Posted on 04/10/2015 12:52:13 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
WASHINGTON — Ted Cruz has a Latino name. He has a Latino background. And he’s one of the few Latinos to have ever run for the presidential nomination of a major party.
But is he Latino enough?
The Hispanic community in his home state of Texas gave him some but not overwhelming support when he was elected to the Senate in 2012. And mostly Democratic Latinos nationwide are more wary than ever after Cruz’s relentless criticism of immigration reform and the new health care law.
His father is a Cuban exile, and the Republican senator from Texas touts his father fleeing Cuba during the revolution every chance he gets, which usually gets a rousing response from an anti-Castro audience.
In his presidential announcement speech March 23, Cruz spoke of his father’s journey, an immigrant’s journey.
“Imagine for a second the hope that was in his heart as he rode that ferry boat across to Key West, and got on a Greyhound bus to head to Austin, Texas, to begin working, washing dishes, making 50 cents an hour, coming to the one land on Earth that has welcomed so many millions,” he said. “When my dad came to America in 1957, he could not have imagined what lay in store for him.”
The Cruz campaign released a video in Spanish and promises a push for Latino voters. “We will have an aggressive Hispanic outreach effort and have staff that are spearheading it,” said Cruz campaign spokeswoman Catherine Frazier. “Ted’s father, Rafael, will also be an active surrogate.”
(CRUZ-SPANISH-AD-VIDEO-AT-LINK)
But Cruz, whose mother is Anglo, has had a limited connection to the Latino community, which is largely Mexican-American and also largely Democratic.
“Running in the primary, Ted Cruz is not making any effort to appeal to Latino voters,” said Matt Barreto, co-founder of the research and polling firm Latino Decisions.
Cruz’s attacks on issues favored by much of the Hispanic community, especially the Obama administration’s easing of immigration restrictions and the Affordable Care Act, have made him unpopular. In a Latino Decisions poll in November of over 4,000 Latinos in 10 states where Hispanics are a significant voting bloc, Cruz had a favorable rating of 31 percent and was viewed unfavorably by 39 percent.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who also is Cuban American and who is announcing his presidential campaign Monday in Miami, also had a 31 percent favorable rating but fared slightly better with a lower negative rating of 36 percent.
Cruz’s birth certificate gives his name as Rafael Edward (“Ted” is a nickname), named after his father. The elder Cruz left Cuba on a student visa after having been arrested and tortured for his disenchantment with rebel leader Fidel Castro, who he had initially supported. His last name is very distinctive: “cruz” means cross in Spanish.
Ted Cruz was born in 1970 in Calgary, Alberta, where his parents were in the oil business. The family moved from Canada to Houston when he was small.
Cruz speaks passable Spanish; he has said he speaks “Spanglish.”
“He’s slightly more Hispanic than Jeb Bush,” said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, who added that he was only half-kidding.
A recent report that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is weighing a presidential run, had checked off “Hispanic” on a voter registration card caused a stir. Bush is considered a blue blood, the son and brother of former presidents from Texas whose family roots are from wealthy New England families. But Bush, who laughed off the incident as a mistake, speaks fluent Spanish and is married to a woman from Mexico.
Texas does not ask for race identification on voter registration, so Cruz’s self-identification is not so readily available.
“While Cruz is ethnically Hispanic on his father’s side, that is not part of his political persona,” said Jillson.
The Texas senator won his seat in his first political campaign in 2012 by appealing to the tea party in the state with his message of being a strong social and fiscal conservative.
He garnered 35 percent of the Latino vote in the general election, according to a poll by Latino Decisions, outperforming GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who got 29 percent.
But, said Barreto, who is also a professor of political science at UCLA, Cruz’s working against the immigration bill crafted by Rubio and a bipartisan group of senators in 2013 cost him support.
“He himself comes from an immigrant family, and that creates bad feelings in the Latino community,” said Barreto. The bill, which set a path to citizenship, passed the Senate but was not considered by the House of Representatives.
“Ted Cruz is undeniably Latino,” said James Henson, director of the Texas Political Project at the University of Texas at Austin. “Does he seem to be interested in appealing to the Mexican American majority of the Latino population? Not so much. His career in Texas primarily has been focused on reaching out to conservatives.”
Who really cares? I’m happy to have a pro American who knows and believes in our Constitution, is Christian and Conservative, has common sense and is able to articulate his ideas and ideals.
If I recall correctly he had four white grandparents, three black African grandparents, and one Arab grandparent.
Didn’t pay close attention to all the soap opera ancestry stuff during the campaigns because his communism and homosexuality were more important.
It doesn’t matter if you are appealing to ideology or skin color? That has got to be the most stupid thing I ever heard.
I don’t care what skin color someone is. It’s totally irrelevant. I care what the CHARACTER of the person is and what they stand for. Skin color versus ideology/character is like the difference between night and day. Skin color stands for nothing. It doesn’t tell me what or who you are.
You may want to reconsider your position. The only people who keep pushing race politics are Obama, Holder, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson , the Democrats and their assorted MSM enablers
No one is running on ideas more than Ted Cruz is. What planet are you living on?
And there was nothing embarrassing about his account to the evangelicals. Really you should be posting on Daily Kos. You seem to have wandered onto the wrong(for you) web site by mistake .
Democrats are race obsessed. It is in their DNA.
If you are obsessed by race, thats your party. If you are not obsessed by it, if you don’t give two hoots about it one way or the other, you’re probably a Republican.
