McCain documentary on Obama and the Latino community in Chicago: MIA
posted at 1:35 pm on September 24, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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The McCain campaign has a new Internet-only spot out today hitting Barack Obama on his connections to the Latino community. The spot consists of man-on-the-street interviews in the Latino section of Chicago, talking with various residents about Obama’s record of engagement in their community and on their issues. Most of those shown can’t come up with any examples of leadership on Latino issues — with the exception of repopularizing Cesar Chavez’Si Se Puede:
Conservatives will find a few points to enjoy, but overall perhaps give this a failing grade. On taxes, for instance, the documentary shows that Obama’s reputation as a taxer doesn’t make many allies. Most of these are small-business owners who will get hammered by Obama tax increases on capital gains and payroll taxes.
Other than that, though, it takes a turn towards the pandering that unfortunately has become a part of retail politics. The main complaint voiced throughout this is that Obama didn’t pay enough attention to their economic issues, and I doubt they mean that their unhappiness comes from a lack of effort at cutting funding for pork projects. That’s more or less confirmed when the documentary notes how many of these people supported Hillary Clinton in the primaries and have switched to McCain after Obama won the nomination.
Of course, conservatives aren’t the target audience here, and this intends to push back on Obama’s claim to truly represent Latino interests. Clearly, the rhetoric replaces any action here, just as it does on reform. If viewers can stick out the six-minute length and the strange camera work (which keeps rolling left and right), it will remind Latinos that Barack Obama is nothing but talk.
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“it will remind Latinos that Barack Obama is nothing but talk.”
good gravy, they haven’t figgered that out yet?!
Buckaroo on September 24, 2008 at 1:39 PM
…. not too surprising. How many other Obama supporters can come up with any examples of leadership on any other issues as well.
wise_man on September 24, 2008 at 1:43 PM
Sarah Palin is very popular in Hispanic circles. She needs to be making appearances with Daddy Yankee, Secretary Guitierrez, etc.
D0WNT0WN on September 24, 2008 at 1:48 PM
By far, the best question ever asked to Obama supporters was Hannity when he said “can you name one thing that Obama has done” and they stared back blankly.
Awesome.
lorien1973 on September 24, 2008 at 1:48 PM
The guy sitting on the bench speaking Spanish – I don’t speak Spanish but I could tell that wasn’t good.
AubieJon on September 24, 2008 at 1:48 PM
One more month of pandering, one more month of pandering…
BadgerHawk on September 24, 2008 at 1:49 PM
Drudge links this:
CENSUS: 74% of El Paso speaks Spanish at home…
100% of people say the city name in Spanish.
Rimshot!
lorien1973 on September 24, 2008 at 1:50 PM
Looks like this is more astroturfing, to get Hillary on the ticket.. then to make it look like all the women are moving from McCain to Obama..
Chakra Hammer on September 24, 2008 at 1:52 PM
Oirme todos los demas miembros de la Raza, un voto a favor de Juan McCain es un voto para mi.
VinyFoxy on September 24, 2008 at 1:52 PM
Her husband is part Eskimo, Obama is racist against Eskimo’s.
Chakra Hammer on September 24, 2008 at 1:53 PM
“Sarah Palin is very popular in Hispanic circles”
i did not know that — if so — GET HER TO NM!!
Buckaroo on September 24, 2008 at 1:53 PM
But…
I want to know why we are electing people in the first place to “do something” for our separatist “communities?” IDENTITY crap again…what has he done PERIOD in his state or whose interests has he been working for from start to finish. That is the question.
Back to the community issue: can we ask what any politician has done for the white community? :o) See, though, that sounds weird. But why is it acceptable to talk that way about latinos and blacks, etc.
Mommypundit on September 24, 2008 at 1:56 PM
lorien1973 on September 24, 2008 at 1:50 PM
We speak Spanish here at my home in El Paso, and we’re all Anglo.
TexasJew on September 24, 2008 at 1:56 PM
Start reporting all the Hillary Clinton scandals NOW.
Chakra Hammer on September 24, 2008 at 1:57 PM
I believe, lorien1973, that Obama has wanted to be president for a long time. As well as John McCain, who has stated that ‘presidential ambition is only curable with embalming fluid.’ In other words, when you are a politician, you want to seek the highest office. Just as business people want to be CEO one day. Or a doctor wants to be the chief of surgery, or a lawyer would like to be a supreme court justice. Well, as least a of people would like to reach the pinnacle of their career.
