An Anglo-Latino Working Class?

In analyzing Clinton's victory in Pennsylvania, Reihan Salam of the Atlantic.com writes about the existence (or emergence) of an Anglo-Latino working class. He states that for years Latinos were considered as "people of color" who will respond to American politics much as blacks have done. However, Mr. Salam suggests that is not so. Salam suggests the following:

"Suppose the white working class, which is to say the Anglo white working class, is actually expanding to include Latinos of a similar cultural disposition and economic status. Look beyond the color-coded demographic projections and it's at least plausible that a working-class coalition built around an Anglo-Latino bloc will more than hold its own in raw numbers against the emerging Obama coalition of social liberals of all classes, black voters, and reform-minded members of the mass upper middle class. It's also pretty plausible that this Anglo-Latino working class will be more tightly focused on the bread-and-butter issues that Hillary Clinton has emphasized, and less drawn to the somewhat vaguer causes of reinvigorating democracy and expiating this nation's Original Sin that have attracted voters to Obama."

Clinton Wins Pennsylvania Primary

Senator Clinton won the Pennsylvania Primary by winning the votes of blue-collar workers, women and white men in an election where the economy was the dominant concern. Obama was favored by blacks, the affluent and voters who recently switched to the Democratic Party, a group that comprised about one in ten Pennsylvania voters, according to the surveys conducted by The Associated Press and the TV networks.

Spanish Language Call Center Planned for Pennsylvania Primary

During Pennsylvania’s primary elections on April 22, 2008, Congreso de Latinos Unidos will partner with the Committee of Seventy and the Lawyers’ Committee of Civil Rights Under Law to operate the city’s only bi-lingual call center where citizens can report problems encountered at the polls by calling 1-866-OUR-VOTE. Volunteers from Congreso will be on-hand to ensure that Spanish-speaking individuals can report any complaints during these important primary elections without confronting language barriers.

Latino Radio and TV Networks To Simulcast Coverage of Latino Voting in Pennsylvania Primaries

According to Radio Bilingüe (San Francisco and Fresno), Latino voting patterns and results will be presented in three special shows designed to capture the Latino impact on the presidential elections and will air live on the public radio and television networks from the studios of WLCH-FM on Monday, April 21, and on Election Day, Tuesday, April 22 at 3 PM EDT. The third show airs Wednesday, April 23, live at 3 PM EDT from the main studios of HITN TV in Brooklyn.

Latinos Are Making A Difference

According to the Politico "Latinos More Likely to be Colorblind" article yesterday states that "Hispanics, the fastest-growing segment of the electorate, are expected to break their own turnout records and vote for the Democratic nominee — whether it is Clinton or Obama".

Hispanics, also known as the sleeping giant when referring to their participation in the election process, are fed up with the Republican conservative rhetoric. The debate against illegal immigration, the failing economy and expensive health care is motivating Latinos to vote in unprecedented numbers.

More than three-fourths of the Latino voters — 78 percent — voted in Democratic rather than Republican primaries. Rep. Hilda L. Solis (D-Calif.), who is vigorously campaigning for Clinton, predicted the Latino voter turnout in November would continue to increase, regardless of who wins the nomination.

We are becoming educated in our electoral process and understand that in order to fix our economy, bring an end to the Iraq war and fix our mortgage crisis, we must take an active role in electing a president that will be qualified to fix these problems.The article points out that Latinos of all ages and economic and education levels have backed Clinton by strong majorities in the primaries to date. The margin has been even higher among women and Spanish-dominant Hispanic immigrants who remember that former President Clinton presided over good economic times.

Hillary Clinton’s gender is a motivating factor for Latinas who “understand that, as they get out of college and face a career, they will face the same barriers that she is facing,” Solis said. When Latinas perceived that Clinton was being attacked because of her gender, “it actually pushed more Latinas her way,” the congresswoman added.