June 10, 2012

NYT: Latino Lethargy at the polls

The New York Times notices something I've been mentioning for about a dozen years:
Latino Growth Not Fully Felt at Voting Booth
By ADAM NAGOURNEY 
DENVER — The nation’s rapidly growing Latino population is one of the most powerful forces working in President Obama’s favor in many of the states that will determine his contest with Mitt Romney. But Latinos are not registering or voting in numbers that fully reflect their potential strength, leaving Hispanic leaders frustrated and Democrats worried as they increase efforts to rally Latino support. 
Interviews with Latino voters across the country suggested a range of reasons for what has become, over a decade, an entrenched pattern of nonparticipation, ranging from a distrust of government to a fear of what many see as an intimidating effort by law enforcement and political leaders to crack down on immigrants, legal or not.

Not to mention the distractingly frequent showings of The Fast and Furious movies on cable TV. 

41 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't notice patterns. In fact, don't even notice the nose on your face.

Gilberto Peenfold.

Simon in London said...

I'm horrified to learn that illegal immigrants may be deterred from voting through fear of having their identity checked!

Big Bill said...

We see a similar pattern with blacks. If the candidate is black they will vote in quantity. With no Hispanic candidate (and with the white folks still giving them all kinds of welfare) there really is no pressing need to vote.

Perhaps they also (so unlike blacks) recognize that they want to live in generous white-run states, cities and towns.

Blacks are firmly convinced they can care for themselves, and then they botch things up so horribly.

Maybe Mexicans are not as racially insecure. Maybe they don't need to lie to themselves to preserve their self esteem the way blacks do.

Anonymous said...

Maybe you have noted this before but perhaps they are not energized because they see no one of national stature who represents them. I know I feel that way about both political parties today.

Probably another good reason to just go back to Mexico

Anonymous said...

What would a get out the vote effort gain them? We don't really feel guilty about hispanics so making them the more visible component of the left doesn't really profit the left anything yet. Likewise they can always do this later if needed.

California did eventually turn left, and Texas will likely do the same, so again no real benefit for the left there. Lastly, perhaps the left is having some second thoughts about the various ethnic lobbys that they have awakened, and that are starting to replace them. Their position is fairly precarious, and not likely to improve.

Anonymous said...

That last paragraph in the New York Times article demonstrates how their writers have a bizarre way of processing information. Why would latino distress over issues prevent latinos from voting? Isn't voting the time honored way of changing things to your liking?

Rain And said...

Meanwhile "diversity" has the exact opposite meaning in France than it does in the US.

http://theybf.com/2012/05/21/seriously-france-bans-the-release-of-think-like-a-man-over-lack-of-diversity

Anonymous said...

Well since actually becoming a citizen does take effort and actually registering to vote (except motor voter) takes effort, most states just skip the 'citizen' step.

Straight to motor voter or day of registration with no id required. Because you know id is like a poll tax. The feds could help but there's no upside for them.

Matt Strictland said...

Don't pick on the Vin! Fast and Furious is a great movie series, well alright when when you want brain dead fun but still...

Seriously though thats not a bad thing. Thanks for the lift of good news.

Anonymous said...

“Maybe Mexicans are not as racially insecure. Maybe they don't need to lie to themselves to preserve their self esteem the way blacks do.”

African Americans seem to have a desperate and tragic need to see themselves as superior in all ways to whites.

Hispanics, meanwhile, vis-à-vis Anglos, more realistically tend to see themselves as superior in certain respects but inferior in others.

Think of José Enrique Rodó’s Ariel and Caliban.

Henry Canaday said...

Why do they need to vote? Third-alphabet Washington, where government lives, would shut down without Latinos. Wives would have to stay home to care for children. Husbands would have to rake leaves, clean gutters, mow lawns, trim hedges and prune tottering tree branches. During winter snowstorms, cardiac events would explode as assistant secretaries shoveled snow off streets and sidewalks.

White kids are interning or SAT-prepping somewhere, and blacks are driving metro busses. Latinos keep homes and families in shape so the lights can stay lit on Federal Triangle and K Street.

Frightened policy-makers are more powerful than the ballot box, any day.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm, perhaps you should said:

Latino Lethargy Looms Large Over Polls

or

Latino Lethargy Lamely Linked to White Racism

E. Rekshun said...

I don't vote because it interrupts la siesta.

Anonymous said...

Paging Steve Sailer: Eugenics in New York Times and Yale Alumni Magazine

Ross Douthat column

profile of Irving Fisher

stari_momak said...

Is there a correlation between how well the Lakers/Kings/Raiders are doing and Latino voter turnout?

not a hacker said...

OT, but we may have a new winner in the felonious black name game:
Turquorious Vines

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8033812/ex-auburn-fullback-ladarious-phillips-lineman-ed-christian-killed-shooting

Get Off My Lawn! said...

