Hispanic / Latino

Great job by TNR cataloguing the Top Seven Worst Anti-Immigration Campaign Ads.  The common thread between all these ads is that they are all run by or in support of Republican candidates.  It'll be interesting to see how many of these candidates lose on election day.  As NDN and our allies have been arguing, demonizing Hispanics doesn't take anybody to the electoral promised land.  Watch some of what we're up against: 

And my favorite.

NDN's Hispanic Strategy Center sends regular updates to Spanish language media outlets about the issues and campaigns that impact their communities. The releases are reprinted in their entirety on our blog for our Spanish speaking readers, and you can read the latest below.

El Centro de Estrategia Hispana del NDN les envía este editorial del New York Times sobre el muro fronterizo. El editorial dice que el muro reemplazó cualquier estrategia integral que tenía el Partido Republicano para resolver el problema de inmigración. Dice que desafortunadamente, el Partido Republicano se dejó manipular por la histeria y el miedo que tenían varios en su partido en defender una política sana, justa, integral y verdadera, lo cual hubiese sido el proyecto de ley de los senadores McCain y Kennedy. En vez, el Partido Republicano y ahora el Presidente Bush han confirmado que solo desean arreglar sus problemas políticos internos acudiendo a lo peor de la política humana - el miedo y el deseo de culpar a un grupo en particular - los inmigrantes - por todos los males que sufre nuestro país.

NDN's Hispanic Strategy Center sends regular updates to Spanish language media outlets about the issues and campaigns that impact their communities.  The releases are reprinted in their entirety on our blog for our Spanish speaking readers, and you can read the latest below.  

Declaración del Centro de Estrategia Hispana del grupo progresivo demócrata  NDN denominado por sus siglas en ingles:

Reciente encuesta demuestra que el pueblo Americano desea ver mas agentes de seguridad en las fronteras en vez de un muro de 700 millas en la frontera de Estados Unidos y Méjico

Es evidente que la mayoría del pueblo americano desea soluciones verdaderas ante el tema de inmigración  - estos optan en apoyar un mayor número de agentes de seguridad en las fronteras antes que apoyar la construcción de un muro que cubrirá 700 millas en la frontera sur.  Esto fue demostrado en una encuesta realizada por la cadena de televisión CNN donde se dio a conocer que un 74 por ciento de los participantes apoyan aumentar agentes de seguridad en las fronteras sobre un 45 por ciento que apoyaron la construcción de un muro en las fronteras.  Nuevamente vemos que la estrategia de los republicanos continúa fracasando.   

La construcción de un muro que cubrirá 700 millas en la frontera sur entre Estados Unidos y Méjico fue firmada ayer por el Presidente Bush como un símbolo político que su partido esta a favor de aumentar la seguridad en la frontera.  Desafortunadamente, esta legislación no hace nada en realidad para resolver el problema de inmigración que enfrenta el país.  Es solo una táctica que necesitan los republicanos 11dias antes de las elecciones para tratar de demostrar alguna acción en cuanto la inmigración. 

Es el colmo que el mismo partido que se hizo famoso cuando el Presidente Reagan proclamó al Presidente de la Unión Soviética:  "!Señor Presidente, derrumbe este muro!" hablando del muro de Berlín, es ahora el mismo partido que apoya la construcción de un muro entre nuestro país y la frontera de un país aliado y amigo como supuestamente lo es Méjico. 

NDN's minimum wage campaign ads are featured in today's Ad Spotlight from the National Journal. Jane Roh writes:

Vote For A Pay Raise, Por Favor
NDN is continuing its Hispanic voter outreach effort this month by targeting two states with minimum wage increases on their ballots. Arizonans and Coloradans next month get to decide whether to give minimum wage earners a $1.60 and $1.70 raise, respectively; both measures also allow for annual revisions based on cost of living and inflation.

In the television spot running in both states, a woman whose husband has two jobs talks about the strain on her family. Her husband's rationale is that he is working overtime "for our kids," but "the sad irony is that, at the time he gets home, he doesn't even get the chance to see them awake."

The radio ad, set in a classroom, stars children telling their teacher about the various jobs their parents do. "My daddy works at the auto factory, teacher. And also at a toy factory," says little "Pedrito."

Congressional Democrats failed to get the first federal minimum wage increase in 10 years through before recess, and six states now have proposals on their ballots. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) surprised constituents in September when he signed a bill that would increase the minimum wage to $8 by 2008, making the state one of the most generous in the nation.

NDN's Hispanic Strategy Center sends regular updates to Spanish language media outlets about the issues and campaigns that impact their communities.  The releases are reprinted in their entirety on our blog for our Spanish speaking readers, and you can read the latest below.

