whites chanting "si se puede"? WOW!!!

I just realized this (maybe I'm dreaming, or drunk), but something special happened at the Bill Richardson endorsement of Obama rally that made me think some things in this country really are changing.

During Bill Richardson's speech the crowd started chanting "yes we can, yes we can", and Richardson reacted, "si se puede, si se puede", to which the crowd responded "si se puede, si se puede". Now, this is unprecedented as far as I'm concerned. I know this is not the first time that this has happened at one of Obama's rallies, but I just happen to realize it now. I've been in the states since 1991, and in countless of occasions I've been given really bad looks for speaking Spanish, my main language, in public with a friend or a family member. Not too long ago my mom and my wife were told to speak English because "this is America", by the way, this didn't happen in the south. Maybe you can't understand what I'm talking about because maybe you haven't had these experiences, but I'm telling you, this is something! For thousands of white people to be chanting in unison a campaign slogan IN SPANISH that means, at least to me, that more and more people in the majority are starting to accept other peoples and cultures. The fact that millions of whites want an African-American to be President, the fact that this guy is a STRONG advocate of illegal immigrants, etc, etc, and still they want him, I can't emphasize enough how much that means to me as a minority. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the majority of this country should adapt to the Spanish-speaking guests and learn their language, on the contrary, I've always been a strong advocate for learning English in the Hispanic community. As a volunteer I've even taught English classes full of illegal immigrants in the past, even though my English is somewhat or very limited. I really think everyone should learn the dominant language of the country. Every time I meet a Latino who doesn't speak English I always encourage him/her to stop watching Univision and Telemundo and to get the English courses of Rossetta Stone and start learning the language that will make them get ahead in this society.
So yeah, I really think Obama is a uniter, his not even President yet and he's already uniting people. WOW!!!!!

(I know, I know, there are still millions who are not like that, but hey, something is something).

•  Tip jar

  Yo quiero Taco Bell

  by liberal rican on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 06:57:34 PM PDT

  •  Heh, I speak English, my neighbors answer

    in Spanish, I respond in English. I understand Spanish, but don't speak it; they understand English, but don't speak it. So, it's really not a problem. (Also, I think we could both speak the languages if we weren't afraid of mangling it.)

    by jeff in nyc on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:02:22 PM PDT

  •  I agree... something is happening

    and it's ABOUT time. I couldn't help imagine what it would be like to have an Obama/Richardson ticket while watching that endorsement speech. I imagined a president and vice-president actually reflecting the country they lead, not only in word and deed, but racially as well. A president with half his blood from an African father and half from a white mother who lived for a while in an Indonesian country as a child, and a VP who is Latino and represents a state with a large Native American population... now that's a beautiful All American Ticket I couldn't be prouder to support!

    by GoracleFan on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:21:39 PM PDT

    •  I was feeling so proud of those two

      I mean like .. holy cow ... look how 'white' .. and gender frozen the Republicans are .. ?

      Something beautiful is happening GoracleFan .. and it's about to get ...

                Magnificent... !

      by abarefootboy on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 09:01:54 PM PDT

  •  Venceremos.

    by Redfire on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:08:20 PM PDT

•  People Looked At You Werid Cause

  you were speaking Spanish in public? I'd just look embarrassed cause I can only speak English, and not that well.

  by webranding on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 06:58:25 PM PDT

•  Well, Speaking English is a CRIME in Quebec.

  Well writing it on signs is to some extent. Much of Miami/Dade county is Spanish only.

  Language is a touchy subject, Ask Jerome de Paris about Belgium.

  by YoursTruly on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 06:59:14 PM PDT

  •  High school spanish has served me well in NYC.

    I used to be an auditor and routinely sent to farflung Spanish-only enclaves.  I love me some Mexican food, and English was rarely, if ever, spoken.  Muchas gracias, Senora Pitcock!  My wife's fluency in Russian comes less in handy because I'm rarely in the mood for cold cabbage mixed with old newspaper, or whatever glop they eat.

    by burrow owl on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:03:54 PM PDT

    •  I've Always Worked In Technology/Advertising

      and had clients throughout the world. I've always felt pretty inferior (insert small) cause I know they are using a second, third, or fourth language to speak to me, yet I can't even come close to having a conversation with them in their native language.

      by webranding on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:07:45 PM PDT

  •  They're just kidding themselves in Quebec.