@ Rain And:

You might want to google around a bit about that story. The only evidence for the supposed ban is a few blogger comments. "Think Like a Man" is not being released in France, just like many other movies are not released, because no distributor thinks it will make money.

The French do seem to have a remarkably intact understanding of the real meaning of diversity. Perhaps it's time to consider that frog-bashing, while lots of fun and an honorable Anglo tradition, is a little less accurate these days, given our own problems in Anglo countries.

Anonymous said...

Meanwhile "diversity" has the exact opposite meaning in France than it does in the US.

In a weird way, left-wing still is pro-White in France.

Piper said...

I just love that meme: if hispanics don't rush to vote the cause is fear and intimidation. If whites don't rush to vote, the cause is apathy. So whites too apathetic to vote are nevertheless eager to intimidate hispanics.

In the meantime, the only people actually seen intimidating any voters in the last 35 years are the New Black Panthers.

TontoBubbaGoldstein said...

So...um...exactly how do law enforcement and political leaders "crack down" on legal immigrants?

As we (sorta) say in Dixieland: "The NYT....bless her heart..."

Anonymous said...

http://www.archbishop-cranmer.blogspot.com/2012/06/denmarks-churches-obliged-to-conduct.html

Anonymous said...

http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/article/america-looks-texas-not-california/576006

Anonymous said...

Truth here, I was surprised that the Inland Counties SB and Riverside voted more against prop 29 than even did Orange County and both Inland Counties have more hispanics than does OC. This means that the hispanic and also the asian vote is down in the Inland Empire and the white vote is up, interesting Riverside is one of the few counties in Ca to have a slight increase in vote population.

Anonymous said...

Dear Latinos,

You are not fullfilling your responsibility as the last wave of meat shields against goy Amreica. We know, you don't see all the strategies and connections but, trust us, we've thought it through for you.

Sincerely,

Your Paternalists and Benefactors, The NY Times

Anonymous said...

Re: Eugenics in New York Times and Yale Alumni Magazine

Note how, in order to discredit eugenics, Richard Conniff resorts to lying:

"Eugenicists inferred—incorrectly, as we now know—that single genes, or "unit characters," could determine feeblemindedness, insanity, alcoholism, and even broad swaths of behavior like criminality."

The 'incorrectly, as we now know' is a bold-faced lie because we know perfectly well now that all of the things above have large genetic component. The lame excuse for this lie, 'single genes', is a lie on its own because eugenics never relied in characters being determined by single genes and no eugenicist was ever so stupid as to believe that alcoholism, for example, is a Mendelian trait.

He ends with:

"Irving Fisher and the other Yale eugenicists would no doubt rejoice that the university’s germ plasm is still so highly valued—at up to ten times the price for other colleges. But if they looked more carefully at the evidence, they would discover that these highly desirable donors are now often the grandsons and granddaughters of the very immigrants they once worked so hard to eliminate."

Sure. All those forth generation Puerto Ricans filling the Ivies. Right.

Anonymous said...

anyways, imperial county voted for prop 29 but not as much as the bay area counties. The Dems like the Republicans might be disappointed in the results, The Inland counties which are more moderate or conservative tend to grow while only a few liberal counties like Santa Clar grows. More people moving to Rivderside from La changes people from liberal to moderate Dem since the housing is cheaper.

Anonymous said...

"Dear Latinos,

You are not fullfilling your responsibility as the last wave of meat shields against goy Amreica. We know, you don't see all the strategies and connections but, trust us, we've thought it through for you.

Sincerely,

Your Paternalists and Benefactors, The NY Times"

Brilliant.

Alcalde Jaime Miguel Curleo said...

The Massachusetts Democratic convention required photo ID... The alternative U.S. Senate challenger was an immigration lawyer, and she didn't get enough delegates coincidentally

Anonymous said...

Latinos don't care about politics most of the time.

Aaron B. said...

Ordinarily, the MSM would chew its own arm off before saying anything even mildly negative about an ethnic group, so you know they have to be desperate to be pushing this meme. The underlying message seems fairly obvious:

"Hey, Hispanics, we really really need you to vote! We may not be able to sucker enough moderate whites into voting for Obama to prove their non-racism this time, so we're going to need your help if we're going to keep the borders open and the benefits flowing to your countrymen here and back home."

Which is kinda funny, since Romney is no threat to tighten the border or enforce immigration law. But that doesn't have to stop the MSM and Democrats from portraying him as a law-and-order nativist if it works for them.

Anonymous said...

"African Americans seem to have a desperate and tragic need to see themselves as superior in all ways to whites."

I have never seen this theory anywhere else so maybe I am the first one to think of it: I think that there are more narcissistic individuals among African Americans than among other American populations. Let's go through the most common symptoms of NPD:

1. "Reacts to criticism with anger, shame, or humiliation" Replay footage of all the blacks who have melt downs on TV when someone utters the N word. And usually these are commentators who had nothing to do with the situation at hand.

