LatinaLista — Well, if you believe the rumors circulating in the blogosphere, it’s that Obama had some of Richardson’s supporters in Iowa when they realized there wasn’t enough momentum for Richardson.
But just like many of the commenters to the rumor said, “It’s not newsworthy since deals are always made during caucuses.
Yet, an interesting observance was made last night by Latina publisher Lorena Lopez of Iowa’s La Prensa.
Obama and Richardson
She told Latina Lista last night that she was suprised that Richardson had not fared better among la raza in Iowa.
“He always got a crowd when he appeared here,” said Lopez.
But Lopez noticed that among the caucuses she attended, there was only Richardson supporter and that person was Anglo.
Lopez said that all the Latinos she spoke to were voting for Obama. Not for his experience in the political realm but because out of all the candidates, the Iowa Latino electorate found him to be the best candidate who could identify with discrimination.
Couple that revelation with the fact that the youth turned out in record numbers in Iowa too, and that there are many legal Latino youth ready to cast their first vote in this election, then Obama’s path to the White House may not be so hard to realize after all.
If Latino youth visually identify more with Obama (as their parents do), given his age and appearance, rather than someone in their 50s who looks like the majority of politicians in DC, then what chance does Richardson have among his own gente?
I’m afraid the old question that initially haunted Richardson at the start of his campaign is rearing its ugly head all over again: Is Richardson not Latino enough to appeal to Latino voters?
In Iowa, it would appear so.
Comment(13)
miguel
My initial thought is that these Latinos are concerned about this country and not who is Hispanic. I think they see Richardson as a part of the group of people responsible for the mess this country is in. The immigrant issues will work themselves out when cool heads prevail. This is not an “us” vs “them” battle but about getting real issues on the table.
Texano78704
Falta el appellido.
Richardson may look the part, but he lacks a Spanish surname. Perhaps that is why he didn’t do so well.
Or maybe it is just that Obama comes across as a better candidate.
Ironically, another web site posted an article stating that Latinos were unlikely to vote for a black man. The data was tenuous at best and I would say now probably not true.
Maldonado
I didn’t read too much into the rumors of Richardson handing over his supporters to Obama. It is true that deals are always made but what would Richardson have to gain? He doesn’t have a grudge against Clinton. So why would he be interested in throwing his support behind Obama? Because Obama is easier to beat than Hillary Clinton is, that’s why. This race is a marathon, not a sprint.
Maybe Richardson stayed out of Lemars, IA. That’s where all the “legal” Latinos are. Even still, Latinos make up less than 3% of the IA population.
Lastly, I pity the day that young people elect the president. Voting based on age is no different that voting based on last names.
It takes more to run a country than charisma. Young people are to naive to realize they’re are being schmoozed.
Obama has basically declared himself the next president.
He got nerve, that man. He hasnt even been to CA yet and it’s Super Tuesday that matters.
EYES OF TEXAS
Obamas grandmother is white, perhaps people would not consider him black enough if that were common knowledge. She is never spoken of by Obama and is being prevented from making any type of public statements during his presidential run. The grandmother raised him and now she’s been kicked to the curb. Go figure. What else could Obama be hiding from his Muslim past?
Texano78704
“She is never spoken of by Obama…”
Not even the topic at hand and certainly untrue. She is mentioned at least twice on his campaign web site. At least that is what a Yahoo search shows. Try adding to conversation instead of spewing trash.
Evelyn
TRUTH
Obamas white grandmother in Hawaii
“Obama still spends most Christmas holidays in Hawaii visiting his grandmother 84”
http://www.manbc.msn.com/id/17003563/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Obama’s black grandmother in Kisumu, Kenya
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/08/26/kenya.obama/index.html
Frank
Sounds like Latinos are going to base their presidential selection on color of skin and being a minority in this country. Either way Obama and Richardson fit the bill.
This is not the way to select a president. Skin color and ethnicity shouldn’t enter into the equasion. One shouldn’t select a president based on what he/she can do for your particular ethnic group. One should select a president based on his track record on the issues, his/her experience and is he/she a president who will not favor a particular ethnic group but be a president for ALL Americans and will honor our laws.
brownfemipower
I don’t know, I think that richardson looks plenty latino. He looks more latino than alberto gonzales does, and everybody recognizes alberto as latino. I think that lack of latino support has a lot to do with his lack of grassroots connection to latino voters. outside of his appearance at Spanish debates, where was he connecting to latino populations? Was he incorporating latino issues like immigration and workers rights into his message? As far as I know, he didn’t even mention or otherwise invoke ceasar chavez–Kucinich was more aware of latino issues than he was.
Texano78704
“Sounds like Latinos are going to base their presidential selection on color of skin and being a minority in this country.”
That’s hilarious coming from someone who will probably pick a candidate from the conservative party. In other words, you will be picking one of eight white men.
Frank
But you see my choice of a candidate will not be because of skin color or race. It just so happens that all of the Republicans running are white, not my fault. I would have no problem voting for a conservative Republican of any ethnicity if he mirrored my views and stood for ALL Americans.
Just what are “latino issues” anyway? Don’t we all put on our pants the same way?
Texano78704
“But you see my choice of a candidate will not be because of skin color or race.”
LOL! Yeah, if a Black chooses a Black and a Latino chooses a Latino, it is because they decide by skin color. But if Frank chooses one of the eight white guys the Republicans are putting up as candidates, it is because the white guy is the best choice. Yeah right Frank.
“It just so happens that all of the Republicans running are white, not my fault.”
No, not your fault. But it is the result of inherit Republican tendencies. Tell us, Frank, how many Black Republican Congressman are there? Black Republican Senators?
Frank
Texano, your very own words were “Richardson looks the part but lacks the Spanish surname.”
I don’t know how many Black Senators or Representatives there are. What has that to do with it? As I said, and I stand by my remarks, I will vote for ANY conservative Republican who shares my views and will be a president for ALL Americans and I don’t care what his skin color, race or ethnicity is. Your personal opinion of me without knowing me is just that…..your personal opinion not based on facts.
El Loco
I saw Richardson’s performance during the earlier debates and I was quite disappointed. He looked like he didn’t prepare for it. If you’re going into a debate and you know the ground rules, e.g., what topics, how much time to answer questions, do you have opening or closing statements, etc., you should be prepared to answer questions as briefly – or elaboratedly – and as clearly as possible.
Richardson’s performance early on was just pathetic. For those of you old enough . . . I was sort of half-expecting him to start wandering through the stage a la Admiral Stockdale.
If I had to choose between supporting Richardson or Obama, I would support Obama. Although Richardson has the C.V., Obama is the better candidate.
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