    I've never had any problems speaking English there.

    by Bush Bites on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:04:55 PM PDT

  •  False

    Speaking English is NOT a crime in Quebec. The official language of Quebec is French. There is a huge difference.

    And have a donut on me... ¿comprende?

    by ClaudeB on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:06:31 PM PDT

    •  YoursTruly is right.

      It is a touchy question.  Kind of a stupid TR, if kinda funny for proving out the point.

      by burrow owl on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:07:36 PM PDT

      •  I live in Quebec

        And I'm insulted by the casual regard for the truth expressed in his post.

        by ClaudeB on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:08:38 PM PDT

    •  Gee Claude, Merci for the kind help. Why

      don't you remove the fucking hide-rate? I believe English signage is forbidden in Quebec, no?

      by jeff in nyc on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:08:34 PM PDT

      •  I removed the HR

        But it is insulting, demeaning for the 7.5 million of holdouts surrounded by 300 million English speakers. I certainly hope this person will apologize.

        by ClaudeB on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:11:10 PM PDT

        •  I live in a place where my ethnic language

          is diminishing in importance, too. Maybe we should think about why we worry about our hegemony diminishing.

          by jeff in nyc on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:12:48 PM PDT

          •  But, French is not an "ethnic" language in Quebec

            80% of the Quebec population is French-speaking.

            by ClaudeB on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:22:39 PM PDT

            •  And will be, right? If you have a say in it?

              La Francophonie is somehow sacred in a way that the English-speaking world is not? I just wonder, and I don't want to make you mad. I just jumped on you earlier because of the rating thing. Happy Easter or Spring to you.

              by jeff in nyc on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:55:22 PM PDT

      •  Signage must be in French

        But there is no prohibitions against speaking English or any other language. Three of the 10 universities in Quebec (subsidized by the state) are teaching in English, the anglos have their own public school boards, hospitals, libraries, cultural institutions. They have access to government services in English, all laws are available in English and an accused has the right to face trial in that language.

        I'm saying all that because, while all this is true in Quebec, the reverse is far from true in the other provinces of Canada for French-speaking Canadians (except in New Brunswick and  in certain areas of Ontario).    

        by ClaudeB on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:21:37 PM PDT

        •  Also

          If you visit Quebec--especially, I would think, if you're an American--and you just attempt to use your really bad high-school French...they really appreciate it :-).

          by ChurchofBruce on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:45:47 PM PDT

          •  Whenever I said anything in French in Quebec....

            ...the nice people there smiled and switched to English.  My wife, who speaks very good French, was treated like a long lost relative. ;~}

            by Jackson L Haveck on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:54:26 PM PDT

        •  French was spoken before English in Quebec.

          I think it's more like a native laguage of the area. The only thing I don't like is the ban on Signs in English. It kind of intollerant. Just like some here who would like everybody to just speak English in America.

          by immigradvocate on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 10:16:58 PM PDT

    •  Why not offer a correction

      for the commenter - who was probably just ... wrong?

      No reason at all for a troll rate.

      by ZappoDave on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:09:14 PM PDT

      •  French Canadians, for a while HATED Anglos

        One time I was up there, they refused to speak enlgish  until they discovered I was American, then the people (three of them) spoke it better than some Onterians I know.

        I'm sure that things have improved since the Province was actively driving the Anglos out of the province, but people had been JAILED under bill 101, and they almost destroyed Canada.

        by YoursTruly on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:51:39 PM PDT

  •  Speaking English is NOT a crime in Quebec

    Having English-only signs in commercial establishments is, however.

    by fishhead on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:50:57 PM PDT

•  An Awful Lot of Whites Sang "We Shall Overcome"

  in the 50's and especially 60's. I learned Negro spirituals in both school and church in that era, and especially the ones we learned in church were liberation and justice oriented.

  [Actually "We Shall Overcome" was put into the movement by Pete Seeger singing it for MLK as I recall the recent program on Seeger that ran at our PBS fundraising time.]

