|
 |
|
|
|
Este informe no está disponible en español. Latino.comLatinos Across The U.S. Express Relief, Anger, ResolutionBy ADOLFO MENDEZ, ROBERT WADDELL & RICARDO VAZQUEZDecember 13, 2000 The moment of truth arrived for the entire nation when late Tuesday night the Supreme Court cleared the way for George W. Bush to assume the Presidency. For Latinos on both coasts and in the Midwest, reaction was mixed. A number of Latinos in San Francisco, New York and Chicago said they felt that votes that should have been counted were not. An almost equal number of Hispanics said they believed justice was handed down from on high. Either way, the close race leaves behind a divided nation -- and a divided Latino community. "I think many Latinos are not all that happy with Latinos in Florida, who many of us feel voted for Bush and did not have the best interest of all Latinos in mind," said Juan Manuel, a San Francisco advertising account executive. "If you listen to Spanish talk radio, it's all people are talking about. It's a heated debate and there's a lot of fingerpointing going on." In New York, Julio Dicent, executive director of a TV show dedicated to gay Latino issues, expressed deep concern that Bush would not be responsive to the needs of the gay or the Latino community. "Given his track record in terms of the gay community, there's no place in his policies to the needs and concerns of that population," he said. And in Chicago, there was a sense of relief that it was finally over. "I really think it was just ridiculous, the entire situation," said Heidi Delgado, an employee with a major downtown Chicago consulting firm. "It was just a tug of war in our democracy. In the end, it’s not that much a big deal what people think about the winner because after a few years of a President being in office, people change their opinion about him anyway. We’re just going to have to work the best we can with the President that we have." Added Delgado: "I respect Al Gore’s decision to want to fight it, but I think there’s a point to give up gracefully. I see Bush as a quiet, stronger opponent; whereas, I saw Gore as a crybaby." The following are a few thoughts from Latinos throughout the country on the end to what became a historical battle for the Presidency. Manuel, the San Francisco account executive, expressed frustration over what he called an "outdated" electoral college system that allowed a Bush win even though Gore won the popular vote. "The electoral college served a purpose when the country was a lot smaller, but now, I think it leaves us with a foul taste in our mouth that Gore won the popular vote," said Manuel. Manuel said felt regret that Gore did not take more advantage of Clinton's popularity and enlist his aid during his campaign. "I've talked to many other Latinos who believe that Gore gave his back to Clinton," he said, adding: "And then there was the Ralph Nader factor, and little could be done about that." Like many others, Manuel also felt a sense of relief that the long, drawn-out process had come to an end. "My thoughts right now is that the ball in [Bush's] court. By all means, he has a chance to make good with Latino voters. He has a chance to show that a Republican leader doesn't have to mean bad news for the Latino community." Federico Rosas, a San Francisco media professional, was audibly upset by the news of Bush's win. "I think this is just ridiculous because this country preaches to everyone that every vote counts, and that is is very important for everyone to vote. And now they have all these votes that wont be counted," he said. "That might be discouraging for some people who might say, 'If my vote isn't going to count, then why vote at all? I think it's hypocritical." A number of New York Latinos were disheartened that a Republican would govern for the next four years. "This is disappointing," said poet Americo Casiano. "Hopefully in the next election, we'll do better." Although paralegal Leticia Rivera was glad the whole election matter was finally settled, she said "it wasn't fair. There should have been a recount." Actress Miriam Guerra said that to her it didn't matter who was President since she voted for Ralph Nader. "It doesn't matter who's in the White House," said Guerra. "But who's in the House, Senate or Supreme Court, that's important. Thank goodness for checks and balances." Divinity student Danielline Martinez said that very little would change for Latinos and the poor depending who became President. She said that the impact of either party's administration would make have little impact. "It's Tweetle-Dum over Tweetle-Dee," said Martinez. "There's very little impact. Things are so obviously corrupt." Triana D'Orazio, a spokesperson for MALDEF, said it didn't matter to her who the President was as long as he did the right thing for the Latino community. "I hope the new President is open to the immigration issue and is fair to our population," said D'Orazio. Latinos overall expressed relief that the month-long legal