Thread: The Democratic choice is Barack Obama (Latinos go for Obama,

Published: Feb 2, 2008
Author: La Opinion (Nation's Largest Latino

The Democratic choice is Barack Obama

The Democratic Party arrives at the California primary with a historic choice between two extraordinary candidates. We believe that of the two, Senator Barack Obama represents fundamental change in a campaign in which "change" has become a central theme. Obama’s approach to immigration and his inspiring vision are what the country need to break through the current feeling of political malaise.

There is no doubt that Senator Hillary Clinton would be an excellent president if elected. She is capable, competent, disciplined, and hard working. She has shown herself to be a talented legislator and is on the right side of the major issues. Her plan for universal health care is one example of the courageous initiatives she has proposed as a candidate. And it would be wonderful to elect the country's first woman president.

She has garnered significant Latino support from such influential and high profile national leaders as Raúl Yzaguirre, Henry Cisneros and Antonio Villaraigosa. She has worked tirelessly over many years to represent the best interests of Latinos and her personal commitment has been well-documented throughout this campaign.

Yet, this is a historic moment and tremendous skills and experience are not enough to inspire a feeling of renewal in our country after eight long years of George W. Bush.

As well, we were disappointed with her calculated opposition to driver’s licenses for the undocumented, which contrasts markedly from the forceful argument in support made by Obama. We understand that this is an extremely controversial issue but we believe there is only one right position and it is that of the senator from Illinois. And, while both senators support comprehensive immigration reform, only Obama has committed to bringing forward new legislation during his first year in office.

It is this commitment to the immigration issue which drove Obama to condemn the malicious lies made during the immigration debate, to understand the need for driver’s licenses, and to defend the rights of undocumented students by co-authoring the DREAM Act. The senator has demonstrated character by maintaining his position despite the hostile political climate.

At the same time, there are not huge differences between the two Democractic candidates on most of the major issues. Thus, vision makes the difference! Obama offers an inclusive message of hope that addresses our country's historic moment. He has a conciliatory style that can reverse the vicious cycle of rancor which has dominated Washington over these past decades and has paralyzed its ability to come together on major decisións.

We need a leader today that can inspire and unite America again around its greatest possibilities. Barack Obama is the right leader for the time. We know that he is not as well known among our community and while he has the support of Maria Elena Durazo, Senator Gil Cedillo and others he comes to the Latino community with less name recognition. Nevertheless, it is Obama who deserves our support.

By deciding between a woman or an African American as their presidencial nominee, the Democrats are making history. Barack Obama has the sensibilities of a man from humble beginnings raised in a multicultural home. He is the best option for a truly visionary change.

The Republican choice is John McCain

Throughout the political race for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, John McCain has been the voice of reason and common sense. The Arizona senator has held firm on his convictions while most of the candidates have changed their positions in order to ingratiate themselves with the ultra-conservative wing of the party's base. McCain’s independent character and moderate political views have made him the party's ideal candidate to change the bitter tone that prevails in Washington.

The immigration discussion is a clear example of the difference between McCain and the other republican candidates. The Arizona senator was one of the authors of the immigration reform bill that failed to pass last year. While he has since tempered his enthusiasm for it, he has still mantained the need to find a realistic and humane resolution to the situation of millions of families who have been working in our country for years. His rivals have not hesitated to switch their earlier more reasonable positions for fantasies of mass deportations.

The Arizona senator’s longtime position on immigration would by itself be reason enough to support his candidacy, but there are more reasons why we believe he should win the Republican primary.

McCain is a politician with broad experience and strong convictions that have at times led him to disagree with his party and the White House. We do not agree with all of his positions, such as his support for President Bush’s Iraq policy. However, in comparison to his rivals in his party, he has more pros than cons. We point to his efforts to limit the damaging influence of special interest money in Washington, his zeal on budget issues, and his inclusiveness and moderation on social issues.

Nevertheless, we believe that Senator McCain’s strongest virtue is his ability to build bridges across different sectors without getting mired in ideological constraints. There is no doubt that he would change the rancorous climate in Washington, which would help set decisions made that the country needs and would help the Republican Party expand its base beyond the ultra-conservative extreme. This would be a welcome contrast to the Bush Administration.

The last presidential election revealed a nation divided almost equally between two parties. This senator is the only Republican candidate with the pragmatism needed to work together with a Democratic-controlled Congress. Among the Republican hopefuls, McCain is the best choice for the country.

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There is a racism toward blacks by latinos more so that they see them as rivals for entitlements than just plain hatred racial features.The leaders of both black and latinos down play this because they are democrats and do not want any cross overs to republicans if Obama is the nominee.I am sure your will see HILLARY get between 60% -68% of latino vote in California.