  I think the Spanish chant from whites is still a lot more likely in the W and SW than in the rust belt, but it isn't a complete surprise to me.

  by Gooserock on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:00:32 PM PDT

  •  You quite correctly recall the PBS program

    which ran in my market a week ago last night. Thanks so much for mentioning a true American patriot, Pete Seeger. His family rivals Sen. Obama's for ethnic diversity.

    by DaNang65 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:29:49 PM PDT

  •  Portland is an unabashedly liberal town.:D n/t

    by Wild Starchild on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:58:30 PM PDT

•  Most probobly don't know the history of it

  but it's still pretty striking, I agree.

  by VelvetElvis on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:04:13 PM PDT

•  This is a special time in our history.

  I work in a high school in rural Indiana.  We have an hispanic population of around 13%.  As we face the challenges of a sluggish economy, friction between cultures is very evident.

  We have put different programs in place to try to eleviate some of the bruised feelings that are caused when there is a lack of understanding amongst groups of people.  We teach "reality Spanish" to white community members and "reality English" to our Hispanic community members.  Third and Fourth year Spanish students serve as mentors for elementary students visiting once a week to help with homework and learning the language.  Several teachers have formed a college club (D.R.E.A.M. Determined, Respectful, Educated, Achieving, Minorities) to help our students make plans for after high school.  We even serve on a task force in a local town to help community relations with Hispanics.  All this is a "Red" state.

  It is through bringing people together that we have been able to help our students, all of our students, feel they are a part of a community.

  This is the type of coming together that Obama will bring.  Si se puede!!!!!!

  by woelfmann on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:09:13 PM PDT

  •  That is great news for all of us! Keep up the

    trabaja bueno  [my accento es ok, mis verbos no estan conjuctive- conjunctiviste-uh, are always present tense.  :o(  Except "Cuando era nino..."]

    JuanVolvo

    by JVolvo on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 09:37:06 PM PDT

•  Anyone who wants to get ahead will learn English

  It's the dominant language in the United States and will continue to be.

  Nobody has to be forced to learn English. They will because it's in their best interests.

  And, if it's anything like my city, the old folks probably won't learn it, but all their kids will be biligual.

  (And that's the way it's been for Polish, German and every other immigrant group that has settled here.)

  by Bush Bites on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:12:34 PM PDT

  •  But if we want to compete internationally...

    we better start teaching our kids in school Mandarin Chinese.  The market will be huge and we shouldn't be so arrogant to think that they will learn English.

    The problem is too few of our schools are able to offer it due to a lack of teachers.

    by woelfmann on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:19:14 PM PDT

    •  Good point. n/t

      by Bush Bites on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:22:53 PM PDT

    •  There's an old joke in Europe that says

      if a person has three or more languages they are multi-lingual, two languages they are bi-lingual, and if they have only one language they are an American.

      by DaNang65 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:33:23 PM PDT

      •  I'd probably speak several languages, too,

        if I had to go to another country to go to the grocery store.  

        by burrow owl on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:36:42 PM PDT

        •  Nice

          makes me so proud to be an American, reveling in our ignorance.

          by DaNang65 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:08:56 PM PDT

      •  heh, I was going to post that, beat me to it n/t

        by edgeways on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:58:56 PM PDT

  •  Nobody has to be forced to learn English

    I disagree with you on that. I came to America with my dad in 1986 from Korea. I was 17 & he was 41 yrs old. My dad insisted that we BOTH needed to learn English. His reason: We'll be US Citizens one day. How can you respect & love your country if you can't even speak her language? Are we going to be true Americans or just Americans for our papers say so?

    He went to adult school after 10 hrs of hard work 4 days a week for about 2 years. He asked me a question after question to make sure he did his homework right. He still does. I still remember THE day he got his citizenship. He was so(X 100) proud! He told all his American friends that now he's an American in English. I was/am very proud of my dad for putting those hours to learn English. For a noble reason. Not because it would help him to get a job but to have a sense of pride being an American.