battle over dimpled chads and uncounted ballots was finally over. Still, there was an air of uncertainty that hung over the streets of New York. "It's really frightening," said documentary filmmaker Todd Nelson. "We're moving back to another era of conservatism. The accomplishments of the Clinton administration in the arena of social programs and inclusiveness in all sectors of the American public, their future, now stands in question." In Chicago's Humboldt Park, a mostly Puerto Rican community, Maria Guadalupe-Barbosa Kozak, a public library employee, said she was "in shock." "I’m not happy. No one here is happy with the result. I think it was more like a game, they kept playing back and forth in court. Even my kids were saying, ‘They should’ve done it right by counting the ballots that they didn’t allow to be counted. Humans do make mistakes, but they should have corrected it when they had the re-count.’ It’s not sending kids a good message, they’re confused. I have a 10-year-old son. He’s confused about the courts and the count. "I really thought that by me praying, that Mr. Gore would get it. Everybody you talk to, they want Gore. I haven’t known anyone...that really goes for Mr. Bush. And also, from what I understand, he’s going to want to privatize a lot of government departments. And I don’t think people know that. Or maybe they do, but this is what’s going to happen. A lot of us are going to be really be hurt." In Pilsen, a mostly Mexican community, Sylvia Puente, a delegate to the Democratic National Caucus and a Latino community activist was not convinced there was a clear winner. "Statistically, this election has been a tie. I think the lesson here for all Democrats and Republicans is to figure out how we conduct ourselves in a way that is beneficial for both sides of the aisle and the entire country. I know that’s a very idealistic perspective, I’m sure, but that’s what has to be done. Traditional partisan ways of politicking are not what the country is asking for right now. "It’s clear to me that Gore won the election in terms of the popular vote in the country, and my belief is that he would have won if not for the confusing ballot in Florida. Cook County also has a confusing ballot. "It’s a great loss that the Vice President will not be our next President. My perception looking at their Democratic agenda and the issues and how familiar they were the community, and our issues, that he would have been much better for our community. For Latinos, I think to the extent that there is dialogue and debate within both parties, we’ll ensure that our federal government will be responsive to us." Charlie Serrano, a Chicagoan who serves as the national secretary of the National Republican Hispanic Assembly, said he believes the "Republican Party has more to offer Latinos than the Democrats." "In Illinois, I believe there are 3,000 Republicans registered as Republicans in the state who have Hispanic surnames. What we did as Hispanic Republicans was to say, ‘We need to play leadership roles. I’m not saying parade us around. We do not want to be tokens.’ We demanded that we participate in leadership positions in the party, we did not want to be tokens. "Bush has the opportunity to appoint some Latino cabinet members now. There are several [Latino] names I can think of. There is some bitter division in the country right now and the Republican Party will have to promote more moderate Republicans. And Hispanics need to play leadership roles, otherwise, we’re going to have a rough road for us for years from now." Carmen Maldonado, president of La Criolla Foods in Chicago, expressed appreciation for the nation's democratic process. "I think we should proud of ourselves because there’s no war, people aren’t fighting in the streets. That’s what impressed me about the whole process. Democracy really does work. If we were a third world country, it would be very different. "Of course, I wish it hadn’t been that close. I wish there would have been a true winner. I think that every thing that could have been done to help Vice-President Gore was done. There’s just so much you can do before getting the country at a stand still. There was such discord about it, with the pimples and dimples. Nobody is ever going to agree and I don’t think we’ll ever know who the true winner is, but there had to be a winner and a loser." And Jose Mendez, resident of Evergreen Park, a Chicago suburb, said it was time to heal and stand behind the nation's new leader. "I’ve been listening to NPR all morning and the Democrats are pretty angry, which only just brings to mind the catchy phrase, ‘Get over it.’ If I had one message to the Democrats, it would be ‘Get over it.’ Bush is the President, he’s going to be for the next four years. And if we’re going to have any form of a united country, we need to stand behind the president. I wish Bush the best. He’s going to need it. The Democrats are going to go after him [during his term]. In the end, he may have regretted wining the race."
|
