NCLR

San Diego, CA - US Senator John McCain delivered an impressive performance today to the conference attendees at NCLR.  I must admit that he performed much better than I was expecting.  Senator McCain focused on his support for improving relations with Latin America (something that NDN had been promoting through our Latin American Policy Initiative), the importance for assisting small businesses to help the economy, he spoke of the contributions that many Hispanics provide to our Armed Forces and yes he spoke of immigration.  Although he did not provide the rock star atmosphere that was evident during Senator Obama's speech, he kept the audience engaged and informed.  It is no secret that I disagree with many of Senator McCain's positions, and that I have criticized him for betraying Hispanics when he walked away from his own bill to pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform, but you have to give credit where credit is due.  Senator McCain acknowledged that he was not in the most friendly room given recent polls that show Hispanics favoring Senator Obama by 2 to 1, and yet he still allowed the audience to pepper him with questions that were clearly difficult for him to address.  In the most important exchange, at least in my opinion, Senator McCain was asked to clarify if his modified position on immigration that emphasizes border enforcement would be submitted in ONE bill or separate bills.  Senator McCain stated that his proposal would be ONE bill that includes a pathway to citizenship for the undocumented immigrants in this country, but would provide for securing the border first.  This is an important clarification to make because he has not made this statement before.  NDN has advocated over the past few years that any Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill must include all aspects in one bill as opposed to multiple bills that deal with the various issues of immigration reform.  This statement is significant, and it is important for immigration activists to confirm that this is in fact his position, and hold him to this position. 

Tomorrow, I will be speaking on a panel titled - Latino Voters: Making their mark on the 2008 Election.  For more info on the panel click here.  Exciting times my friends, Iand  will report back tomorrow. 

San Diego, CA - "The cosmic race," that is how Barack Obama referred to the Hispanic audience to whom he emphatically said, "Make no mistake about it: the Latino community holds this election in your hands," at NCLR's annual conference.  Yes, the Hispanic vote is a varied one, and a crucial one, and the comments I hear from the audience denote that - for the first time - they know it.  Folks here are excited and increasingly comfortable with having demands and expectations of candidates on the issues they care about because they know that their vote is more central to American politics than ever before.  As Andres noted in his interview with Maria Peña of EFE yesterday, whoever wins over Hispanics is assured to win the White House.

The use of the cosmic race denotes that Sen. Obama understands that the Hispanic community is one with a rich tapestry of cultures, colors, and beliefs.  Immigration is still by far the issue at the forefront on the minds of the attendees at this conference, mostly because of the impact of the ongoing immigration raids in the Hispanic community.  Yesterday I also heard many praise Sen. Obama for addressing a wider array of issues in more detail, in addition to immigration.  The challenge is on - it has been expected that given his current unpopular stance among Hispanics on immigration, Sen. McCain would focus rather on discussing economic and other issues of importance to this community during his address to NCLR.  Well, Sen. Obama seized the opportunity yesterday to beat him to the punch and introduce a proposed tax credit for small businesses providing health insurance to their employees, to discuss his plans for the economy, education, health care, veterans, and received thunderous applause as he attacked the impact of immigration raids on families, and he once again called out John McCain for having "abandoned his courageous stance" on immigration. 

It will be a hard act for Sen. McCain to follow, no doubt.  Sen. McCain has also recognized the differences within the Hispanic vote, and is working to appeal to more conservative Hispanics.  Both candidates are still refining their approach - as reported by the Associated Press yesterday, "like awkward suitors," both candidates have at times fumbled their approach to Hispanics by addressing members of the community too directly and rationally, with a "take me to your leaders" kind of tactic.  But Hispanics like to develop closer, more personal relationships.  Sen. Obama opened his speech by individually naming and recognizing several grassroots and immigrant rights activist in the audience, like Enrique Morones of Border Angels, and throughout his speech appealed to the heart and "character of this community," making the audience feel that he appreciates their values, and that those values are American values.  Sen. McCain is recognized and respected by the community, but to win these voters over he will have to:  1) take advantage of this golden opportunity to show courage on immigration and move away from his party on this, 2) show that he does not look at Hispanics as votes, or even worse, as a voting block to be convinced, he must show that our struggles are his struggles, that he also knows the community's "big heart" and that he genuinely cares about fighting alongside and as part of the Hispanic community.  "Familia" is a big foundation of the "raza cosmica", and he has to make this community feel his desire to be part of the family first.  

San Diego, CA - Today, US Senator Barack Obama delivered an electrifying speech that moved the crowd on several occasions.  I have now seen Senator Obama deliver this speech three times, and each time has has done better.  Today was by far his best performance.  Senator Obama addressed the major issues of the Economy, Education, Health Care and Comprehensive Immigration Reform.  About 2000 guest were able to see Obama deliver his speech, while another several thousand were unable to enter the room due to overcrowding.  Senator Obama has demonstrated a sincere interest in courting Hispanic voters with his efforts over the last few weeks.  Tomorrow, US Senator John McCain will address the conference, but by the reaction of today's crowd I don't think that he will do as well. 

Also Maria Peña from EFE wrote an article previewing Senator Obama's speech as well as dissecting the Hispanic outreach strategies of both presidential campaigns.  The article includes a quote from me talking about the importance of being able to communicate in Spanish to many Hispanic voters.  You can read the article here.

San Diego, CA - Showtime is a few minutes away, Barack Obama will address the largest civil rights group in the nation and deliver a much-awaited speech on his proposals on issues of importance to the Latino community.  The air is one of excitement and a great deal of anticipation.  One cannot understimate the importance of the group Barack Obama is addressing - those attending the NCLR conference are the most active community leaders, grassroots organizers, and advocates on behalf of the Hispanic community.  And these leaders will undoubtedly disseminate their impressions of Barack Obama's speech today and John McCain's speech tomorrow to their communities when they go back home. Obama is expected to deliver a message of empathy and unity with the Hispanic community as he speaks about the inequalities and stigmatization currently suffered by Latinos accross the country.  His speech has grown increasingly passionate, so everyone is anxious to see how he delivers his address to this intimate family gathering of about 2,000. 

San Diego, CA - Greetings from San Diego! Today was an exciting first day at the NCLR Annual Conference. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa addressed the conference during the opening luncheon, and there is much hype surrounding the pending speeches of US Senator Barack Obama and US Senator John McCain in the coming days. You can feel the excitement of the conference attendees about gathering in the Golden State and tackling some of the most pressing issues impacting the Hispanic community. I am fortunate to be able to speak at the conference, and look forward to engaging the crowd on the importance of Hispanic voters in the 2008 election. In the meantime, I look forward to hearing from the other panelists and giving you updates on what is going on. Stay tuned and Stay Classy!

NDN's VP for Hispanic Programs, Andres Ramirez, will speak as a panelist during the National Council of La Raza's (NCLR) Annual Conference.  Andres will address NCLR members, affiliates, individuals and corporations from across the country during the following panel, which is part of NCLR's Latino Empowerment and Advocacy Project (LEAP):  

Latino Voters:  Making Their Mark on the 2008 Election

Tuesday, July 15

8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA

Andres will present analysis of Latino demographics, registration and voting patterns, the issues that motivate Latino voters, as well as the potential impact of the Hispanic vote on this election cycle.

To learn more about the the Latino vote in the 2008 elections and this year's NCLR Annual Conference, continue to follow our blog in English and Spanish as write more on this throughout the weekend.