New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson joined with other Democrat hopefuls in a Univision-televised discussion from south Florida. What made this presentation more interesting was that it was broadcast in Spanish and the candidate’s responses to questions were translated into Spanish, in an attempt for the candidates to make their case for the Spanish-speaking vote.
While stumping for votes in the apparent absence of delegates being available in Florida and Michigan because those states violated national party rules, the votes are being sought from any place they may be hiding. Perhaps reaching out to the Spanish-speaking voters was well-intentioned, but the Democrats must remember that only about 15 percent of the U.S. population is classified as being Spanish.
Mexico also holds the title of having the most illegal immigrants in the United States which at last count was about 57 percent of the estimated 12 million illegals in the country. Republicans declined to join in a similar show offered by the Spanish-language broadcaster.
Richardson and Chris Dodd from Connecticut both speak fluent Spanish, but were limited to English due to the shows rules for fair play. With less than five percent of the population it is doubtful another show will be forthcoming in any Asian language, which is a shame considering that Canton Chinese is one of the most widely spoken languages in the country.
Arizona Senator John McCain was the only Republican presidential candidate who indicated he was willing to take part in such a discussion, despite being shunned by many of his own party for embracing many of President Bush’s initiatives, including the push for paving the citizenship road for illegal immigrants. According to USA Election Polls (USAElectionPolls.com), McCain is doing best in the Western states, which was predicted. His strongest hold is in Arizona.