    I believe that it is important to understand & respect other cultures. However, I have hard time understanding the reasons why we shouldn't require (not force) immigrants to learn English. For this is where it'll be called "his/her country" after all.  

    by ck4city on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 09:28:43 PM PDT

    •  Not everybody has the time and money or

      the capacity go to night school after working 10 hours. Classes are expensive, oversubscribed and have long waiting lists. Some adults have child care responsibilities after work and on week ends. But the kids learn. And hopefully they won't be embarrased to speak their mother toungue because of the intollerence of anti freedom of speech xenophobes.

      by immigradvocate on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 10:25:53 PM PDT

      •  Then, why can't we

        invest more into cheaper & broader education system for immigrants? Make it easier for them to attend the school? Like creating child care programs for people who like to attend?

        Learning English never had negative influence on me when it comes to what I am & where I came from. I speak fluent Korean & am very proud where I came from. I've never been embarrassed to speak Korean & in fact I've helped other Koreans with various issues caused by language barrier. Helping non-English speakers is one thing. My concern is that it seems like "you don't have to learn English" kind of message out there. Why can't we educate them to learn English & help 2nd generation to be proud of their heritage? Isn't this part of what makes this country different from others?

        by ck4city on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 11:47:09 PM PDT

•  ǝpǝnd ɐs ıs

  I picked up some spanish in my travels to Central and South America. I was just booking a room in Guanacuaste C.R.

  by Lefty Coaster on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:19:59 PM PDT

•  Seems that Richardson speaks Spanish

  really well.  The way he said "Si se puede" was beautiful.

  by ybruti on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:21:23 PM PDT

  •  really?

    I've always wondered whether his accent is good.  Not being a native Spanish speaker myself (just learned it in high school) it always sounds like his accent is a bit off, but I guess that doesn't make sense since he lived in Mexico for some time.

    by barath on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:33:30 PM PDT

  •  Um ... You do know Richardson *is* Mexican?

    Right?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/...

    by sly1171 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:33:43 PM PDT

    •  Just to clarify ...

      His father is white, his mother is Mexican and yes, he is a natural born U.S. Citizen.

      by sly1171 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:35:18 PM PDT

      •  Oops! Correction.

        His father "identifies as Hispanic," but Richardson is still a natural born U.S. Citizen.

        Bill Richardson was born at the Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, California to María Luisa López-Collada Márquez (born 1914) and William Blaine Richardson Jr. (1891–1972), a banker. He lived and worked in Mexico City for decades. It was his mother who largely took care of him during his youth. He has a younger sister, Vesta. Just before Richardson was born, his mother was sent to California, where her husband's sister lived, to give birth because, as Richardson explained, "My father had a complex about not having been born in the United States." Three of his four grandparents were Mexican citizens, and he identifies himself as Hispanic. Richardson, a U.S. citizen by birthright, was raised during his childhood in Mexico City. At age 13, Richardson's parents sent him to Massachusetts to attend a Boston-area preparatory school, Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts, where he played baseball as a pitcher. He entered Tufts University in 1966 where he continued to play baseball.

        by sly1171 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:38:12 PM PDT

•  The best thing about learning another language

  is that it frames the world in a different way, so one automatically takes on another perspective.

  Thus one gains a broader understanding of our small planet and its great diversity.

  by murasaki on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:29:38 PM PDT

  •  Exactly!

    It's sad that as a nation we don't push for bilingual or multilingual education!

    by pileta on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:53:09 PM PDT

    •  Obama speaks passable Bahassa, btw

      The language most widely spoken in Indonesia.

      Talk about a window into a different world and perspective!

      by Gimmeliberty on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:19:45 PM PDT

      •  This is good.

        The fact the his dad was an an immigrant from Kenya and that he has lived in Hawaii and Indonesia, help shape his world view...

        by pileta on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 09:17:39 PM PDT

      •  yeah he lernt it at a mooslum terrer school...

        KIDDING

        Si se puede, Grumpy Old Pricks

        by JVolvo on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 09:40:56 PM PDT

    •  What's realy sad,

      Is that as a country we don’t even push for monolingual education.  Of course on the plus side that appears to be no obstacle to holding the highest office in the land.

      by Logy on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:32:01 PM PDT

      •  LOL n/t

        by pileta on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 09:16:11 PM PDT

•  Important for U.S. Cititzens to learn Spanish

  There are only two English speaking nation in the Western Hemisphere -- the U.S. and Canada.  Every nation south of the U.S. speak Spanish.  I think it is time for the U.S. to become part of the rest of the hemisphere and we should learn to converse and be multi-lingual like many people are in Europe.

