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Cast Your Vote
The United States is split down the middle: on one side are those who support President George W. Bush; on the other, those who oppose him and his policies. Likewise, the country is split between those who support the war in Iraq and those who oppose it. For some time now, George Bush and Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry have been practically neck and neck in the polls. So what? So, it will be the Latin voters-concentrated in critical states such as Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Nevada-who will have the final word. The importance of the Latin vote is measured by its ability to decide an election, despite the fact that Hispanics do not constitute the majority. For the first time ever, neither candidate will be able to claim the White House after this election without the pivotal support of the Latin voter. At last, the interests, hopes, and concerns of Latins have become a priority for the candidates and their political parties. In early 2001, George W. Bush granted me his first television interview as President. It took place at Mexican President Vicente Fox's ranch in Guanajuato. At that time, I asked Bush if he believed that the Hispanic vote-specifically the Cuban-American vote in Florida-had decided the national election. His answer was yes, and then he added in Spanish, "And I'm not going to forget them" ("Y no los voy a olvidar" ). Several months ago, I interviewed John Kerry as well, in East Los Angeles, following a speech he had read entirely in Spanish. When I asked him if he thought the Latin vote would decide the 2004 presidential election, he told me, "It's entirely possible." Bush and Kerry believe in the importance of the Latin vote. Now is the time for Hispanics to start believing in their newly acquired power. This new power stems in part from the tremendous growth of the Latin community. I call it the "Latin Wave," an unstoppable wave. Hispanics will be the majority in California by 2040, and by 2125, there will be more Hispanics than non-Hispanics in that state. But at the same time the United States is being Latinized, we Hispanics are becoming Americanized: Latin immigrants are quickly learning English; Hispanics are earning higher salaries and furthering their education; at present, there are half a million Latins who are doctors or lawyers or who have master's degrees or doctorates; and there are more than 1.6 million Hispanic-owned businesses. Contrary to what many might think, we Latins assimilate very quickly into American society. In fact, according to surveys, the three issues of greatest concern to Latins-jobs, education, and access to healthcare-are exactly the same issues that concern the rest of the United States. We agree with the rest of the country in many more ways than we disagree. This is the Hispanics' moment in history. In this presidential election, we can prove that not only does our vote matter and make a difference, but also that the United States is a better country thanks to our being here. Hispanics share the American dream.the only difference is, we sometimes dream in Spanish. |
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