Change & Latino Politics: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Week of January 27th 2009

The GOOD:        2^nd Annual Latino State of the Union

America’s premier Latino organizations – LULAC, NCLR and MALDEF – convened at the Hyatt Regency in Washington DC last week for a roundtable on law, policy and civil rights. Dubbed the 2^nd Annual Latino State of the Union, the groups held panel discussions entitled Priorities Under the Obama Administration; Putting a Quality Education Within Reach; Hate Crimes and Civil Rights Enforcement; The Economy in Retrospect: What Went Wrong to What’s Next; and Bringing It All Together and Taking Action in 2009.

During his address, MALDEF President John Trasviña mentioned that Latinos have “friends in high places” in the Obama administration, like the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar; the Labor Secretary Hilda Solis; and the White House’s director of intergovernmental affairs, Cecilia Muñoz, formerly a vice president of NCLR.

The Latino political blog www.latinopoliticsblog.com reported on the 2^nd Annual Latino State of the Union as did last week’s New York Times politics blog. Except for these two news sources and a couple of Spanish news outlets, the gathering went unnoticed by mainstream media.

That these highly-respected advocacy groups would formalize a Latino agenda is commendable. That so few were part of the discussion and that even fewer know about the Latino agenda points to the challenge that lies ahead: The challenge of including Latinos in the life of our country.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/19/immigration-tops-latinos-wish-list-at-dc-meeting/

The BAD:           No Regrets? Bush, Cheney and Gonzales, Oh My!

It seems none of the out-going Bush Administration has any regrets from their tenure in the White House. Not the war in Iraq, not the economy, not the handling of Katrina … no regrets.

BUSH - Columnist Ellen Goodman put it best, “The 43rd president is going home with less remorse and fewer regrets than my grandchildren express for spilling their cereal.

This is the tenor of the farewell tour being conducted across the landscape from ABC to the American Enterprise Institute. It’s the No Regrets Tour, the non-reflective “reflections by a guy who’s headed out of town.”

George W. Bush will be remembered with names such as Abu Ghraib, Gitmo and Katrina. With phrases such as “weapons of mass destruction” and “mission accomplished.” He came in with a budget surplus and leaves with a massive deficit. He blew the goodwill of the post-9/11 world. But being this president means never having to say you’re sorry. . .

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008561234_opin26goodman.html

CHENEY - In his first television interview since the presidential election in November, former Vice President Dick Cheney displayed no regrets and gave no ground to his many critics within America and around the world. He summed up his record by saying: “I think, given the circumstances we’ve had to deal with, we’ve done pretty well.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/17/dick-cheney-interview-guantanamo-waterboarding

GONZALES - “As for regrets,” says former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, “I’m not sure how productive it is to lament about things that went wrong. Maybe it was inevitable.” The former AG has had trouble finding new work since he left the Department of Justice. He told NPR that things are looking up: “Gonzales says he is writing a book, and he believes his job prospects will look up when the economy improves and when investigations into actions of his Justice Department are put to rest.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/26/alberto-gonzales-i-dont-t_n_160955.html

The UGLY:  Immigration Reform Headed for the Back-Burner

Taking to heart an inauguration speech that honored those who “traveled across oceans in search of a new life,” thousands embarked on a campaign last week to make immigration reform a priority for the new president.

Immigrants who lent President Barack Obama their support at the ballot box joined those who cannot vote in marches and prayers, writing letters and raising banners from Miami to Los Angeles to push the issue to the top of Obama’s long to-do list.

In spite of the president’s promise to tackle the thorny issue within his first year in office, even advocates recognized that with two wars and a floundering economy on the table, immigration reform was a tough sell.

Compounding the frustration with comprehensive immigration reform is Obama’s appointment to Homeland Security, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, who became the first woman to serve in this post when she was sworn in January 21, 2009. Her record on immigration has leading immigration activists questioning her “smart” reform stance along with the fact that the state of Arizona leads the country in the number of immigrant deaths annually along the border.