  Also I would like to see the U.S. adopt the metric system as well and be PART OF THE WORLD rather than isolated and xenophobic.

  Thanks for your article.

  by Sheffield157 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:50:04 PM PDT

  •  At least one correction to that

    Brazilians speak Portuguese...

    I'll actually have to think about the rest of them

    by edgeways on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:01:44 PM PDT

  •  Alright after a few mins this is to the best

    of my recollection...

    It is true that Spanish is one of the main languages in S. America, and is the official languages of most, but the continent is not completely monolingual, in addition to Portuguese...

    Englush is the official language of Guyana, the Falkland Islands and I think Belize, Dutch in Suriname and French in French Guiana.

    It is completely fair to say that Spanish, (and Portuguese) are the overwhelming languages of choice South of the US, but not the only ones by a long shot.

    by edgeways on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:10:03 PM PDT

    •  then like europe we should be

      teaching them all in school

      by Tanya on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:11:23 PM PDT

    •  linguistic-info show off ;o)

      Who said it's not bragging if you can do it?

      by JVolvo on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 09:42:39 PM PDT

    •  And don't forget all the Caribbean islands where

      French, Creole, Dutch, and so many other languages are spoken.
      Foreign Language skills are valued in the rest of the world, but are demeaned and undervalued too much in the U.S.

      by immigradvocate on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 10:33:20 PM PDT

    •  Thanks for the correction

      I forgot about Brazil and various languages spoken by other nations.  But in general Spanish is virtually ubiquitous south of the U.S. But the main point is that those voices that say "English only" are voices of reaction and are holding this country back from being integrated with the rest of this hemisphere.

      Thanks!

      by Sheffield157 on Sun Mar 23, 2008 at 11:16:21 AM PDT

  •  and you know what else?

    It really isn't that frickin hard to learn Spanish. Something like 80% of the vocabulary in Spanish and English are cognates thanks to the Norman conquest of England. Sure, you'll never get all the irregular verbs right, and you'll never get all the verb/prepostion combinations right, but it doesn't matter. You can get to a point where you can communicate quite well in a relatively short time. I took a 9 week intensive course at Portland State some years back one summer(4 days a week, 4 hours a day) and after 6 weeks I was chatting with a Spanish climber in the local rock gym. Nothing deep, but more than enough to understand each other. I continued to study and eventually lived in Ecuador. If an English speaker immerses in a Spanish enviroment the fluency just comes naturally.

    And, actually, I think it is probably easier to go from English to Spanish rather than the other way, especially if you have a large vocabulary of Latin based English words. This is true because the Latin based cognates from English which may not be such common words, tend to be very common words in Spanish. And once you get it down, Spanish pronuciation is fairly rule based and regular, unlike English.

    Seriously, try to learn to speak Japanese and you will realize that English and Spanish aren't even different languages, they are just dialects of the same ancient language. Cognates in Japanese won't get you very far at all.

    People should chill about languages. It's not that big of a deal. It's just talking, and "they" aren't talking about you when you hear "them" in the supermarket. They are saying "should we get the family size or the regular size," just like you are.

    by magurakurin on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:32:45 PM PDT

    •  I've worked in restaurants, one hotel and

      two auto dealerships in the last 18 years.  I've always had interactions with spanish-speaking folks (Midwest university town), often kitchen or cleaning staff.  

      They were always gracious in our interactions - especially if my rusty spanish helped them.  In the early days my mangled spanish was better than their english.  No mas!

      I've been thrilled to recently have 10-20 minute conversations about politics, the economy, deportes and such with the head of our pm cleaning crew.  We bounce between E and S whenver we (I!!) have trouble with a verb or concept.

      Way cool.

      Remember WKRP?  
      Herb "...muy dinero"  Loni: "Herb, you just said 'very money'"

      by JVolvo on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 09:55:20 PM PDT

  •  Not true

    You're neglecting the Caribbean, where there are several English-speaking nations, and a couple of French-speaking ones, to boot.  Moreover, Belize and Guyana speak English, Suriname Dutch, and French Guinea, well, French.  And that's just off the top of my head.

