Bush, Kerry Make Last-Minute Pitch For Latin Votes

by Diego Cevallos

(IPS) -- Mariachi or salsa music, phrases in poorly pronounced Spanish, and offers of new immigration laws and work permits have spiced up the campaigns of the leading presidential candidates who will face off in the U.S. elections Nov. 2.

Democratic Party candidate John Kerry and President George W. Bush have spent around four million dollars on publicity exclusively targeting Latinos or Hispanics, who make up 13.7 percent of the total U.S. population of 291 million.

The Latino community is the fastest-growing minority in the United States, expanding by more than one million people a year. And a projected seven to eight million will vote next Tuesday, compared to 5.9 million in 2000, when Bush came to power.

Although seven or eight million out of a total of 120 million people expected to cast their ballots Nov. 2 is not a huge proportion, "Latinos can make a difference in this election, and the candidates have understood that," said Clarisa Martinez, one of the spokespersons for the National Council of La Raza, the most influential Hispanic organisation in the United States.

"We have seen unprecedented levels of spending on publicity to woo the votes of our community, but with only superficial proposals that do not reflect our main concerns and have demonstrated that the candidates are only just starting to learn how Latinos work," Martinez said in a telephone interview with IPS from her office in Washington, DC.

To court the Latino vote, supporters of Bush and Kerry organised events and rallies with mariachi music, which comes from Mexico, but also salsa, a predominantly Caribbean rhythm.

In addition, the two candidates uttered phrases in heavily accented Spanish, and stated that they admired and respected "Latin culture."

Their Hispanic outreach efforts included numerous spots on Spanish-language television and radio stations and the distribution of millions of pamphlets in Spanish.

"I have never seen so much interest in the Latino community. In no other election campaign has so much attention been focused on us, even if they have only offered typical vague promises that guarantee us nothing," said Lucas Benitez, the head of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in the U.S. state of Florida.

"I believe Latinos have matured politically, and many more will turn out for these elections than in 2000," Benitez, who said he supports Kerry, added in an interview.

A Mexican farm worker advocate, Benitez was awarded the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Award in 2003.

According to recent surveys, somewhat more than six out of 10 Latinos in the United States support Kerry.

But while Latinos traditionally vote Democratic, they are less solidly attached to the Democratic Party than are African Americans, for example.

That has led to unusually intense efforts to win the Latino vote, because although Hispanics will represent a relatively small proportion of the total vote, the numbers will be enough to tilt the outcome, said Diaz.

Both Bush and Kerry promised to work to provide better health care coverage and jobs to immigrants and their families. They also pledged to push through new immigration laws.

Bush has talked about creating a temporary immigrant worker programme, while Kerry has offered a plan that would allow immigrants without criminal records to "earn legalisation."

But Martinez said the offers advanced by the two candidates are neither clear nor convincing. "What we have mainly seen in messages for Latinos have been promises of increased security and a stepped-up fight against terrorism -- in other words, the same thing they have told the rest of the voters," he said.

The candidates "basically do not understand us yet," he added.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports the Hispanic population of the United States at 39.9 million, which makes people of Latin American origin or descent the nation's largest ethnic minority. That total includes an estimated five million undocumented immigrants.

People of Mexican background make up 67 percent of the Latino community.

Many Hispanics in the United States face discrimination and have poor-paying jobs, and one-third lack medical insurance.

Every year around 400,000 undocumented Latin Americans try to enter the United States, with tens of thousands intercepted and deported. And many die in the attempt, hit by cars as they try to dash across busy highways, drowned in rivers, or killed by exposure and thirst as tightened border controls force immigrants to attempt the crossing in remote desert areas.

Several social organisations, including the National Council of La Raza, have carried out an intense campaign over the past few months to get out the Latino vote, handing out millions of leaflets explaining the rights of voters and holding workshops and seminars to underscore the importance of political participation.

"It is essential that we prepare ourselves politically to see beyond the campaign pledges and make our choices with care, and in line with the interests of our community," said Martinez, who heads La Raza's Latino Empowerment and Advocacy Project.