In Dem-world, you are only authentic black if you are a Democrat. You are only an authentic hispanic if you are Democrat. Anyone who doesn’t join their group-think reservation is by definition “not” black or hispanic.
Jeb should know better. Elizabeth Warren is “authentic” American Indian without a trace of indian blood because she is an orthodox Democrat. If Jeb wants to be an authentic hispanic, he didn’t have to learn fluent spanish, all he had to do was join the DNC. He’s not far away from them on policy, he just has to do the paperwork and he’s as authentic as any La Raza flack.
ditto
Then I think he is going to grow on you.
I also like Walker and Fiorina. Walker is fearless. Fiorina handles herself well behind a podium including in a debate. But I am, personally, well impressed with Cruz. I'd like to see him head the ticket with either of the others you mentioned partnered with him for VP.
The lying Nazi slut immediately spews out this propaganda line at the beginning of the article:
“And mostly Democratic Latinos nationwide are more wary than ever after Cruz’s relentless criticism of immigration reform and the new health care law.”
Says who?
Where’s your proof, liar?
This diatribe by this taco-bender is filled with disinformation, half-truths and a salute to Goebbels Nazi propaganda ministry.
HUH???
The only races involved among "Latinos" and "Hispanics" are those of the indigenous brown peoples in the Western Hemisphere territories conquered and colonized by Spain and Portugal.
"Latinos" and "Hispanics" are deceptive terms to imply race. The only reason certain indigenous tribal folks in South American rain forests aren't called "Hispanic" in race is because they never adopted the Spanish language.
Pretending that we're defining a race of people with the words "Latino" and "Hispanic" is bound to go sideways because it's based on a false premise.
Good analysis. The Key phrase for me:
“The only races involved among “Latinos” and “Hispanics” are those of the indigenous brown peoples in the Western Hemisphere territories conquered and colonized by Spain and Portugal.”
Spain and Portugal are filled to the brim with white people.
It’s time to invite white “Latinos” and “Hispanics” to come on over to our side and claim their “white privileges.”
Racial politics, done right, can work in America’s favor.
Imagine liberal heads exploding when “white” Hispanics vote 60% Republican.
Viva George Zimmerman, the stupid media’s “white” Hispanic.
¿Que?
I’m curious regarding how Cruz father could enter legally?
Two Blasts from ‘13 Past: Julian (or maybe Juan, I forget, but their mother is La Raza co-founder) Castro, Mayor, San Antonio
New San Antonio Decree: Politicians Will Lose Jobs If They Speak Against Homosexuals
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3064753/posts
San Antonio Passes Non-Discrimination Law, Christians Fear Reprisals
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3063866/posts
Then a year later Annise Parker, Lesbian Houston Mayor, Subpoenas Sermans of Area Pastors
There is a clear divide: God-loving, America-proud Latinos, and ones the Castros are JIHOMOing into Queer Nation. I’m betting Cruz takes 80% of the Patriots from the Castros.
This is the battle to watch among Latinos.
He acquired a visa.
Vet, your Tex Mex types don’t much have a lot in common with the Cubanos, so their support for Cruz is going to be just naturally underwhelming. Now this Cruz guy isn’t what I would call overtly Latino in the Eli Wallach - Ricardo Montalban sort of way. Hell, his Spanish isn’t even all that good.
He somehow garnered 41% of the Latino vote in his last election.
It’s a designed distraction with zero relevance - else, Obama couldn’t possibly be Black enough because he is mixed blood, was raised by Whites and don’t talk the dialect anywhere near as Hillary’s, “Ah ain’t no waays tahred”.
Yabut, GW did better than that with the Mexicans in in Texas. I"m tellin'ya, these Latinos are a tough crowd. There's little love lost between one Latin American set of natives and any other.
YEP!!! A whole lotta South Americans speak Spanish only yet have blond or red hair, fair skin, and blue eyes. Yet we both know what would happen if they immigrated illegally to the U.S. and tried to partake of all the things that "real Latinos" with dark skin and dark eyes are entitled to just because they're brown ...
The terms "Latino" and "Hispanic" are like "unicorn" and "pro-choice" -- language intended to disguise illusions.
My Son-in-Law, a highly intelligent, cultured gentleman is from a small town in the middle of Spain (Madrid), is a faculty member at a famous and very expensive and exquisitely politically correct institute of learning in Washington D.C. that was seeking an experienced Director of one of their prestigious programs, for which he applied. The selection committee noticed his overwhelming qualifications and obviously Spanish surname and was overjoyed. OMG! An Hispanic! WOW! Aren't we just cool?
They call the fellow in for an interview, where he discovered to his surprise and dismay that he not only is NOT to be further considered, but that he is NOT EVEN AN HISPANIC! How dare he pretend otherwise?!!
You see "Hispanic" officially means that you are from a land of Spanish tradition, culture, and language, OK? But in addition, you must be darker-complected than a brown paper grocery bag and not be from Spain, Chile, Uruguay or Argentina. ¿Entiendes?
OTOH, you can be Snow White and be from México, Venezuela, Peru, Cuba, etc. and still fit within the EEOC Affirmative Action Guidelines.
But wait, there's more. Puerto Ricans may qualify as African-Americans AND Hispanics. Afro-Cubans may, or may not. (Note the "May.")
BTW, I do wish this story had a happier ending, but my intelligent, handsome, and altogether charming Son-in-Law went into this bizarre episode a convinced Leftist and emerged from it with the very same mind-set. He Lives by Political Correctness and remains a Cheerful Martyr to it.
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