Posted on 05/17/2012 11:58:03 AM PDT by dragnet2
Ask the Texas Democratic Party and, as far as they’re concerned, there has never been a Latino party chair. This is partly due to party structure. But, it’s also the historical exclusion of Latinos from power in Texas.
Whatever the case, that’s all about to change.
One way or another, in a few short months, a Latino will be the public face of the Democratic Party in Texas. Currently, the only three candidates are Gilberto Hinojosa of Brownsville, Fidel Acevedo of Austin, and Rachel Barrios-Van Os of San Antonio. Changes have been taking place within the party in the past few years, such as the recently launched Promesa Project meant to bring Latinos into the political fold. As a result, it seems that the Democratic Party is run increasingly by, and marketing itself to, Latinos.
In June, at the party’s convention in Houston, delegates will have to choose between Latino candidates to replace current chair, Boyd Richie, who has held the position since 2005. While Latinos are pushing population growth in Texas, Latino politicians are an ever larger part of the Democratic delegation, and would-be Latino voters hold the key to power in the Lone Star State.
And last but not least, Latinos are increasingly the backbone of the Democratic party, specifically: in 2005, Ruben Hernandez became executive director; in 2009 Anthony Gutierrez became the deputy executive director; in 2006 the first Spanish speaking spokesperson was hired; and last year Rebecca Acuña was brought on to serve as the deputy political director for base outreach, as well as being the director of communications.
On the elected side, about half of the Democrats in the state house are Latinos, as are 56% of Democratic state senators in a state with 3.8 million eligible Latino voters. By 2033, Latinos will be the dominant voting age population in Texas.
In the state where Univisón’s newscast gets the highest ratings, the Democratic party is modeling itself after the booming part of the population.
“The ultimate goal is: this is the path you take to flipping the state,” said Gutierrez, in reference to Latino voters. “[But] You can’t have a plan where you go to try to contact Latinos two months before election day. This has to be constant and ongoing, something we are constantly communicating to Latinos — especially young Latinos. They are going to be the future of the party, we have to figure out how to bring them in.”
Part of this strategy is the aforementioned Promesa Project, which is modeled after The Great Schlep, Sarah Silverman’s Jewish outreach efforts in Florida during the 2008 presidential election. The party is training Latino volunteers at university campuses throughout the state to get the word out to their families and communities about voter registration, voting, and generally the political process. These campuses were selected for their significant Latino student enrollment, as well as being areas where Latino voters have the power to swing an election, Acuña explained.
“You can’t say, ‘We need to get Latinos out to vote with no political strategy. That is not the way to address the situation,” she argued. “If you actually focus on specific districts where Latinos are a large percentage of the population and their votes alone can swing an election, you can completely change the outcome.”
The way people at the Texas Democratic Party tell it, it was other Latinos who spurred the party into pursuing this type of action: in 2005 the party was publicly attacked by Latino politicians for not doing enough Latino outreach. Since then, Gutierrez claims the party has spent more money on, and emphasized, Latino voter outreach.
But thanks to the multiplier effects of social media, the party now has additional tools to conduct this sort of outreach, specifically using videos and social networks to do its Promesa Project advocacy. The party is even leveraging Facebook for the project, allowing participants to see which of their friends have voted.
But, Acuña and Gutierrez said the ultimate goal is to turn Texas into a blue state, while bringing Latinos into the fold to do so. The Promesa Project is one way they hope to bring in some of the 2.1 million Latinos eligible to vote but not registered, to expand the universe of voters available in the state — and if they’re really lucky — recruit more Latinos to participate beyond the ballot box and join in the party’s mission.
In the state where Univisón’s newscast gets the highest ratings, the Democratic party is modeling itself after the booming part of the population.
“Univisón’s newscast” it because of the Hot Latinas that are on there.
Is anyone really surprised?
Ya just knew this would happen.
Once Texas goes ‘rat, the country is officially done.
I predict the first year the dems fully encircle the tentacles on Texas will be 2024.
Texas will be blue in 4 years or so.
Bet the rent.
There is good news here.
The Texas White Liberal is dead and more moderate and socially conservative Hispanic Texans will take over the state.
So, can the state Democrat Party explain why in 2010 there were Latino defections from the party and the Legislature saw a massive victory for the Republican Party? A party does not enjoy a surge like that without gaining a large amount of support from the Latino community.
America is being invaded from the south and nobody seems to care. The idiots in the “media” seem to think that this is just a natural occurrence. I watched a piece on FNC this morning where they seemed surprised that the “minority” is now the majority in some states. They were really surprised and couldn’t seem to understand why.
What happens when the Opposition (i.e. us conservatives) no longer has a voice or an electoral way to stop the democrats.
They will have a majority in the Government and will have the ability to vote their voters money from the other sect of society that doesn’t support them. That is full and unbridled tyranny!
And once it goes, it ain't goin' back. The mexicans see that as the next big prize after CA.
I agree. That's what they're doing now... only once this happens with Texas, Mexico will have a huge say in what happens in the governance of the "United" States.
The whole country is flipping. Its due border crossers from the south, and liberals fleeing the mess they’ve made here in the north.
Well than what the hell can we do about it (round them up and send them back across the border I know) But what if this doesn't stop, what's the old saying, "The constitution is not a suicide pact " what about Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Mississippi, etc et al. states who will be crushed by the Federal Districts of Kalifornia and Maryland.
This sounds like the same problem the Founders had, with a few states crushing and enslaving the others.
Boy, you live in fantasyland.
Dallas Morning News:
Dallas Parkland Hospital leads nation in illegal immigrant births
Sherry Jacobson reports that 74 percent of the total 14,872 births at Parkland Hospital were to women who are believed to be in the country illegally.
Dallas Morning News: Dallas Parkland Hospital leads nation in illegal immigrant births
That over 1000, illegal anchor babies per month, at just one Texas hospital.
lol
For relief, stick head deeper in sand
Us Texans have had DEM Gov’s. We have grown Spanish population. Most don’t and will not vote! Texas will be one of the last states to go blue. I can assure you that the Spanish majority do not vote!
Once again, it's all part of the plan.
Divide the united.
Or what was once the united.
Don’t jump the gun, here. Mexican-Americans are not politically monolithic. There are many who are not just conservative, but very conservative. Though they vote Republican, they won’t join the party because they think it too liberal.
As a group, they also have better than average political acumen, because in Mexico of not-too-long-ago, supporting the wrong faction could get you killed on the spot.
That being said, from their perspective, what the two parties offer that they, the Mexican-Americans, are interested in, is pragmatic to what they want and need. And they have little desire to back a phony.
So what will you get from a “brown Texas?” The liberal cities will stay liberal, and the rest of the state, white or Mexican-American, will vote the way it does right now.
A House divided against it self cannot stand, it do not stand in the 1860's and frankly isn't standing together right now. When Montana, Missouri, Michigan and South Carolina are forced to support Federally Bailed out California, by the Democratic system, i.e. they have more people in government than you, what point at all is their to this Union (that's crazy KC Lion, that would never happen) Lots have things that would and should never have happened did.
America is not immune to Greece's fate, and our entire history has been shaped around the point of Individuals succeeding or failing on their own. Not in the "collective salvation" of the country in which Oklahoma and Georgia is taxed into oblivion supporting Federal programs for Maryland.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.