In this contentious 2020 Presidential campaign Latinos, as the largest ethnic minority group of voting age in the country, are not to be ignored. Despite Vice President Mike Pence’s promotion of “Latinos for Trump” and perhaps even in reaction to President Donald Trump’s virulent immigrant bashing, they are galvanizing behind “Latinos for Bernie [Sanders]” in record numbers.
Recent polls by the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and Latino Decisions all show Sanders as the top Democratic presidential candidate choice among Latino Democrats. He has a particular strength with young Latinos.
The latter is particularly telling. 43.5% of Latinos are in the 18 to 35-year age group. The youthfulness of the Latino electorate reflects the revolutionary fervor of millennials and Generation Z, and likely also their openness to socialism. The Sunrise movement against climate change, the nationwide demonstrations against gun violence, the Dreamers shutdowns of government offices, the Black Lives Matter events, Bad Bunny and the “Ricky Renuncia” mobilizations in Puerto Rico – all are youth-led.
The brunt of the attack by Trump is directed against immigrants with the border wall, accelerated deportations by ICE, the ban against Muslims and others from poor countries, children in cages, barriers to political amnesty, delays on DACA and the Dreamers, public charge, etc. Yet large numbers of Latinos have family members or close friends and co-workers who are vulnerable immigrants. Even the physical appearance of many Latinos and other immigrants brands them as foreign or “un-American.”
The biggest concern most Latinos have are shared by working-class people of all races, whether they voted for Trump or not in 2016. We have more in common than what divides us. We all need housing, jobs, health care, education for our children, and protection of the environment for future generations. Yet these are exactly the services being attacked by Trump.
The Sanders campaign and, to a lesser extent, the Elizabeth Warren campaign promote universal health care, the Green New Deal for clean jobs and a healthy environment, debt relief for students, massive housing programs, the end of mass incarceration, the end of ICE raids and the development of a pathway for citizenship. On the other hand, are the “middle of the road” candidates who also happen to receive large amounts of corporate money. And then there are the two billionaires – Mike Bloomberg and Tom Steyer – who are buying themselves into the campaign.
The Democratic Party, traditionally the party of working people and minorities, is deeply divided. It is, in fact, tightly bound to Wall Street and corporate interests. With growing automation and global competition, its true nature is being exposed.
Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Wall Street themselves have said they will support Trump if Sanders or Warren win the nomination, primarily because they propose to tax the rich and rein in the excesses of the corporations.
Drastic times are not for halfway measures. The damage done so far pales in comparison with what continuing Wall Street domination of our economy will entail, whether or not Trump is re-elected.
Youth are not scared of labels like “socialism.” A large majority of them, including Latino youth, are open to seeing what it is all about. That is why “Latinos for Bernie” is seeing such appeal. Yes, the youth talk to and convince their parents, and that will be reflected in the polls. Youth of one race, the human race, are the future.
Government of the people, for the people, and by the people is what Trump calls “socialism.”
