Latinos and Democrats need to break out of their identity-politics pact. Mostly though, it's the same old, same old, with a few notable exceptions we'll get to here at the close.

Chicago Sun-Times ace columnist Mark Brown today nails Mayor Richard M. Daley's Hispanic Democratic Organization for what it is: an incumbency-protection racket run on behalf of Daley and his loyal underlings, some of whom are Hispanics clouted into city jobs in exchange for conducting political activity at taxpayer expense.

If anything, Daley created HDO so that Hispanics would empower Daley, not the other way around. It was a means of harnessing the growing -- and inevitable -- electoral power of the rapidly expanding Latino community by installing leaders who would be loyal to Daley and who wouldn't be tempted to team up with African-American voters in a coalition that could undermine him.

The only Hispanics empowered by HDO were the ones selected by his insiders for the group's leadership positions, along with the army of political workers loyal to them because of the city's illegal use of patronage rewards.

Some California Latinos continue to want congressional districts (Democratic U.S. Rep. Howard Berman's, in particular) to be re-drawn with more concentrated Latino populations inside the boundaries. The presumption being a majority Latino district could elect a Latino representative responsive to Latino issues.

Latino issues like this: Hispanic community leaders at a Hispanic education summit learned that in four north San Diego County school districts with large and growing Hispanic student populations, those students are failing to demonostrate proficiency at an alarming rate, on state English and math exit exams. The solution, acccording to some Hispanic community leaders? More Spanish language teachers, more Hispanic teachers, and more tests in Spanish. They left out a culturally sensitive "Spanish Math" curriculum.

A more mature Latino community approach to politics is evident in the mayoral race of Lawrence, Mass. About half the town's registered voters and 60 percent of the 72,000 residents are Latino. But the three Latino challengers were campaigning against the incumbent White Republican Michael J. Sullivan not on ethnicity, but city-wide issues. The Boston Globe has more (free reg. req.):

'Latino voters in Lawrence are political animals," said Giovanna Negretti, executive director of ¿Oiste? The Massachusetts Political Organization, a group that pushes Latino civic participation in the state. ''[They] don't just automatically vote for Latino candidates. It's more complicated than that."

....a Devers (City Councillor and mayoral candidate Marcos) supporter said his candidate also understands the city's problems and has never stated he'll only represent the Dominican-American residents. He points to the campaign slogan Devers is using on signs: ''One city. One vision." That's similar to the slogan used by 30-year-old San Antonio, Texas, mayoral candidate Julian Castro earlier this year. His slogan: ''One city. One destiny." In June, Castro narrowly lost to a 70-year-old retired white judge in another race closely eyed by national Latino leaders."

Turns out, this a.m., that Sullivan placed first in yesterday's primary with 54 percent of the unofficial final vote tally, Devers was second with 29 percent. They'll face each other in November.

The first Latino mayor of Los Angeles, Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa, was elected this summer on a platform to tackle major urban issues such as crime, education and transportation gridlock. He now acknowledges he's got to trim government spending before seeking higher taxes to enact his agenda. Those are the kinds of challenges urban politicians should be talking about, as opposed to standardized tests in Spanish and more Spanish language instructors for English-deficient students.

Politically, Latinos in the U.S. are evolving faster than the Democratric Party. Guys like former San Antonio Mayor and Clinton HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros (before he was dragged down by hush-money payments to an ex-mistress) and now Villaraigosa, likely embody how the party can reach out to the nation's increasingly powerful Latino voter base without alientaing voters of other races.

Both parties need to showcase minority politicans who are problem-solvers with broad appeal, not "diversity" show ponies.

TECHNORATI TAGS: LATINOS, DEMOCRATS

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Posted by Matt Rosenberg at September 28, 2005 12:12 PM