Democrats try to speak to Hispanics
In a debate at the University of Miami broadcast by Spanish-language
television giant Univisión, Democratic presidential candidates hoped to
speak voters' language.
Posted on Mon, Sep. 10, 2007
BY BETH REINHARD
breinhard@MiamiHerald.com
Who fared the best in the Democratic debate?
New York Sen. Hillary Clinton Illinois Sen. Barak Obama Former North
Carolina Sen. John Edwards U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich Connecticut Sen.
Chris Dodd New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel
Your vote has been counted, thank you for voting.
The first presidential debate conducted in Spanish and English marked a
history-making moment in American politics Sunday night, though the
candidates aimed more at embracing the nation's fastest-growing minority
group than in breaking new ground on the issues.
The Democratic candidates saved their sniping for the Republican Party,
whose candidates rebuffed an invitation to a similar forum next week.
More surprising was the criticism leveled at broadcaster Univisión by
the only Hispanic candidate. Just 14 minutes into the debate, New Mexico
Gov. Bill Richardson asked in Spanish if he could respond in that
language, knowing that the rules permitted him to speak only in English.
''I'm disappointed today that 43 million Latinos in this country will
not hear one of their own speak Spanish,'' he said. ``Univisión has
promoted English only in this debate.''
Richardson and Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, the only bilingual
candidates, were told they could speak only in English so as not to show
up their rivals. But the two long shots had nothing to lose by mocking
the rules on live television.
When Dodd was asked if he would promote Spanish as a second official
U.S. language, he said, ``I'm proud of the fact that I hablo español
perfectamente.''
The event marked a coming of age for the Hispanic community, whose
voting population has ballooned 50 percent over the past decade.
Univisión anchors Maria Elena Salinas and Jorge Ramos asked the
questions in Spanish, which were translated into English for the
candidates wearing United Nations-style earpieces. Their reponses were
translated back into Spanish for viewers.
No major gaffes occurred, but the on-air translation of the candidates'
answers into Spanish was spotty at times.
''It detracted tremendously from the quality of the debate,'' said
Eduardo Gamarra, director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean
studies at Florida International University. Gamarra, who led a focus
group of 19 young Hispanic Democrats who watched the debate, also
criticized the candidates for giving vague responses.
GOOD OPPORTUNITY
Outside of the better-known contenders for the nomination, Richardson
had the most at stake. The forum was a cost-free opportunity for
Richardson, whose name doesn't give away his Mexican background, to
telegraph to Hispanic viewers at home that he is one of them.
He also had a chance to separate himself on the issues, such as the
proposed construction of a wall along the Mexican border to keep out
illegal immigrants. He decried what he called the ''dehumanization'' of
the Hispanic community, more often portrayed sneaking across the border
than risking their lives in Iraq.
''You're going to build a 12-foot wall?'' Richardson demanded. ``You
know what's going to happen? A lot of 13-foot ladders. This is a
terrible symbol of America.''
Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Clinton of New York defended
their votes in favor of the wall, noting that they supported legislation
that would allow illegal immigrants to earn citizenship.
''I do favor much more border patrolling and much more technology, and
in some areas, even a physical barrier, because we've got to secure our
border,'' Clinton said.
Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards said there's no reason the
United States shouldn't do a better job keeping track of people coming
in and out of the country.
'When you walk into a Blockbuster, you may not see a person, but you'll
hear, `Welcome to Blockbuster,' '' he said. ``If we can figure out when
someone is walking into a Blockbuster, we can figure when someone comes
into America.''
PRIMARY PROBLEMS
The Democratic debate in Coral Gables comes during the liveliest primary
campaign Florida has seen in years. But the new law bumping up the
primary to Jan. 29 -- upending the calendars set by the national parties
-- has come at a price. The Republican National Committee plans to take
away half of Florida's delegates to the 2008 convention, while the
Democratic National Committee won't count the state at all at its
convention.
Nearly all the Democrats have pledged to skip states that break party
rules, throwing the Florida campaign into disarray.
Democratic leaders are trying to work out a compromise before Sept. 30,
when the candidate boycott would go into effect.
Joe Biden of Delaware, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, just returned from Iraq and was the only Democratic candidate
not at Sunday's debate.
Univisión officials say the Republican forum will be rescheduled, but
the campaigns have been vague about that possibility. Arizona Sen. John
McCain was the only GOP candidate who agreed to participate.
LATIN AMERICA
Unlike debates on the other major broadcast and cable networks, where
foreign policy questions typically center on the war in Iraq, Latin
America was at the forefront Sunday night.
Dodd was cheered loudly when he criticized the United States for sending
only $1.6 billion in aid to Latin America when the Iraq War is costing
more than $500 billion.
''We shouldn't be losing public relations battles to Hugo Chávez,'' he said.
Dodd came to Miami one day before the debate to call for an end to the
trade embargo with Cuba, a stance that puts him at odds with most of his
rivals. When Obama announced in Miami two weeks ago that he favored
allowing Cuban Americans to freely visit and send money to their
families on the island, he made it clear that the embargo should stay in
place to use as leverage after leader Fidel Castro's death.
U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel
gave dramatic responses to questions on Latin America, reflecting their
wild-card status in the race.
Kucinich said his first act in office would be to cancel the North
American Free Trade Agreement, which he said takes away jobs and lowers
wages in Mexico. Gravel said he would ''reach out'' to Chávez, the
fiercely anti-American president of Venezuela.
''Why can't we recognize Cuba?'' Gravel demanded in a question that
would unnerve many Cuban exiles who pray that Castro's death will usher
in democracy. ``What's the big deal?''
ANY REFERENCE
The candidates who couldn't speak Spanish pulled issues from their past,
and even from history, to try to make a connection with the Hispanic
audience.
Edwards talked about his bootstraps upbringing in a small North Carolina
mill town, where half of the residents are now Hispanic. Obama referred
to a telegram from one civil rights leader to another, from Martin
Luther King Jr. to Cesar Chavez in the 1960s.
Clinton noted that her campaign manger is Hispanic, and she decried the
inflammatory tone of the debate over an immigration overhaul.
''For me,'' she said, ``this [forum] is not only an opportunity, it's a
privilege.''
Miami Herald staff writers Pablo Bachelet, Laura Figueroa and Laura
Morales contributed to this report.
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