McCain Gets Monsignor's Blessing in Mexico and The Hispanic Voting Block in the US.
Ok, let's be honest here, John McCain's trip to Latin America last week was pure political theatre. To be fair, Barack Obama's upcoming trip to Iraq will be the same. This being said, here are the questions we want to answer, "Why did he go to Latin America?" "What did he accomplish?" and "Will it help him here in the November elections with Latinos?"
Why did he go to Latin America? Clearly he knows he needs a certain percentage of the Latino vote to win the presidency. People underestimate how much people in Latin America influence the thinking of Latinos here in the United States. He also wanted to highlight a significant difference he has with Sen. Obama on Free Trade. His visit to Colombia was all about free trade although he probably benefitted from just being in Colombia during the marvelous rescue mission that included former Colombian Presidential Candidate and dual Colombian/French citizen Ingrid Betancourt.
What did he accomplish? In Colombia and Mexico ground work was laid for a future positive relationship with both countries. He will be able to now speak more intelligently to both the Mexican and Colombian people during the next four months. He did accomplish getting the blessing of the Monsignor of one of the Holiest Basilicas in Mexico, the Basilica de Guadalupe. By the way, he was with former Florida Governor Jeb Bush at the Basilica. If, as he hopes, President Calderón, begins to address the immigration issue in Mexico, it might just be a home run for him with the Mexicans. Also, if Mexico starts getting more vocal about Sen. Obama's stance on NAFTA and educates their people about it, it could swing a substantial amount of votes here in the United States. (Video in Spanish below.)
Will it help him here in the November elections with Latinos? His balancing act will continue as on one hand he must get at least 35% of the Latino vote or he cannot win this election, on the other hand, these types of actions will only serve to further alienate the anti-immigrant right-wing of the Republican party. How it plays out is anyone's guess right now. The particular states where Latinos can swing the election are Florida, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. All of these states were narrowly won by President Bush in 2004. There is a significant and growing Colombian voting block in Florida that could put him over the top there. He better hope so because without Florida he simply has no chance to win the general election. The trip to Mexico may just put him in the White House, especially if he can talk about his experiences from the heart with the Mexican people. They hold the swing vote in Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada.
All in all, probably a trip that will be a real blessing to Sen. McCain. ...................................................................................................... posted by Ricardo González on July 8, 2008.
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