Point is, what has Obama done, other than capitalize on good fortune and steeping up when the situation presented itself. Obama used a lawyerly tactic to remove his democrat opponents so he could run unopposed. And then he gave a speech. And later, thanks to Ryan’s messy divorce, the republicans put up Alan Keyes to be his opponent. And then he made another speech. He was a senator how many days before starting his push to run for president?
At least someone like McCain(as well as Biden) has been doing their senatorial crap for years. And Palin as been a governor of a state. Back to the point, What – other than writing two autobiographical books and conveniently moving up in politics, has Obama done to show to people that he can be a good president? What has he accomplished that is something that his supporters can point to. Agreeing with his fellow democrats on legislation to curb nuclear weapons, by writing words down on a piece of paper?
wise_man on September 24, 2008 at 1:58 PM
What?!
Raaaaaaaaaacissssst!!!!!!
/sarc
csdeven on September 24, 2008 at 1:59 PM
El Paso is spanish for, The Paso.
BadgerHawk on September 24, 2008 at 2:00 PM
Oh yeah? Well, what is english for “El Nino?“
wise_man on September 24, 2008 at 2:02 PM
I’m with MommyPundit….
-This is a Democratic move….identity politics.
-Speak English, You’re in America!
-Once again, a Mexican flag is next to an American flag. There is no loyalty to the U.S., we are just an ATM!
-These morons were going to vote for Hillary….yeah, right, they suddenly became Repubs….uh, that’s right, we have McCain.
-John McCain-UUGHH! If you can’t say something nice….Stop hispandering…you’re not going to get their vote.
HornetSting on September 24, 2008 at 2:03 PM
The Nino?
I can’t get to YouTube from work. Please describe the joke in text.
BadgerHawk on September 24, 2008 at 2:04 PM
We call it El Peso…down here in NM…or El Mexico. Now you know why. Definately not part of Texas anymore.
HornetSting on September 24, 2008 at 2:05 PM
The little boy?
HornetSting on September 24, 2008 at 2:06 PM
Obama is not down for La Raza?
………………. who knew?
Seven Percent Solution on September 24, 2008 at 2:06 PM
What I’d like to know is where is the McCain ad saying something along these lines:
Barack Obama says he wants to bring about change. Well the best way to see the kind of change he’ll bring is to look at the change he’s already brought.
You then see video of the roach infested, sewage dripping slums that Tony Rezko built on the taxpayer money Obama gave him. These buildings didn’t exist until Barack Obama gave taxpayer money to his good friend and now convicted felon, Tony Rezko to build them.
Now there’s a voiceover of Obama saying “Change you can believe in”.
Those are the words.
Another shot of the slum.
This is the reality. This is Obama’s change you can believe in.
I’m John McCain…
Tough but fair.
nocomme1 on September 24, 2008 at 2:08 PM
HornetSting on September 24, 2008 at 2:05 PM
Even worse, we’re becoming part of New Mexico (yuck).
Even NMSU now considers El Pasoans as in-state residents.
TexasJew on September 24, 2008 at 2:10 PM
Sorry. It’s Chris Farley in a spanish wrestling outfit preening as El Nino.
wise_man on September 24, 2008 at 2:14 PM
Actually, I live in NM, but I won’t admit it in public…oops.
This state is run by idiots….Ballooning Bill and his hispandering make me want to puke! We give licenses to illegal aliens, thanks to that bloated bag of SH*T!
Atleast the terrorists coming over the southern border will be able to drive once they get here to the Land of Retardment.
HornetSting on September 24, 2008 at 2:15 PM
My Hispanic in-laws are reliably Democrat and liked Hillary, too, but are voting for McCain. They really like Palin and can’t stand Obama.
In poverty-ridden urban areas, there is a palpable antipathy between blacks and Hispanics. This is the Bradley Effect times dos.
Terrie on September 24, 2008 at 2:16 PM
Yeah, check out L.A. and see the “Bradley Effect” times MS-13.
HornetSting on September 24, 2008 at 2:19 PM
Ah, thanks for the update wise_man.
BadgerHawk on September 24, 2008 at 2:21 PM
I used to live in “Little Texas”, the oilfields down in southeastern part of the state – Hobbs, Jal, Artesia and Carlsbad.
