Fool's errand? GOP needs to smarten up
Nov. 19 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Some Republicans are saying the party was on a fool's errand trying to win over Hispanics.
In this election, most Hispanics voted for the Democratic nominee for president just as they have in every presidential election since they helped elect John Kennedy in 1960. There have been elections where Democrats ran away with the Hispanic vote (i.e., Bill Clinton), and others where they were barely able to gain a majority (i.e., John Kerry).
Nov. 16 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Obama and racial progress: Did the hot-button issues of affirmative action and racial preferences come up in this election? It depends where you look.
Nov. 12 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Immigration unlikely to be Obama priority: In July, during an address to the annual meeting of the National Council of La Raza, Barack Obama promised to make comprehensive immigration reform “a top priority in my first year as president.” Don't hold your breath.
Nov. 9 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Latinos prove pundits wrong on Obama: Remember when the pundits and other political analysts assured us with absolute certainty that Latinos wouldn't support an African-American for president?
Nov. 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
A campaign that ignored big issues: Even before the curtain had fallen on the 2008 election, the ovations had begun. Some political observers said it was the best and most exciting campaign they had seen. They're right about this much: The election was great fun, especially if you like underdogs, unpredictability and unconventional story lines.
Nov. 2 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
'Socialism' is a losing argument: After nearly two years, dozens of debates, hundreds of speeches, and more than a billion dollars, the final days of Campaign 2008 revolve around three words: “Spread the wealth.”
Oct. 29 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
One-way political discourse: Joe Biden and I agree on something: This has become one mean and ugly campaign – although we'd cite different examples to make the point.
Oct. 26 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
McCain and the Latino community: Recently, I was on a Latino-themed radio show defending John McCain. The defendant was accused of abandoning comprehensive immigration reform, turning his back on Latino supporters and associating with a bad crowd (read: Republicans). I didn't give an inch.
Oct. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
'A crisis of our own making': It is remarkable that so many of those who rail against illegal immigration don't really understand the terrain. This includes folks at Washington, D.C., think tanks who write about immigration without interacting with actual immigrants, TV commentators who remake themselves for higher ratings, and opportunistic politicians who spin anger and prejudice into votes.
Oct. 19 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Allocating rights to others: You wouldn't have picked up on it during the debates, but John McCain and Barack Obama actually agree on some issues. One of them is gay marriage. Both candidates oppose the concept, preferring instead the squishy alternative of civil unions.
Oct. 15 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
What Ayers story reveals about Obama: Any day now, I expect Barack Obama to call a news conference, wag his finger to the cameras, and announce with all the sincerity he can muster: “I did not have a substantive relationship with that Weatherman, Mr. Ayers.”
Oct. 12 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Which one do we like more?: In this campaign, partisans find it difficult to stay faithful to their principles from one news cycle to another.
Oct. 8 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Not just black and white: Documentary filmmaker Philip Rodriguez has heard political observers – including me – predict that the Latino vote will decide this election. And he's not buying it.
Oct. 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
He deserves the Medal of Honor: Elected officials always look for ways to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. This year, they have the unique opportunity to use what's left of the month to right a wrong and honor an American hero who was stripped by bureaucrats of the recognition he deserves.
Oct. 1 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Not a time to do nothing: This week many Americans were presented with more incontrovertible evidence that while our financial system may be on the fritz, our political system is just plain broken.
Sept. 28 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Reconnecting Latino voters with hope: America's largest minority is a paradox. Latinos have a reputation for being fatalistic. Yet many, especially immigrants, also share an entrepreneurial belief that people chart their own destinies. The result is 46 million Americans – 15 percent of the U.S. population – who vacillate between pessimism and optimism.
Sept. 24 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
The time for candidates to show leadership: After months of trying to accentuate the differences between them, Barack Obama and John McCain have demonstrated they have something in common: Neither appears to have the foggiest idea about what caused the crisis on Wall Street, or how to fix it.
Sept. 21 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Biden tries to play ordinary Joe: Have you noticed the little orange cones surrounding a certain ill-fated vice presidential candidate?
Sept. 17 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
No friend to Latinos on immigration: As they recall the failure of immigration reform in Congress, Democrats want to come off as the good guys.
Sept. 14 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Sarah Palin and Latino voters: It's time to check in on the Latino vote, which just a few months ago seemed up for grabs but now seems firmly in the hands of the Democrats.
Sept. 10 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
English-only golf and the language of money: Money talks. And it's not choosy about what language it uses to get its point across. Capitalism has the uncanny ability to help the misguided find their way.
Sept. 7 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Dems should worry about Sarah Palin: Anyone who heard Sarah Palin's rousing speech at the GOP National Convention should now understand why Democrats have been trying to destroy her. And why, luckily for the country, they've failed.
Sept. 3 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Sarah Palin: A good choice for Republicans and the country: Never mind the naysayers and inside-the-Beltway snobs who mock John McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. This was a brilliant choice.
Aug. 31 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
McCain can win on issues: As the curtain rises on the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., it is clear that John McCain and his surrogates will do all they can to scare up a victory.
Aug. 27 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Immigrants and the best of us: Now that the flame has gone out on the Olympics in Beijing, it's worth taking a moment to applaud the U.S. Olympic team. Not only for dominating so many events and winning the most prizes overall – 110 medals, 36 gold – but also for winning the argument back home over the contributions of immigrants and their children.
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| Ruben Navarrette Jr. |
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Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a nationally syndicated columnist with the Washington Post Writers Group. His twice weekly column appears in more than 175 newspapers. The second-generation Mexican-American is one of fewer than 10 Latino syndicated columnists in the United States, and one of the country's youngest syndicated columnists overall.
The two-time Harvard graduate is also an editorial writer and board member for The San Diego Union-Tribune. A former radio talk show host in three markets (Los Angeles, Phoenix and Fresno), he writes and records commentaries for National Public Radio's "Morning Edition." On television he is often called upon to discuss current affairs on CNN and on "The Newshour with Jim Lehrer" on PBS. He has also appeared on "Now with Bill Moyers," "The Chris Matthews Show" and "The O'Reilly Factor."
Navarrette's first book, "A Darker Shade of Crimson: Odyssey of a Harvard Chicano," was published to favorable reviews by Bantam Books in 1993, when the author was just 26 years old. In 2000, his essay, "Vindication" (about the difficulties encountered in attempting to launch his writing career) was selected from over 5,000 entries as one of the 101 contributions to "Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul," an installment of the best-selling "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series.
Navarrette is a native of California's San Joaquin Valley.
He can be reached via e-mail at ruben.navarrette@
uniontrib.com.
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