It should be pointed out that the two Latino groups: Puerto Ricans and Cuban-Americans do not have an immigration issue as such. Both groups view immigration not an immediate concern: the Puerto Ricans are born U.S. citizens and the Cubans are paroled into the U.S. once they touch dry land. Hence, both have no employment issue for their newly arrived migrants or exiles.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11519751

From the NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/technology/start-ups/22blogpaper.html?_r=1&ref=business\

The Printed Blog, a Chicago start-up, plans to reprint blog posts on regular paper, surrounded by local ads, and distribute the publications free in big cities. The Printed Blog will publish blog posts alongside other Weblike content, like user-submitted photographs and readers’ comments. The paper will be printed on three or four 11-by-17-inch sheets of white paper and laid out like a blog instead of in columns.

So far, 300 bloggers have given The Printed Blog permission to publish their work for a share of the ad revenue, including small-audience bloggers in Chicago and nationally known blogs like Daily Kos. Users will eventually be able to log on to its site, theprintedblog.com, to choose which blogs they want in their edition, and editors will decide which posts make the paper. A city the size of Chicago could have 50 separate editions tailored to individual neighborhoods.

The first issues will appear in Chicago and San Francisco. They will start as weeklies, but Joshua Karp, the founder and publisher, hopes eventually to publish free neighborhood editions of The Printed Blog twice a day in many cities around the country

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Former Wall Street Journal reporter Bill Paul has a very interesting article in the January issue of Stocks, Futures and Options Magazine, http://www.sfomag.com/article.aspx?ID=1286&issueID=c, regarding Washington’s expected plans to cap carbon emissions and require an estimated 1 million or more U.S. businesses to lower their carbon emissions every year by an amount set by the government. Those businesses that fail will be required to offset their emissions by purchasing credits in the open market from companies that succeed in reducing their emission levels below the government-set annual limit, thereby generating tradable credits.  There will be a tremendous amount of money spent by American businesses in the very near future to comply with pending regulations and PR professionals should recognize the opportunity to leverage this commitment and proactively emphasize their clients “greening efforts” to consumers, investors, and potential employees.

Wall Street is also eager to turn the new requirements into an opportunity to generate fees from carbon trading. Paul adds that in Europe, carbon trading is already a $100 billion annual market and when New York, Sydney, and Tokyo are added to the mix during the next couple of years, fees from carbon trading (from both trading credits and developing carbon-reducing projects such as wind farms that generate credits) will create billions in new fees for investment firms.

Paul concludes that investors will now have to strongly consider companies that have implemented effective carbon reduction programs, such as energy efficiency improvements and/or substitution of green power for fossil fuel-sourced power. These companies are an attractive target for investors because of their lower operating costs, earning potential from carbon trading, and environmentally friendly public image.

10 Democrats — and some runners-up — who could soon find themselves on the White House Frenemies List:

1. Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) — Conyers, the outspoken chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, hasn’t been shy about pressuring Obama — vowing to proceed with investigations into the Bush administration’s sacking of eight U.S. attorneys and other potential violations of federal law. Obama has said he prefers to “look forward” and not rehash the past — but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has indicated she’s open to allowing Conyers to proceed. Remember: In the 110th Congress, Conyers had to be talked down from pushing for the impeachment of President George W. Bush. 

2. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) — The incoming chairwoman of the Intelligence Committee forced Obama to apologize after he nominated Leon Panetta to head the CIA without consulting her first. Feinstein is not afraid to break with her party on thorny issues, as she did recently during the Roland Burris affair and last year when she essentially declared Hillary Clinton’s presidential run over before her candidate was ready to concede. Feinstein also may be positioning herself for a 2010 gubernatorial run, a potentially bigger factor for her than making Obama look good.

