Yesterday we noted that yes, Latinos will vote for black candidates despite arguments to the contrary from the Clinton campaign. Today, Reuters seizes on the pushback to that narrative. But the fact is, Hillary has done better amongst Latinos because she has actually done a far better job in wooing that vote.
Now the question is how much can Obama cut into that Latino disadvantage on Feb. 5.
Large numbers of Hispanic or Latino voters will head to the polls for "Super Tuesday" voting on February 5 in states such as California, New York, New Jersey, Arizona and New Mexico, where public opinion polls put Clinton ahead in the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination.
And on that front, this is gold for Obama, with Ted Kennedy getting royal treatment on the El Piolín radio show today. This is significant for several major reasons. Hillary is leading Obama in southern California in huge part because of the Latino vote -- helped in large part by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's support and machine. Big city mayors are some of the best endorsements a candidate can get because they have a patronage machine they can activate on behalf of candidates they support. Yet down in southern California, El Pioín owns the market and is the largest radio show in the country. Yup, that's bigger than you-know-who.
Maids get out of bed and slip on their uniforms, landscapers load leaf blowers into rusty flatbed trucks before chugging up the freeway and cooks turn on restaurant stoves to make flapjacks. They, like other listeners, know [Eduardo] Sotelo as El Piolin, or Tweety Bird, and they regard him as a Mexican immigrant hero, someone like them, a role model. Twenty years ago, Sotelo sneaked across the Mexican border into California by hiding in the trunk of a car, and now his Spanish-language radio show, "El Piolin por la Mañana," has made him a rags-to-riches story, a DJ who beats Howard Stern, Rush Limbaugh and Tom Joyner every weekday morning, according to Arbitron ratings.
Remember the big immigration protests last year? This was the guy who fueled them nationwide. So he's not just a fun D.J., he can move people. And to this crowd, Sen. Ted Kennedy is a HUGE hero -- the man who has been fighting to pass comprehensive immigration reform in the Senate.
And today, his show was one big love note to Obama, featuring none other than Kennedy.
The El Piolín radio show [...] gave a BIG buildup for Teddy at 7:40 a.m. California time with a three minute pre-produced bio calling him “the best senator in America” highlighting Kennedy family history and his leadership on education, health care and immigration reform.
Blogger Al Giordano blogged the radio appearance, and three particular points stand out:
Kennedy talks about the fight for immigration reform he waged “and at my side from the beginning was Barack Obama.” [...]
Kennedy: “Only two senators marched for immigrant rights on May 1, 2006, one in Washington and the other in Chicago. I marched in Washington and Barack Obama marched in Chicago. He was not afraid to stand up when others wouldn’t.” [...]
“I’m committed to coming back on the immigration bill and Barack Obama will be with me. He is the one candidate who has said that he can do this in his first term. There’s too many people that are living in the shadows. Men and women of dignity who love their families who love their faith. I’m on their side and Barack Obama is on their side.”
This was worth millions in free advertising to the Obama campaign and can move real numbers. In a state were Obama is closing the gap fast according to the most recent polling, this could be game changing.
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