for eternity. Some Latinas are on spiritual cruise control and view a pro-choice stand as a capital sin – even those that have had abortions. And for some, it’s the job of women to protect our families. Hence, they’ll vote for Trump, in case that helps their cause in the end.

The way to appeal to Latinos, is to focus on the same policies that would benefit the rest of Americans: great public schools so children can break the cycle of poverty, healthcare for all, so they can thrive their way to adulthood, and provide safety, a life free of violence and threats. This is what we all need and appreciate, including Latinos.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/17/2247226/-Hey-Dems-earn-the-Latino-Vote?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

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