3. Vice President Joe Biden — Biden survived the campaign, the transition and even Inauguration Day without any Obama-embarrassing verbal gaffes. But on the first full day of the Obama presidency, Biden made a joke — on live TV — about Chief Justice John Roberts’ fumbling of Obama’s swearing-in. Obama, who had tried to smooth over the oath of office glitch, looked visibly unhappy with his VP, touching his arm in a sign that it was time to shut up and move on. If Biden can’t button it — and encourage his wife to do the same — expect to see Obama’s pinched-face look a little more often.

4. Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) — Waxman, who knocked off John Dingell to become chairman of the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, is no party maverick: He’s an enthusiastic Obama and Pelosi supporter with a long history of defending Democratic presidents, namely Bill Clinton. But he’s also among the House’s most aggressive proponents of addressing global warming fast, and he recently promised to act “quickly and decisively” in his capacity as committee chairman. The problem is that both Pelosi and Obama have a lot on their plates and want to ring up a series of legislative victories before addressing a controversial, technically complex issue that could create a stalemate. Plus, Waxman’s push for stronger emissions standards could alienate some Rust Belt members whose states depend on coal. Runner-up: Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).

5. Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) — The new head of the Appropriations Committee is old school when it comes to legislative earmarks. This is the same guy, after all, who from 1998 to 2004 steered $1.4 billion to military projects in his state. That puts him at philosophical loggerheads with Obama, who ran against the culture of pork and influence peddling in Washington. “Inouye isn’t going to bend to accommodate” Obama, said a senior Democratic aide. Moreover, this beloved war hero — who stood up for fellow earmarker and former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) when the latter was convicted on federal fraud counts— is probably reflecting the views of many other Democrats. Said one Senate aide: “That anti-earmark stuff sells nationally, but earmarks are still great politics locally.” Runner-up: Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.).

6. Rep. Allen Boyd (D-Fla.) — Obama has carefully courted Boyd, one of the most influential of the pay-as-you-go Blue Dog Democrats — but an unprecedented congressional spending spree and the new administration’s commitment to throwing more aid at flailing banks will create inevitable tensions. Those tensions have been stoked by the new president’s waning commitment to repealing tax cuts for families earning $250,000 or more — a rollback backed by both the Dogs and Pelosi. Some Blue Dogs, many of them newly elected moderates responsible for expanding the Democratic majority in the House, have also shown a willingness to break with party leadership on national security issues — and 15 of them refused to pay Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee dues in 2007 over differences with antiwar Democrats. But with $1.2 trillion in government spending at hand and the worst economy in 75 years, budget hawks are not exactly in vogue in the Democratic Party, so Blue Dogs may be diminished. Runners-up: Reps. Heath Sh uler (D-N.C.) and Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.).

7. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) As chairman of the Finance Committee, Baucus has often infuriated liberals with his pro-business positions and his penchant for striking deals with Republican Chuck Grassley. If Obama chooses to govern from the middle, he could find a key ally in Baucus. But trying to enact the tax, health and trade policies he touted on the campaign could hit a roadblock if Baucus doesn’t give them his blessing.

8. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) — The head of the Congressional Black Caucus represents several potential fault lines between Obama and Hill Democrats. As a CBC leader with a lock on her Oakland district (and a solid relationship with Pelosi), she’s secure enough to buck the White House if she thinks that Obama is taking African-American support for granted. She is also a founder of the Out of Iraq and Progressive caucuses — and she stood up to Bill Clinton on his use of military force in Iraq and Serbia — so she won’t be shy in criticizing the administration if it tarries on withdrawing from Iraq. Runner-up: Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.).

9. Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) — Because none of his fellow Democrats ever know what he will do or say.

10. Michelle Obama — She’s glamorous, she’s on message, she’s the nation’s favorite mom — and now she has nowhere to go but down. The press, which helped savage Michelle Obama for her “proud of my country” remark during the campaign, has since built her into a 21st century Jackie O. With the spotlight shining so brightly on her now, any misstep by the first lady — a slip of the tongue, a too-frank statement, any disagreement with the administration’s positions — could reflect harshly on her husband.

Compiled from www.politico.com

Historic numbers of Latino voters delivered for President Barack Obama and share in the victory we all honor today.

