As if Latinos needed more reason to swing heavily Democratic next year, how about this bit of Republican disrespect?
Univisión planned to air the first presidential debates in Spanish on Sept. 9 and 16, one for Democrats, the other for Republicans, trumpeting a national coming-out party for Hispanic voters.
Except Republican candidates aren't coming. Only Ariz. Sen. John McCain agreed to participate in the event at the University of Miami.
So much for Sept. 16.
''That date is off the table,'' university spokeswoman Bárbara Gutiérrez said Wednesday.
Democrats aren't passing up this chance to communicate with one of the nation's largest swing constituencies.
All eight Democratic candidates are slated to show up Sept. 9, and party leaders plan to highlight the contrast. The New Democratic Network, a nationwide political group, is planning news conferences and inviting Hispanic leaders, including Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, former Cabinet member Henry Cisneros and U.S. Rep. Luís Gutiérrez of Illinois.
The GOP candidates are all putting on frowny faces as they looking at their calendar books, lamenting the "scheduling difficulties" that are preventing them from attending the debate. Just like they did with the YouTube debate. But are they really going to argue that their schedules are less flexible than the Democrats'?
If you care about talking to a group of people, you can move big money fundraisers out of the way to make it happen.
What's obviously happening is that they don't want to piss off the xenophobic nativist Right, where "speaking Spanish" equals the collapse of Western civilization. But as Rove has always known, the Latino vote growing in size and influence, and if it becomes a reliable Democratic constituency (like African American and Jewish voters), the GOP is screwed for generations.
So as a partisan Latino Democrat, I say to the GOP -- thanks! Your actions speak louder to my community than my words ever would.
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