Declaración del Centro de Estrategia Hispana sobre un nuevo anuncio de televisión de parte del republicano Tom Kean quien esta compitiendo para senador en el estado de Nueva Jersey

Nuevamente vemos como los republicanos continúan atacando y difamando la imagen de la comunidad Latina en este país.  Ahora deciden justificar que los Latinos rompen la ley al exigir beneficios sobre el seguro social para sus retiros.  Esto es un atropello para los miles de inmigrantes Hispanos en los Estados Unidos ya que estos contribuyen diariamente a nuestra economía y pagan fielmente sus contribuciones. (Para ver anuncio haga un click aquí www.tomkean.com).Los republicanos en vez de crear propagandas de manera groseras y falsas deberían comprometerse con la comunidad Latina  y resolver el problema de inmigración de una manera justa, integra y verdadera como lo han tratado de hacer los demócratas.

This week's New Yorker carries a tremendously interesting peek into the world of spanish language radio, one of the fastest growing media segments in America.

“This is why we came to the United States!” he shouts. “To work!” The show’s demographic is broad: the program runs ads for Toyotas, Lasik eye surgery, and Disneyland vacations, as well as for Office Depot and “the perfect diet.” Through KLAX’s owner, Spanish Broadcasting Service, El Cucuy also broadcasts to, among other places, Denver; Seattle; Tulsa; San Francisco; Atlanta; Salt Lake City; Minneapolis; Jackson, Mississippi; Fort Smith, Arkansas; Medford, Oregon; and Greenville, South Carolina.

Note that this doesn't include "the program runs ads for the Democrats." The pieces goes on to talk about how important radio is as a way for the hispanic population learning about life in the US.

Señora Ahumada turned out to be Maria Ahumada, a sixty-year-old Mexican-American who first got involved with the show eleven years ago when, working as the office manager in a law firm, she heard a young woman call in to Almendárez’s show and get bad advice. Though she is not a lawyer, she says that her intervention helped the woman win a two-million-dollar settlement. Ahumada quickly became a regular on the Cucuy show, helping people navigate bureaucracies, communicate with doctors and lawyers, and get answers to their questions

If you can use radio to find a lawyer, you can find out who you should vote for also.

NDN launched new TV ads today. An excerpt from a national e-mail from Joe Garcia, our Hispanic Strategy Center Director, is below.

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Today, along with our partner the Civic Participation Campaign, NDN launched two new TV ads in AZ and CO to build public support for minimum wage ballot initiatives in each state. These new ads supplement radio ads that have been airing for the past several weeks, and an extensive ground operation that has been in place for months.

Watch and download the ads here. You can help us buy more ads in more parts of AZ and CO by contributing to NDN’s campaign here.

NDN’s new media campaign concentrates on raising awareness in the ever-growing Latino community, and asks Latino families to vote for Arizona’s Proposition 202 and Colorado’s Amendment 42. Our new ads highlight the fact that many Americans making the minimum wage are forced to work two jobs just to make ends meet.

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At least enough to introduce himself in his new Spanish language radio ad "Creencias" (Believes).  "Creencias" is running in and around the city of Providence, which is 30% Hispanic.  NDN Hispanic Strategy Center Advisor Maria Cardona praised the effort, calling it "a smart and necessary strategy that more Democrats across the country should follow if we want to win back the House and Senate."  With its inclusive and positive message, "Creencias" is the exact opposite of the RNC ad demonizing Hispanics, that was run against Steve Laffey during the Republican Senate primary. 

Everyone on our team should be following Whitehouse's lead (and the advice of NDN) and engage the Hispanic community. 

Check out NDN and Bendixen and Associates Cuba Poll in today's Washington Post.

NDN's Hispanic Strategy Center put out a new poll yesterday looking at the attitudes of South Florida Cubans:

The influential South Florida Cuban exile community overwhelmingly believes that the era of Fidel Castro is over, and is newly hopeful for a speedy and peaceful transition to democracy, according to the first major poll taken since Castro’s hand-over of power due to illness. The poll, released today by NDN and Bendixen and Associates, shows that 88% think that Castro will not return to power, while half of those polled expect democracy and liberation of Cuba within the next 5 years. More than three quarters want a peaceful and gradual transition. The poll, reported in this morning’s Miami Herald, also shows declining support for travel and other restrictions against Cuba, and a new openness to consider creative means of engaging the people of Cuba and its government to accelerate democratization.

The piece has been picked up widely - in Businessweek, Newsweek, The Miami Herald, and elsewhere.