Hispanic Heritage Month: Watching Latino Politics Disappear

Summary

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In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor threw out the first pitch at Saturday's Yankees-Red Sox game in the Bronx. Sotomayor's appointment was a signature achievement for the nation's Latinos, and represents President Obama's leading accomplishment for a constituency that helped elect him. But after Latino voters gave Democrats back the House in 2006 and victories in key states in 2008, it's rather remarkable how coverage of their concerns and viewpoints have almost disappeared. On health care, the stimulus bill, climate change and virtually every issue other than immigration, Latino faces are not seen and their voices are not heard. The television news media is so averse to Latinos that we even have a lesbian hosting a major political show (the brilliant Rachel Maddow), while pundits from the Latino community are ignored. Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15-Oct 15) without highlighting the media's treatment of one of the nation's largest and most potent political constituencies is like the National Secretaries Day promotion of raises, not roses - and seems to confirm that Latino power remains ground zero of the nation's culture war.

During the 2008 Democratic Presidential primaries, early contests in Nevada, Texas and California brought national interest in Latino voting. This led to hopes that the long dormant "sleeping giant" Latino vote would emerge in November, and that Latinos would reap the political benefits of electing Barack Obama and a more progressive Congress.

There has been a virtual "brownout" of Latino health stories, despite this constituency being as impacted by the lack of health care as much if not more than any demographic group. The only time I recall Latinos becoming the focus of health care reform was when Republican Joe Wilson said President Obama was "a liar" when he claimed that "illegal immigrants" would not benefit from health care reform.

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Hispanic Heritage Month: Watching Latino Politics Disappear

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor threw out the first pitch at Saturday's Yankees-Red Sox game in the Bronx. Sotomayor's appointment was a signature achievement for the nation's Latinos, and represents President Obama's leading accomplishment for a constituency that helped elect him. But after Latino voters gave Dem...

See the full content of this document

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