UN DEBATE EN ESPANOL. This weekend, the Democrats' Spanish-language debate on Univision will be the first of its kind in national politics, marking the departure from a time where not factoring the Latino vote into the "must have" category was an option. But the GOP must not have gotten the note about Latinos being the largest group of swing-voters in the country right now -- the Republicans' Univision debate, which had been slated for September 16, was canceled last week when only John McCain agreed to participate.
Univision is the fifth-largest broadcast network in the country, and in 16 cities -- including Los Angeles, Phoenix and Miami -- their local newscasts top the charts. The debate might just have more impact as a solitary event than any of the others so far by virtue of its reach, of course, but also by virtue of its content. Instead of focusing on immigration as the sole issue of concern to Latino voters, education, drop-out rates, Latinos in the military, and U.S.-Latin American relations are expected to be on the roster of subjects discussed on Sunday.
There's also the language factor -- broadcasting the debate in a language native to a particular segment of the populous is likely to invigorate and engage a wider range of people glad to see themselves recognized as an important sector of voters. Of the Dems, only Bill Richardson and Chris Dodd speak Spanish, but they'll be asked to respond to questions in English at Sunday's debate to keep viewers from favoring one candidate simply because they can speak the language.
But why shouldn't they be swayed by a candidate's ability to speak their language? Richardson is of Mexican heritage, so asking him to speak through a translator in a tongue as native to him as English seems heavy-handed. And why shouldn't Dodd get some credit for speaking a second language? There's something to be said for knowing that a candidate -- any candidate -- is listening to you directly and can respond to your concerns directly, even if it's only symbolic.
--Kate Sheppard
