Latinos, the “X” Political Factor?

If I were planning on running for public office, one of the first things I would do is learn Spanish. As a matter of fact, community colleges throughout the U.S. ought to start offering a course entitled “Spanish for Politicians.”
I recently presented at a conference in Chicago. One of the fellow presenters was Robert Rodriguez, author of Latino Talent and someone who was recently recognized as an “emerging leader” by Latino Leaders Magazine. Dr. Rodriguez made the point that when a Latino in the U.S. dies, he/she is replaced by eight Latinos. Close to one third of our population will be Latino by the year 2050. This trend is in full swing today, especially among younger voters.
Last week, Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida, talked about the importance of Republicans reaching out to and connecting with Latinos. Unlike many politicians, Bush, is well aware of the need to become more culturally intelligent, recruit talented Latinos, and identify key issues and values. Bush, whose wife Columba was born in Mexico, speaks Spanish fluently.
Latinos are not a monolithic voting block. They widely differ in national origin and history. While immigration is an important issue, it is not necessarily an overriding concern for many Latinos. Education, jobs, and health care are just as pressing, if not more so. They can be of any race or mixed race or because of the ambiguity of our racial classifications, no race. As a group, Latinos are becoming more educated, more geographically dispersed in the U.S., and more diverse in terms of their social class backgrounds. While many Latinos speak Spanish fluently and identify themselves as Latino, many do not. Moreover, there is not some generic formula for reaching out to Latinos and getting out the vote.
Latinos are a critical component of the changing political landscape. The sooner Democratic, Republican, and Independent candidates realize this, the greater their prospects for success. And for starters, nothing bridges cultural and political barriers quite like at least trying to communicate in another person’s language.