Why Latinos Are Just Not Into Hillary Clinton
When campaigning before Latino audiences, Hillary Clinton and her surrogates are quick to point out that the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee and former Secretary of State was registering Hispanic voters in Texas way back in 1972. Her commitment to the Latino community stretches back decades we’re told.
Donald Trump meanwhile has been saying and doing virtually everything to turn off Latino voters, with considerable success.
And yet the latest Washington Post/ABC poll finds that Clinton’s unfavorable ratings among Latino voters have actually gone up in recent weeks. What’s more, in a number of key battleground states with sizable numbers of Hispanic voters — including Florida and Nevada — Clinton is running even with the Republican real estate mogul.
This is not the scenario the Clinton campaign imagined two months before voters head to the polls.
But in some ways, this is not entirely unexpected. After all, Democrats nominated one of the most polarizing political figures in modern times. And for someone that has been in the public eye for 30 years, it’s hard to come across as an agent of “hope” or “change.”
The left-leaning Latino Decisions found that there was a six percent drop among Latino voters who said they would “definitely” come out to vote for the former first lady. And in a punch to the gut to Clinton supporters, that same poll found that Latino support for Donald Trump has actually gone up eight points since April.
What gives?
Clinton could blame the press (and does) and perhaps even the “vast right-wing conspiracy” for the drop, but the reality is that much of the blame falls squarely on her shoulders. For starters, Clinton has been wholly inconsistent on a variety of issues that are of direct concern to Latino families. From immigration to education and even on social issues, Clinton has tacked to the right and to the left and everywhere in between depending on the political winds of the day.
In one of the more telling examples, as the junior U.S. senator from New York, Clinton spoke critically of undocumented immigrants back in 2003, saying:
“I am, you know, adamantly against illegal immigrants. I made this exception basically on humanitarian grounds because of the individual story but certainly we’ve got to do more at our borders. And people have to stop employing illegal immigrants. Come up to Westchester, go to Suffolk and Nassau counties, stand in the street corners in Brooklyn or the Bronx — you’re going to see loads of people waiting to get picked up to go do yard work and construction work and domestic work.”
Today, Clinton speaks favorably of illegal immigration, promising to enact comprehensive immigration reform in the first 100 days of her administration — a promise she’s unlikely to keep if Republicans maintain control of the House of Representatives.
Beyond Clinton’s double speak, the real reason she is not enjoying sky-high approval ratings among Latino voters may have to do with the fact that she seems completely out of touch and removed from a population that has largely been left behind during the last eight years of a Democratic administration.
For proof, consider Clinton’s failed attempt to pitch herself to the Latino community as their “abuela” or “grandmother.” The ridicule was swift and harsh. Latinos on social media were quick to point out that their grandmothers were not worth millions or jet setting around the world meeting with foreign dignitaries. Others were even more direct, citing how their grandmothers were not charging hundreds of thousands of dollars to give speeches.
The “abuela” campaign ended almost as quickly as it began, but not before leaving the impression on Latinos (particularly young voters) that Clinton is at best tone deaf, and at worst insensitive to the plight of millions of people that are struggling to get by.
The fact is that Latinos are simply not excited to vote for Clinton. She does not inspire the way Barack Obama, or even Bernie Sanders does.
There are some things that Clinton cannot change to correct her course. (Charisma cannot be bought). But when it comes to being more transparent and straightforward with the American people, Clinton refuses to change or adapt.
The race for the Latino vote is closer than it probably should be right now. And for that, it’s hard to find anyone other than the former Secretary of State to explain why.
Israel Ortega is a Senior Writer for Opportunity Lives. You can follow him on Twitter:@IzzyOrtega.
