The Latin dilemma

No, not as in the language of Rome. As in it's getting quite annoying to talk to otherwise intelligent people about "The Hispanic Vote" only to tell them, to their astonished gazes, there's no such thing.

You can tell from my pic that I'm not exactly Norwegian. Taking nothing away from the Norgies. They make good cars, bad yodelers (or is that the Swiss? Nordic types all seem alike to me) and great blondes.

I grew up a Latin kid (yes, i know, Latin isn't exactly specific. but "Hispanic" has become too p.c. for my taste. you never heard anyone refer to Desi Arnaz as a "Hispanic Lover") in South Florida. I'm adopted. Family A, adopted, are Cubans. Family B, biological, are Colombians. I was born on Staten Island in an, cue the violins, orphanage.

Now that we've established Latin creds, also grew up working in South Florida GOP politics and I noticed something there. The worst fights, as the Latins were taking political control of South Florida in the 70s, were not between the parties, but between the different Latin ethnic groups. That's right; there is no "Hispanic Vote". But there definitely is a Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, etc. vote and they vote as different as Malta and Aguardiente (a gross Cuban soft drink and the Colombian National Booze, for those of you from colder climes).

I mean, as I've told my clients, "Queen Elizabeth speaks English. Bob Marley spoke English. They did not hang out."

The Cubans and South Americans tend to vote GOP, except on social matters when they will swing towards libertarian views. The rest of the Spanish diaspora will vote Dem, except on social matters when they will swing conservative. Why do you think the Dem coalition breaks up on state referendums on things like gay marriage? Because Latins and African-Americans take a walk.

Why do they vote this way? The diff between economic and political immigrants. When Castro took Cuba the professional class left, knowing they would suffer under his rule. Thus we got a ready-made middle and entrepreneurial class. Same with some South Americans worried about political instability and their money. Those who came here looking for a better economic life tend to vote for the party that they perceive will aid them in that climb through government resources.

Latins are highly susceptible to personal appeals and Anglos who make an effort to speak Spanish get their affection. Hence George Bush's success in Texas with the Mexican vote.  As in so much else, they, we, feel as much as we think and thus emotionally charged messages can have a deep impact.

On immigration the bag is mixed. While most Latins resent nativists, given all Americans are immigrants, the groups assimilated and here for some time do not like their fellow Americans constantly reminded of Hispanic relatively recent (compared to Anglos) foreign origins in the context of illegal immigration.  Other Latins have a more personal stake in the question.

So the perceptions, correct and otherwise, will go on. Yes, Latins as a whole tend to be more traditional (the 60s never happened in Latin America like it happened here. Don't believe it? Watch 'Sabado Gigante' Saturday night on Univision. It's the Ed Sullivan Show with 50s/60s cultural norms and very popular in Latin America and with Hispanic-Americans), family-oriented and hedonistic than typical North Americans.

But in a myriad number of other matters, they are individuals and members of specific ethnic groupings.

As are most of us.