Indeed Latinos contribute to the rich fabric of this country, whether on the front lines in Iraq, in the farms of California, or at the voting booths in Florida.

As we celebrate the diversity that is America, let us move forward from a nation of black and white to fully embrace the many shades of color: Latinos - whose phenomenal growth and $1 trillion buying power fuels our nation’s economy.

But in watching the news coverage today I never once saw a Latino anchor or commentator, never once saw a Latina being interviewed on the Mall, never once felt that we too are celebrating the great new beginning. We all wanted change when we voted for President Obama, let us hope that the national news media gets that the change that commences today is for all America, not just for Black or young America.

THE GOOD: Hopeful American Dreams in San Antonio’s Suburbs

It’s unclear what prompted my nine-year old nephew to halt his action figure grudge-match between masked wrestlers to ask, “Is Martin Luther King’s dream coming true on the day he gave his speech or the day he died?“

It seems hope is alive in America. From a nine year old Latino boy in a San Antonio suburb to the millions of Americans gathered in our nation’s capitol to honor the embodiment of Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream at the inauguration of Barack Obama, America’s 44^th President.

Hope is alive today and has taken hold throughout the country. Eight of ten Americans hold high hopes for Obama according to an ABC poll. Read more. . .

http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-01-15-voa57.cfm

THE BAD: It’s Still the Economy Stupid!

A new report by the Pew Hispanic Center says concerns about the economy far surpass those about immigration, a topic that got far more attention in Congress and the first half of the U.S. presidential campaign.

“The issue appears to have receded in importance among one of the groups most affected by it — Latinos,” the Pew report says. “Only three in ten (31 percent) Latinos rate immigration as an ‘extremely important’ issue facing the incoming Obama administration.”

Immigration came in sixth on a list of seven policy priorities.

The top issue? The economy. That is, jobs, homes, feeding their children.

These are exactly the same reasons immigrants come into the country illegally and legally. Coming in second and third were education and health care. The study also found Latinos to be optimistic about the future and Obama’s presidency.

Here’s a link to the report, http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=101

From Elaine Ayala’s Latino Life blog,

http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/latinlife/2009/01/a-year-and-a-half.html

THE UGLY:  Latinos forced to organize their own Inaugural festivities

Tony Plana, who plays Betty’s father in the television series “Ugly Betty,” said he was ecstatic about President-elect Barack Obama’s victory. He said an Obama administration could improve the lives of all minorities.

But he also said Hispanics deserved a better spot on the inaugural festivities list.

“It’s a concern this event tonight is not an official event of the administration. It’s a little sad for me Latinos had to organize their own event,” Plana said. He said he hoped it did not mean Hispanics would be relegated to a back seat. The event was organized by the National Council of La Raza and other Hispanic organizations.

Read more. . .

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-ap-inauguration-latinos,0,3164709.story

An article in the Houston Chronicle this morning gives an air of shock that Hispanics would be more worried about the economy than immigration.

I always find it interesting when the media tries to break us off into our little ethnic ghettos. “How can all Americans be worried about the same thing and the same time?!” It’s shocking - well, at least to the Chronicle.

An interesting article on how Mayor Bill White might have to adapt his speaking style in his bid for the US Senate.  Enjoyed the way the article discusses fundamentals of speech communication.  Most politicians forget that you cannot deliver the same words in the same way to every crowd.  You have to adapt to your audience.  Great orators and politicians understand this technique and use it to their advantage.  Audience adaptation - a lesson all politicians should learn.

1. Governor…oops!

Becoming the first political casualty in President-Elect Barack Obama’s Cabinet, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson abruptly withdrew his nomination from consideration as Commerce Secretary, citing an ongoing federal “pay-to-play” investigation involving one of his political donors as a mortal obstacle to his confirmation.

Richardson, 61, the former energy secretary and U.N. ambassador under President Clinton was positioned to become the highest-profile Latino in Obama’s administration. Obama has named two other Latinos to Cabinet posts: Rep. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte, as Labor Secretary, and Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., as Interior Secretary.

