LatinaLista — It’s been almost comical reading just how giddy Texas Republicans are at the prospect of gaining four more seats in Congress. There’s only one problem — those seats aren’t their’s for the taking.
It’s acknowledged that Texas gained those seats courtesy of the ever-growing Latino population. In fact, it’s reported that “Hispanics will dominate two or three of the new Texas districts.”
After the way Texas Senators Hutchison and Cornyn shamefully ignored the pleas from the state’s Latino community leaders to vote in favor of passing the DREAM Act, the notion that Latinos would help them win more seats is laughable on the part of the Latino community and delusional on the part of the GOP.
In a state that has been ruled by Caucasian Republicans for too long, who find it too easy to only focus their representational efforts on behalf of their million-dollar donors, Latinos have had their mouths forced open to swallow the bitter truth — Latino constituents are not worthy of equal representation in the eyes of Caucasian Texas Republicans.
If that were not true then passing the DREAM Act would have been a no-brainer for them.
If that were not true, then at the height of earmark amendments something would have been added to reform Texas’ colonias from their third-world conditions.
If that were not true, then more effort would have been made to address the recent decisions about school textbooks that diminish mention of contributions from Latinos and blacks.
If that were not true, then there would be no tolerance for the insistence by some Caucasian GOP legislators to enact an Arizona-type immigration bill in Texas.
If that were not true, then the GOP party in Waco, Texas would not have disowned their Latino members for starting a group to specifically recruit Latinos and young people.
For too long, Latinos have been second-class citizens within their own state. Those four seats, as reported, will most probably be determined by Latino voters.
To vote either Latino Republicans or Latino Democrats into those seats is now a priority among Texas Latino voters — because it’s a lot easier to hold someone accountable who represents you.
