Robert de Posada
The GOP will do anything it can to buy an election and if it can’t do that, it’s proven itself perfectly willing to steal one. Until recently we’ve been in the buying stages, as the GOP corporate machine spends millions in an effort to create a Corporate America, but with that not representing a sure road to success, the GOP seems to have moved onto the stealing stage, as demonstrated by a recent ad by a GOP-linked group called Latinos for Reform.
Media Matters calls it a “A third-party group headed by a GOP operative” – Robert de Posada – former Director of Hispanic Affairs at the Republican National Committee under Lee Atwater. Robert doesn’t want Latinos to vote. Latinos, of course, mostly voted for Barack Obama in 2008. So perhaps the timing of such a commercial immediately before the 2010 midterms will come as no surprise to you.
Here is the English-language version:
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And the Spanish:
Obviously, not voting would be a egregious error for Latinos, with so much at stake. Giving the anti-immigrant Republican Party a victory is no way to show your displeasure with the Obama Administration. Yeah, that would show them!
Fortunately, people aren’t being so easily taken in. Huffington Post reports that, “The ad has quickly made waves in Nevada, prompting leaders in the Latino community to denounce the campaign’s message and to encourage stations to take it off the air” and Spanish language TV network, Univision, will not be running the ad:
Univision will not be running any spots from Latinos for Reform related to voting,” said a spokeswoman for the network, Monica Talan, in an email. “Univision prides itself on promoting civic engagement and our extensive national campaigns encourage Hispanics to vote.”
Huffington Post reports that “This effort to squelch the Latino vote may be particularly disturbing to Nevada Democrats considering a recent report showing that Latinos were more likely to vote Democratic in this year’s elections, but were already lacking the motivation to show up to the polls.”
This is a blatant and misleading attempt by the GOP to steal the election. Trick the voters not to vote. Yes, trick. Like the equally reprehensible Jews for Jesus (which is not Jews, but Christian fundamentalists) aiming at tricking Jews (who are not tricked) the conservatives have tried to co-opt the Latino vote by getting their token Latino to urge his fellow voters to stand on the sidelines.
The Latinos aren’t being fooled either. Letting the party of hate and bigotry win in order to punish the Democrats for failing to act is such an attractive option to the GOP that they let their fantasies run away with them. But then, look at the whole ACORN fantasy. You can almost see them rubbing their hands together in glee as they ready to pop their corks in an orgy of celebration.
Epic fail ladies and gentlemen. Do not pass go, do not collect your sought-after payday. We will beat you in 2010 because we do not want what you are selling. We will not go willingly into slavery for your corporate masters, we will not allow you to deprive of us social security and health insurance and minimum wage. This is our country – every American’s country – whatever their skin color, ethnicity, sexual leanings, or type and level of religiosity, and you can’t have it for your totalitarian fantasies.
I’m a Scandinavian American Heathen and I approve this message. Though it isn’t my native language, I think an Adiós! would be appropriate here.
Hrafnkell Haraldsson, a social liberal with leanings toward centrist politics has degrees in history and philosophy. His interests include, besides history and philosophy, human rights issues, freedom of choice, religion, and the precarious dichotomy of freedom of speech and intolerance. He brings a slightly different perspective to his writing, being that he is neither a follower of an Abrahamic faith nor an atheist but a polytheist, a modern-day Heathen who follows the customs and traditions of his Norse ancestors. He maintains his own blog, A Heathen’s Day, which deals with Heathen and Pagan matters, and Mos Maiorum Foundation www.mosmaiorum.org, dedicated to ethnic religion. He has also contributed to NewsJunkiePost, GodsOwnParty and Pagan+Politics.
