Posted on 11/12/2015 3:35:21 PM PST by Kaslin
It’s a good thing we have Chris Matthews on hand to “whitesplain” Hispanic identity for us, amirite? Not only does Matthews question whether to use the word “Hispanic,” he then — deliberately or not — feeds into birther-style paranoia about their legitimacy. Newsbusters has the clip:
Chris Matthews Not Sure if Cruz, Rubio Really Hispanic; They're 'Cuban Nationals' Though
AMANDA TERKEL: …you started to see in the debate last night where they drew more contrasts on policy, starting to preview a little bit more –
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Who’s out to get who?
TERKEL: Uh, I think Ted Cruz. You already saw he’s starting to get Marco Rubio. Didn’t call him out by name but started to preview, you know, you don’t want someone’s who’s soft on immigration, you don’t want someone supporting sugar subsidies, for example. So, Trump and Carson, they didn’t go after each other. But –
MATTHEWS: Sugar subsidies are worthy of a presidential debate now.
TERKEL: – it’s going to get nastier.
MATTHEWS: I couldn’t believe that last night.
TERKEL: I was surprised it was mentioned too, but, you know, he is clearly watching Rubio.
MATTHEWS: So you’re trying to insinuate that Marco Rubio, a fellow, uh, Spanish surname, I’m not sure the right word is Hispanic for them, because they are Cuban nationals or whatever, or come from Cuba. But, uh, is he going to insinuate that he is still basically for what he calls amnesty?
TERKEL: I think he is. And, I mean Rubio got very, very lucky last night in that he did not have to jump into the immigration debate. He skated by, he got some slightly easier questions. And you saw Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Donald Trump get in there on immigration. But Rubio didn’t have to do it, but he’s going to have to, obviously.
It’s an absurd statement to make, on two levels. Hispanic and Latino are terms that refer to cultures from predominantly Spanish-language cultures. Not only does Cuba qualify, but so does Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, among other Caribbean cultures. For that matter, so does Venezuela, Colombia, Central American nations, and so on. What’s more, Matthews knows better; he’s just trying to insinuate that Rubio and Cruz aren’t authentically Hispanic because they’re Republican, not because they have Cuban ancestry.
On top of that, Matthews then calls both Rubio and Cruz “Cuban nationals,” and follows up by saying they “come from Cuba.” That’s flat-out false. Neither Rubio nor Cruz “come from Cuba,” nor are they Cuban nationals; they’re both American nationals. They have parents who come from Cuba, but Rubio was born here, and Cruz was born in Canada to a mother who was a natural-born US citizen. It would be very, very difficult to believe that Matthews is unaware of a small coterie of activists who claim that neither candidate is eligible for the presidency because of the circumstances of their births, and it certainly appears as though Matthews is trying to troll that issue as a way to damage Rubio and Cruz.
We should deport Matthews to an island in the Arctic Ocean somewhere. Leave him there in his tidy whities, with a bottle of Scotch and a pack of matches.
Tingles is just trying to discount their “Hispanic-ness†to open he door for him to make remarks about them without any liberal PC-guilt.
They are more Hispanic than Obie is black...
Chris Matthews is not a real Irishman.
Political Correctness can be confusing at times.
OH, NO!
WHAT ARE WE TO DO???
Matthews has white privilege.
He can define any ethnic question to his own liking.
Except that "Latino" is cant, a Spanish-language adjective (not capitalized in Spanish) not found in good English dictionaries (maybe under "slang" and "cant").
If someone had to quote someone else using the word, I'd recommend italicizing it and using lowercase, to make sure the reader understands that a Spanish calque is being introduced.
Chrissy has gone full on Rachel Dolezal.
...... with a large sign taped to his back, with the words "FAT SEAL" in Polar Bear language.
Both should be recognized more for being American, and if they accentuate anything else, should not hold office.
Cruz is American enough and conservative enough to get another vote from me.
(I don’t think his whities are very “tidy.”)
That couldn’t be more beside the point.
This isn’t about what Cruz and Rubio are saying about themselves it’s about Chris Matthews’ delusional arrogance to think he can define ethnicity in any way that suits him.
lol! Slogan: “Send a Matthews and save a seal!”
“That couldn’t be more beside the point.”
I have heard both emphasize their heritage, both during the last debate, and also an attempt by Kasich. Evidently, you can no longer impress without mentioning immigrant parents.
Is that what this article is about? No.
Off to SF with him!....maybe Juarez...
YES!!
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