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Tuesday, September 16, 2008

N.M.'s Hillary Democrats Find the Beat: ¡Obamanos!

By David Roybal
For the Journal
          Through much of the U.S. presidential primaries and well beyond, a bright red and yellow sign was posted along busy State Road 76 in Chimayó deep in the heart of New Mexico's Democrat country. Its message was meant to be inclusive and inspiring: "Let's move forward with Hillary."
        In just the past few days, long after Hillary Clinton was announced to have narrowly won New Mexico's Democratic primary, a new sign has gone up in the same spot, a blue and white one with typeface immediately recognized as that used by Clinton's chief primary opponent.
        "Obamanos!" it reads simply.
        Probably anyone who has listened to Mexican music and the occasional exclamations blurted out by músicos amid the tunes recognizes the term as a play on "vámonos," or let's move along, let's move forward.
        "Obamanos:" Let's move forward with Obama.
        Democrats and Republicans are vying for Hispanic support perhaps like never before, says Ed Romero, a popular U.S. ambassador to Spain from (1998-2001). "There's no doubt in my mind about that," said Romero, who after helping raise money for Clinton during the primaries now does the same for Obama.
        "Obamanos!" Clever, these Democrats, succinctly linking Obama to Hispanic support without resorting to the now-worn "Viva (fill in the blank)!"
        Obama, in truth, has to be happy with everything today that links him to Hispanic support. Clinton trounced him 2-to-1 among Hispanic primary voters around the country. Because of deeply rooted rivalries and tensions, many Hispanics would find it very hard to support a black candidate for president, went prevailing observations as Hillary pulled away from Obama among Hispanics in state after state.
        Now, Hispanic support appears to be a significant part of Obama's thrust as he plows through a tight general election campaign against Republican John McCain. A Pew Hispanic Center poll in June-July showed Obama leading McCain among Hispanics nationwide 66-23 percent. A New York Times/CBS poll had Obama leading 62-23 percent.
        It is to be expected, says Antonio Gonzalez, president of the Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project. Hispanics tend to vote for Democrats over Republicans. "The question is not whether Hispanics will vote for Democrats; the question is by how big a margin," he told me from his California office.
        The color of Obama's skin apparently was not the dominant factor in Hillary's victory in New Mexico, including her support among Hispanics. Here, as elsewhere around the country, Clinton gleaned goodwill lingering from her husband's presidential administration from 1993-2000. U.S. Hispanics benefited from their lowest annual rate of unemployment ever; a sharp increase in household incomes; plus the highest home ownership and the highest small business ownership ever. It all came amid a sustained robust economy nationwide and concerted efforts by the Bill Clinton administration to appoint record numbers of Hispanics to ranking positions within government.
        Hillary was among friends and admirers when she courted Hispanic voters during this year's primaries. A large majority apparently have had little trouble making the transition to Obama. Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton, an Albuquerque Democrat and majority whip in the state House of Representatives, is not surprised by Obama's newfound strength among Hispanics.
        "A lot of ordinary men and women are surviving day to day," said Stapleton, a 14-year House member who is black and Hispanic. "My view is that Hispanic New Mexicans, Hispanic Americans will vote for the individual who they see as one who would provide all Americans with a better quality of life and better education for their children."
        She said blacks and Hispanics together have secured too many hard-won victories for serious divisions to exist today. She said blacks and Hispanics for years "have fought hand in hand for civil rights," making it hard for her to understand how what she called a very small minority of Hispanics might say that they cannot vote for a candidate simply because he is black.
        David Roybal can be reached at (505) 351-4053.