VERY different down there, in every way. Red State, to the max. Not exactly the prettiest part of The Land of Enchantment, however.
I know things were going to hell, when my old neighbor here in west El Paso, Cormac McCarthy, took all his ancient pickup trucks and moved up to groovy Santa Fe.
TexasJew on September 24, 2008 at 2:23 PM
Look, they spoke overwhelmingly in English and I do not have a problem with them speaking Spanish because in may ways they are speaking to those that predominately speak Spanish. There are many cultures that still speak their native languages, and so big deal. Besides the real problem is with the Congress not passing English as THE LANGUAGE of America, not with people who are bilingual. The problem is the illegals that refuse to learn English and no one in this video appeared to be illegal. Instead they appeared to be business owners, or invested in the Latino community in some productive manner. Conservatives have problems with illegals and the lies Obama did something in Chicago that was remotely productive.
In addition, who out there does not believe there are going to be many, many a voter illegal or legal that predominately speaks Spanish? My guess is that at least 40% of the illegals are going to vote, and it could be more depending on individual state’s voting laws in which they vote in. Since McCain is only getting about 30% of the Latino vote, I say do whatever it take to take away any Obama advantage.
The ad is true for whatever your race. Obama in Chicago=Obama in Washington. His community organizing did not do much for African-Americans either! Someone needs to go where he and Ayers and Rezko ran their little activities and show all those boarded up buildings!
I am a strong anti-amnesty Conservative! BUT you cannot ignore the Spanish speaking citizens and their impact on this election. And your are right, the ad is really not for those of us who despise McCain’s relationship with La Raza, et al.
freeus on September 24, 2008 at 2:25 PM
That was my first thought when someone brought up El Nino.
I am El Nino! Which is Spanish for… The Nino!
darury on September 24, 2008 at 2:34 PM
That’s beautiful, freeus. Again, identity politics have NO room in true conservative campaigns. We are all Americans and thus, we should all speak the language of the land. English. Great if you are bilingual, but I live in an area, where, just south of here, you cannot get a job UNLESS you speak Spanish. And yes, it is still part of the U.S. for now.
Why is it that the only language other than English offered by companies is Spanish? What about German, French, Russian, or Chinese?
HornetSting on September 24, 2008 at 2:36 PM
El trollo…..rofl.
ex-Democrat on September 24, 2008 at 4:59 PM
I’m not bothering to put the accents and all that in, but here’s what they said and my quick and dirty translation.
0:46 – Si puede, o si no puede – If he can, or if he can’t.
1:41 – Obama habla bastante y no dice nada, y hace menos. – Obama talks plenty and doesn’t say anything, and does less.
2:10 – Come ’si puede’ si nunca esta aqui? – How ‘can he’ if he’s never here?
3:33 – A votado cientos de veces para que nos suben los impuestos. – He’s voted hundreds of times so that our taxes go up.
4:13 – A, si, deja te digo que el a echo para nosotros aqui en Illinois. – Ah, yes, let me tell you what he has done for us here in Illinois.
5:28 – No necesitamos algo con fama y carisma; porque no esta aplicando para ser American Idol? – We don’t need someone with fame and charisma; why isn’t he applying to be American Idol?
Proud Hispanic conservative here, btw. We do exist.
Mynuet on September 24, 2008 at 6:13 PM
Er, the one at 4:13 was the one just followed by train noises. In case that wasn’t clear.
Mynuet on September 24, 2008 at 6:22 PM
They could do the same thing in the black community of Chicago. He hasn’t done anything for anybody but himself.
I wonder why the polls don’t reflect this now? Curiouser and curiouser.
Mojave Mark on September 24, 2008 at 7:05 PM
ED: “That’s more or less confirmed when the documentary notes how many of these people supported Hillary Clinton in the primaries and have switched to McCain after Obama won the nomination.”
That may be true in your deduction from this interview, but you will be surprised to find that here in the PRC, far more were going to vote Republican in the first place as they were fed up with having to support the system. A few that I know and strongly think are illegals which work as farm labor and construction labor have asked me “why would you support a system that takes your money to support others when you have your own family to worry about?” It might prove to be more informative it this were taken on a broader spectrum.
N4646W on September 25, 2008 at 2:31 AM
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