Richardson made it clear that his confirmation in the Senate was far from a sure thing. “Given the gravity of the economic situation the nation is facing, I could not in good conscience ask the president-elect and his administration to delay for one day the important work that needs to be done,” Richardson said in a statement. He added that he would stay on as governor.

Latino reaction to the suddenness and long term impact of Richardson’s departure has been mixed with leaders pressuring the Obama administration to consider another Latino for Commerce Secretary, namely California Congressman Xavier Becerra. Read more from those who think Richardson’s move was smart and not so smart…

SMART MOVE:

(http://latinalista.net/op-eds/2009/01/creating_true_change_in_latino_political.html)

DISAPPOINTING: (http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/05/richardson.withdrawal.latinos/index.html?iref=newssearch)

2. Hanging Up on Hope. Twice.

Is Ileana Ros-Lehtinen a little paranoid? Maybe.

The Republican congresswoman from Florida recently got a call from President-elect Barack Obama, didn’t believe it was him, and hung up on him. . .Twice.

According to Ros-Lehtinen’s flack Alex Cruz, the congresswoman received the call on her cell phone from a Chicago-based number and an aide informed her that Obama wanted to speak to her. When Obama introduced himself, Ros-Lehtinen cut him off and said, “I’m sorry but I think this is a joke from one of the South Florida radio stations known for these pranks.” Then she hung up.

Moments later, Obama tried again, this time through his soon-to-be chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.  ”Ileana, I cannot believe you hung up on the President-Elect,” Emanuel said. And then–yes, you know what’s coming–she hung up on Emanuel saying she “didn’t believe the call was legitimate.” A short time later, Ros-Lehtinen received an urgent call from Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, who informed her that she indeed hung up on Obama. 

So, Obama tried again and this time he was successful. (Phew!)

“It is very funny that you have twice hung up on me,” Obama said. Ros Lehtinen responded by telling Obama that radio stations in South Florida always make these sorts of jokes. Obama said similar pranksters reside in Chi-town.

“You are either very gracious to reach out in such a bipartisan manner or had run out of folks to call if you are truly calling me and Saturday Night Live could use a good Obama impersonator like you,” Ros-Lehtinen joked with the president-elect.

Holding Onto Hope . . . and a Stripper Pole

If hanging up on hope weren’t enough of an embarrassment, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen held firm to a stripper pole on Miami’s Enrique y Joe morning radio program.  A 26-second video clip of the Congresswoman is a hit on YouTube with nearly 12,000 viewings. It begs the question of the Congresswoman. Why?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmJFH5wT-Q

Compiled from www.politico.com and YouTube.

Why should you care about this? Maybe you shouldn’t. But when we’re trying to figure out just whom the candidates might be in a case like, say, Missouri, it’s helpful to have some notion of how senators get to be where they are. Are we right to focus heavily on members of the Congress? (Yes — this is where an awful lot of Senators come from.) How common is it for someone to be elected to the Senate after having held no previous elected office? (Not very common — but more common than you might think).

Nearly half of the current members of the Senate were members of the U.S. House at some before becoming senators — usually immediately beforehand. A lot of these folks, moreover, were in their state legislatures before becoming representatives. This is the most basic path by which one pursues a political career: State Representative –> State Senator –> U.S. Representative — > U.S. Senator. Especially talented candidates — for example, our President-elect — can and do bypass the stint in the House, but this is still fairly rare, even if it seems to be occurring somewhat more frequently than it once did.

The other major path toward becoming a senator is from the state executive branch. About one quarter of the current population of the Senate held statewide elected office before taking their new jobs, including 11 former elected governors. From among the other statewide offices, attorney generals have been on something of a hot streak of late, presently accounting for 7 seats in the Senate, but there are also state auditors, state treasurers, tax commissioners (Kent Conrad; I’d originally missed the fact that this is an elected office in North Dakota) and lieutenant governors.