Hispanics and Obama’s First 100 Days
By Dr. Tony Magana
American Hispanics by a 67% majority voted for Barack Obama to be President. The Republican party suffered a severe setback with the Hispanic community in the last election due in no small part to the nasty and distasteful labeling done by extremists. Hispanics were motivated and encouraged by the message of inclusiveness which the President offered. But has he delivered?
Now 100 days into his Presidency polls show that much of that support remains strong. A recent Ipsos Poll of Hispanics over age 18 found that 86% of Hispanic approve of the work President Obama is doing including 55% who stated they strongly approved. A similar survey that was not ethnically based showed that 63% of the population as a whole approved of President Obama’s performance.
Looking at specific categories of issues showed that Hispanics generally gave 20% higher approval ratings (70+%) than the general population for handling of the economy, health care, and education. For foreign affairs and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan the ratings were about 10% higher then the general population. A majority of Hispanics (58%) approved his handling of terrorism while only 49% of the general population approved current terrorism measures.
A Gallup Poll done on April 20-26 showed that 85% of Hispanics approved of the job being performed by the President compared with 65% of the general population. There was one interesting subgroup that is relevant to the Hispanic community where Obama did not do as well. Among those who attend church weekly only 41% of the general population approved of the President’s job performance. For infrequent church goers the number increased to 61%.
After the election Hispanics expected to have at least one major cabinet post such as Secretary of State to be given to a qualified Hispanic. Even though New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson had to eventually withdrawal his nomination to Commerce Secretary , many in the Hispanic Democratic community were quite disappointed if not upset that he and not Hillary Clinton was initially nominated for Secretary of State. Obama did appoint 2 Hispanics to lesser Cabinet posts, Ken Salazar as Secretary to the Interior and Hilda Solis as Labor Secretary. Overall Obama must be given at best only a C grade for his appointments.
I have lived to see my beloved alma mater, Texas A&M, have a Hispanic women as President and see many significant Hispanic politicians in the Texas state government who are not treated as invisibles like those in the national government.
There have been disappointments. The Pew Hispanic Research Center has shown that education tops immigration as the main issue for Hispanic families. A majority of Hispanic when surveyed favor the concept of school vouchers where children attending failed public schools could be given vouchers to attend better private school. This was an issue that Mr. Obama clearly stated his position on before the election but still his closing the program in Washington, D.C.. At this point it appears Hispanics are satisfied at least temporarily with the President’s promise to deliver on teacher and school accountability and nation wide standards. But our patience cannot be unlimited and we must demand results because a nationwide 50% dropout rate for Hispanics from high school is a disgrace.
Businesses and residents along the U.S. Mexican border prior to the election universally felt that the Border Wall initiative had been unfairly forced upon them. As a Senator, Obama had voted for the measure but promised as President to look at the issue. Many community groups and local government leaders in South Texas and other regions remain disappointed that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano remains insensitive and distant about their concerns in a way similar to that of the Bush administration.
Although the Obama administration has stopped the aggressive workplace raids that sometimes left small children unattended for days and broke up families, the majority of the Hispanic community and the many business interests including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce remain allied that employers should have to bear the burden of employee verification. The Obama administration seems intent on continuing to implement a mandatory employee verification program and stiffer penalties for employers who hire illegal aliens knowingly or not.
Hispanic representation in federally elected office is growing but many say not proportional enough to the rapidly growing Hispanic population of the U.S. which in next 25-50 years may become 50% Hispanic. Currently there are 25 Hispanic members of Congress and 2 Senators left. Ken Salazar resigned as Senator of Colorado to become Secretary of the Interior. Although Hispanics now make up a substantial constituency they do not hold any of the major committee chairmanships in the House of Representatives or Democratic party leadership positions. No one denies there are qualified Hispanic candidates for the Supreme Court but Obama has not made any strong commitment to even include Hispanic candidates on the list when the inevitable vacancy occurs.
In many parts of the country including Texas, Florida, California, and urban areas of the east coast, Hispanics have become the local majority. This has created a new legal environment such as in New Haven, Connecticut where a Hispanic fireman was held back from promotion despite passing a qualification test because the test was deemed unfair to African Americans. A period of transition has occurred in many communities over the past twenty years Hispanic have had to get their “sea legs” as the new majority.
Some would argue that Hispanics are being too passive politically given their growing numbers of votes and their increasing economic power. I think the Republican party has the ability to recapture a significant amount of the Hispanic vote but it will require the principles in the Republican party to do a major outreach and admit their mistakes. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) has gone to great strides to improve the communication with and respond to the needs and words of South Texas’s Mexican-American community. Others in the Republican party should play close attention to his example.
As I have written before, there are many moderate to moderately conservative Hispanic Democrats in Congress who serve their communities well. These politicians deserve to start getting more significant and higher positions on Congressional committees and in party leadership. I am extremely disappointed that mainstream English language news media never gives them face time to ask their opinions but seems to subjugate them to a lower class.
Political parties and the media must stop treating Hispanics as if the only issue that matters is immigration. We want to be heard on health care, employment, foreign policy and everything else as every other American does. Our population includes the fastest growing segment of small business owners and professionals.
As the leader of the Democratic party, President Obama should himself be in the forefront of demanding our Hispanic elected leaders become less invisible and more involved at the leadership levels they deserve. The Hispanic community has the right and the obligation for their children to move beyond being silent but loyal participants in politics and become more vocal. No political party or politician should be accorded blind loyalty instead they should earn it from the Hispanic community who has more than paid their dues.
Thanks for reading Contempo Magazine blog which discusses issues for McAllen, the Rio Grande Valley, and America from a conservative Hispanic point of view. Tony Magaña grew up in McAllen Texas, attended Texas A&M University, served as an officer in Army Reserve, and holds a doctorate from Harvard University. The co-founder of Contempo Magazine has participated in Valley business for over 20 years. He is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and also writes for the American Daily Review
