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ThisWeekGhana.com becomes the D-O-T
before the dot com
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Commentary Page
We invite commentaries from writers all over. The subject is about
Ghana and the world. We reserve the right to accept or reject
submissions, but we are not necessarily responsible for the opinions
expressed in articles we publish......MORE
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Obama and the Latino vote
E. Ablorh-Odjidja, Ghanadot
On January 26, 2008, in a Newsweek interview with political
analyst and author Earl Hutchinson, a question was asked whether
America was ready for a black president. Presumably, the
questioner was of the belief that since three out of four whites
in a recent poll thought so then race was not going to be a
factor in 2008 “as it once was.”
Then came Super Tuesday and the Hispanic vote!
Apparently, the questioner, like many Americans, had not thought
much about the Hispanic horde that came out to vote for Hillary
Clinton against Obama because they hadn’t paid much attention to
what could possibly be a huge political rift to come between
Black and Hispanic communities.
But Earl Hutchinson had thought about it. His answer to the
interviewer from Newsweek was that the “rules of political
engagement fall apart when you talk about black and Latino
candidates.”
He continued, “ I do not believe Latino voters will vote even
for a candidate like Obama who is an appealing, well-financed
liberal Democrat. ….. At the end of day I expect the Latino vote
nationwide to be 60 to 65 percent for Clinton. If Obama gets 30
percent he should count his blessings.”
That prediction was made before the Super Tuesday primaries and
Earl Hutchison was right. Almost 70% of the Hispanic or Latino
vote went to Hillary Clinton, thus preventing Obama from wiping
her out at this early stage of the primaries.
You may marvel at the Clinton’s political astuteness and you
will be right. They were the ones to drag race into the campaign
at the beginning, hoping to cause a back lash against Obama
among white voters. Instead, the astute political duo hit a pay
dirt with the Hispanic vote.
The Hispanic vote came as no surprise. Some blacks have long
suspected that the creation of the Hispanic minority group was meant
to do one thing - to supplant blacks as the top minority race in
the US, and thereby clip black political power and ambition.
They have insisted that the creation of Hispanic as a minority group is
a political ploy that came out of the same mind that created
gender and sexual preferences as categories in minority
groupings.
Unlike blacks, the Hispanic group is not a race. The
idea that it is a racial construct is as boldface a lie as an
African claiming he is Caucasian because he speaks English!
The
Hispanic group, as found in America, is more of a cultural construct
since it is a
collection of many races speaking the same language; whites, blacks, and others.
It also has one advantage of being
characterized by a growth rate that is higher than that of any
other group in America.
Hispanics form 15% of the American population as it stands now,
and that footprint has made them the second largest ethnic group after
white Americans of European descent. In states like California
and Texas, they form about 35% of the population.
Like it or not, they now constitute a political power and it is
the
overwhelming majority of that base that has denied Obama the victory
on Super Tuesday.
There have been several opinions as to why the Hispanic vote
went Hillary’s way: That she had the support of her husband (the
first black president?), and that Hispanics are very fond of
President Bill Clinton are the predominant excuses. However,
these explanations would have been exceptionally valid had Hillary
ran against a republican.
Obama is as much a liberal democrat as Hillary. On many of the
social issues of the day, from immigration to health, they are
barely hair breadth apart. The overwhelming Hispanic preference
for Hillary is not an indication of gender support either. So
the question is how could anyone in black America miss seeing
that, in the long run, the Hispanic vote was going to be averse
to African-American political aspirations?
Yet, the creation of Hispanic or Latinos as a distinct minority
group was aided and abetted by the African American
establishment.
Hispanics are now a “race” apart, howbeit an artificial one. But
a vast number of people of African descent do also reside within
this community, except, politically, they exercise nothing
in common with their black brethrens outside it. The truth is,
these black Hispanics are just as handicapped by race, within
the Hispanic confines, as their counterparts in the larger
society.
The same cannot be said of Hispanic whites. The faces you see
among the power structures of America and within the Hispanic
communities in America are Latino whites. The power brokers and
the hierarchies within their political action committees are all
dominated by white Latinos.
Unfortunately, there has been a historical reluctance on the
part of the black political establishment to recognize the
above. Earlier, this establishment had thought that support for
Hispanic causes would eventually translate to universal minority
solidarity for them. They are yet to learn that the Hispanic community is
also a world divided by skin color.
The proof is on Spanish speaking television everyday. The faces
on these screens are usually white. They form the opinion making
class. Regrettably, Obama may be the loser today, but in the end
we will all be impacted.
E.
Ablorh-Odjidja,Publsiher
www.ghanadot.com, Washington, DC, February 7, 2008
Permission to publish: Please feel free to publish or
reproduce, with credits, unedited. If posted at a website,
email a copy of the web page to
publisher@ghanadot.com . Or don't publish at all.
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Obama and the Latino vote
Commentary,
Feb. 7, Ghanadot -
Unlike black as a minority group, Hispanic is not a race. The
idea that it is a racial construct is as bald face a lie as an
African claiming he is Caucasian because he speaks English!.
..More
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Ghana versus Cameroon: A tight fixture
indeed!
Accra, Feb. 6, GNA - Four time winners Ghana and
Cameroon clash on Thursday at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium
in Accra to determine who goes into the final of the 26th
African Cup of Nations. It is a tight fixture indeed!
. ...More |
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Kufuor to contribute to State of Africa Report
Accra, Feb. 6, GNA - President Kufuor has been
invited to participate in the Boston University’s “African
Leaders State of Africa Report 2007,” which features the
visions and strategies of heads of state.....More |
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US President Bush to visit Ghana
Accra, Feb. 6, Ghanadot/GNA – The Ministry of
Information and National Orientation on Wednesday invited
all media personnel desirous of covering the visit of the
President of the United States of America....More |
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