    Plus Canada is an officially bilingual country.

    by fishhead on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:56:28 PM PDT

•  I live in Arizona which is anti other languages

  that it gets a little ridiculous. When it was applying for statehood it managed to redistrict the majority of Spanish speakers into New Mexico. Then in the 1980s it tried to make sure no public official including teachers could speak anything other than English when they were doing their jobs. That got knocked down in court but then they dressed up the law again and managed to pass a crazy English only law. In this law, foreign language teachers are excused and a foreign language can be used to promote trade and for public health and safety. Public officials can use another language while doing their duties but only unofficially. (I'm not sure anyone knows how to figure that out). Oh, and if you feel like you're being discriminated against because you're speaking English, you can go to court. I don't know if voters actually looked at it before voting for it but that's the weird state of Arizona for you.

  by Imogen on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:51:30 PM PDT

  •  California trivia

    The original state constitution of California was written in english AND spanish.

    by Nellcote on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:01:11 PM PDT

•  Excelente!

  Not too long ago my mom and my wife were told to speak English because "this is America"

  It's with sadness that I confess that this has happened to me. I would say a few too many times.

  I must say that I'm also proud that my kids speak Spanish even if they are living in 'America'!

  by pileta on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:52:19 PM PDT

  •  I saw a bumper sticker recently that said

    "YOU'RE IN AMERICA
    SPEAK ENGLISH"

    Made me sick. Aren't I free to speak another language if I so desire?

    Si, se puedo!

    by immigradvocate on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 10:38:59 PM PDT

    •  That's messed up!

      One time at a grocery store a woman noticed that I was speaking in Spanish to my daughter and she seemed uncomfortable. I forgot what she told me but I was mad and snapped back at her with something like:
      "well, she also speaks English and German as well..."

      She did not say anything after that!

      by pileta on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 10:49:15 PM PDT

•  Not unprecedented.

  "Si, se puede" was a big slogan in the Dean campaign.

  by CJB on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:05:56 PM PDT

  •  Duh! BUT it's great! And wonderful and fantastic

    What's happening that is.

    Sorry.  I read my previous comment and thought, "Well, that was sorta pissy!" :-P

    by CJB on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:10:47 PM PDT

  •  Another simlarity between the two...

    I wonder if Obama and Dean have had long talks about campaigning.

    by edgeways on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:11:50 PM PDT

•  someone told my daughter, that I spoke excellent

  english, they were very embarassed to find out I was born here and don't speak spanish very well at all. I made sure my daughter became fluent.

  by Tanya on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:08:55 PM PDT

  •  Nice!

    My wife gets this in Spanish. She's from here and some people think she's Latina given that she does not have an accent in Spanish.

    I also made sure that they became fluent in Spanis. We also made sure that they spoke German as well given their grandmother was born in Germany.

    by pileta on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:12:16 PM PDT

    •  my daughter started calling me

      conchita after that

      by Tanya on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:40:00 PM PDT

  •  Years ago

    I dated a Cuban. He learned English when he was about 8 years old. He spoke English better than i did. My southern accent used to crack him up.

    by redtex on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:41:39 PM PDT

•  Obama's assertion that every child should

  learn a second language is one my favorite lines from his speeches.

  Unfortunately I didn't start trying to learn Spanish until I was an adult and I have never become conversationally fluent though I can read and write with difficulty.

  I did have a fleeting sense sometimes, as a teacher would lead the class through poems or prose passages, that I got Spanish and I felt for a moment as if my mind had expanded to see the world in a new, a more sensible way.

  by houyhnhnm on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:09:26 PM PDT

•  Yesterday while visiting Progresso Mexico

  I tried out my new spanish "Si Se Puede" to some clerks (young women) in the store I was visiting.  They looked a little bewildered by my saying that.  Then I pointed to my Obama '08 button, and they gave me a very approving look.  I turned around, and looked at them as I was leaving the store, and I could tell they were talking about the 50ish white woman who had just spoken to them.  It was a nice experience.  I learned how to say it, from watching that song a few weeks ago that Kid Oakland posted in a diary, from youtube.

  by mlittlefeather on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:18:20 PM PDT

•  I can imagine how you must have felt.

  I'm sorry you weren't involved in Dean's campaign, or you would have felt that way 4 years sooner.

  by Free Spirit on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:57:09 PM PDT