Filed under: News, Politics, Race and Civil Rights
Part of the resentment of Latino voters in Nevada stems from Senator Harry Reid's promise to push for the DREAM Act, which would allow young people brought into the country illegally to gain citizenship by either serving in the military or going to college. Since that time, both Democratic and Republican support for the bill has diminished, and Reid has not been able to keep his promise.
Some Latino voters are openly admitting that their source of inspiration was the Tea Party Movement, which gained traction all throughout the United States. Tea Party members also supported tough legislation in Arizona that affected the lives of countless Hispanic citizens in the state. This led some Latino leaders to acknowledge that something should be done to counter the Tea Partiers and their aggressive agenda. One of the most important initiatives of Latino political involvement is comprehensive immigration reform. To date, roughly 85 percent of Hispanics support such measures.
One of the great tests for the Democratic Party is whether they can deliver on comprehensive immigration reform. If they do not, some believe that this will make Latino voters even more steadfast about the idea of creating their own party. Hispanics currently comprise 16 percent of the United States population. They are therefore the largest ethnic minority in the United States, and the owners of significant political power. Also true is that if they are able to legalize many of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants currently living in the United States, this would further bolster their impressive political might. Roughly 80 percent of all illegal immigrants in the United States are believed to come from Latin-American countries, with 60 percent coming from Mexico.
African Americans would be wise to take notes from these discussions within the Latino community. Black people have been long frustrated by the fact that Democrats have failed to deliver for our community for a very long time. We are typically taken for granted as Democratic voters, and our issues are pushed to the back burner. Rather than simply trying to emulate the work being done in the Tea Party Movement, we might be wise to at least consider joining forces with the Hispanic community to find ways to promote our common interests.
Oh yeah, I hope they change the name from Tequila Party to something else. The last thing we need to do is promote another stereotype. The serious nature of major political movements should preclude us from naming a political party after an alcoholic beverage.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.