2. "May take advantage of others to reach their own goals" Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton exploiting the few instances of real institutional racism for their benefit.

3. "Tends to exaggerate their own importance, achievements, and talents" The attempts of modern African Americans to claim the cultural legacy of ancient Egypt even though their ancestors were an entire continent away on the sub-Saharan west African coast. The remarkable belief that so many old, ugly, poorly educated black men have that they are irresistible to women of all ages and races.. Need I go on?

4. "Imagines unrealistic fantasies of success, beauty, power, intelligence, or romance" The multitudes of black people who seriously think will be professional athletes or rap stars. The serial promiscuity.
5. "Requires constant attention and positive reinforcement from others"
The black women who thought the absence of black characters in "Girls" was a calculated snub against them. Black History Month.

6."Easily becomes jealous" the never-ending drama in so many black 'relationships'

7. "Lacks empathy and disregards the feelings of others" see answer #6

8. "Obsessed with oneself" Everything is about their blackness. A salesgirl who asks to help them in a store isn't trying to sell products she's keeping tabs on them because they're black. A cab driver who doesn't pick them up on the curb isn't on his way to another call he's ignoring them because their black. A waitress who messes up their order at the cafe isn't absent-minded, she is messing with their minds because they're black.

9. "Mainly pursues selfish goals" The widespread refusal of black men to pay child support.

10. "Trouble keeping healthy relationships" the low marriage and very high divorce rates among blacks.

11. "Is easily hurt and rejected"
Many blacks' obsession with reliving racist events (real and imagined) from years and sometimes decades ago.

12. "Sets unrealistic goals" See answer #4

13. "Wants "the best" of everything" Ghetto blacks who buy designer clothes and claim that fresh fruits and vegetables are too expensive.

14. "Appears as tough-minded or unemotional" Rap lyrics

Of course there are plenty of narcissists in non-black racial groups. Politician John Edwards and actress Zhang Ziyi are just two examples. But it is noteworthy that the HBD crowd, with it's bias against psychology, has yet to notice these patterns. Though it is true that NPD has certain genetic roots.

Gloria

Hank said...

And yet, Time assures us that they will choose the next president. The MSM can't possibly be lying to us!

Anonymous said...

Laughable, I love how the presumably non partisan MSM writes something so obviously in favor of one political party. We need ( Democrats ) Mexicans to show up to ensure that Mitt Romney isn't elected. Why? because Mitt Romney is radical right-wing zealot that no right wing zealots are apparently willing to vote for because of his reputation as a closet liberal as Governor of the People's Republic of Massachusetts. The likelihood that there will be a crackdown on illegal immigration under Obama: Zero, Likelihood under Romney: Also zero. Reason to vote if your Mexican because nothing changes either way: None.

Anonymous said...

http://youtu.be/uRYXcbPMNFY

CHICAGOLAND: 6 Dead 34 Wounded in Weekend Violence

Auntie Analogue said...

Maybe the hispanics who immigrate realize upon arrival that the United States they just immigrated into isn't the fabled one they'd heard of - when they get here and see that the U.S. is now run just like a banana republic is run, by a rich one-percenter, self-regarding, self-perpetuating elite. So why bother to vote if your vote counts for as much here as it counted in the banana republic or dysfunctional-corrupt Mexico you'd just vamoosed from?

kaganovitch said...

Anonymous wrote "He ends with:

"Irving Fisher and the other Yale eugenicists would no doubt rejoice that the university’s germ plasm is still so highly valued—at up to ten times the price for other colleges. But if they looked more carefully at the evidence, they would discover that these highly desirable donors are now often the grandsons and granddaughters of the very immigrants they once worked so hard to eliminate."

Sure. All those forth generation Puerto Ricans filling the Ivies. Right."

He is of course refering to jews who were an early bete noire of american eugenicist/nativists along with other non-nordic types(italians, irish, etc)

Anonymous said...

The National Association of Realtors wants everyone to know that Owning a home contributes to better test scores.

I guess that is why Bush and co pushed sub-prime mortgages. It was Bush's backup strategy in case "No Child Left Behind" failed.

FredR said...

"Because eugenics never relied in characters being determined by single genes and no eugenicist was ever so stupid as to believe that alcoholism, for example, is a Mendelian trait."

I think Charles Davenport did.

Dutch Boy said...

A large percentage of the Latino population is under the voting age (i.e., just wait!).

Anonymous said...

You're all smart enough to figure this out... a large majority of hispanics are illegal, ergo unable to vote.

It's not really all that hard to understand.

Anonymous said...

"Lots of British women having sex with Africans."

Have you ever spent much time in the UK? White male/black female couples are very common. One of my friends when I lived there- a native of Ghana who had successful career in television and was a cute,waifish-looking girl-dated white men exclusively and never lacked for eager escorts.