Editorial:
Donald Trump has been raked over the coals by the Hispanic community and subsequently dropped by Univision, NBC, Macy’s and others for his racist comments during his Presidential bid announcement. Trump stated that he vowed to build a “great wall” on the Mexican border to keep out rapists, drug dealers, and other criminals, who he said were sneaking into the United States in droves.
Trump has become the piñata that just keeps on giving. The Hispanic community, Democrats, and progressives have taken delight in poking at Donald Trump to see what further ridiculous statements will fall out of his mouth.
But before we write Trump off as some sort of loony with a lot of money, we need to recognize that he is not a lone figure, that there are a lot of folks that like what he has to say. As of Wed, July 1, Trump has surged in the polls and at this point is in second place behind Jeb Bush. Of course this is an anomaly, he is just the latest lightening rod of the right wing Republican Party. When the serious business of selecting a viable Republican presidential candidate is actually underway, Trump will be a distant, but entertaining memory.
But that does not belie the fact that there is a large portion of the Republican Party that harbors a distinct anti-Hispanic, anti-immigrant, racist attitude. Racist Republican voters will embrace any candidate that shares their beliefs while giving their cause a face and a voice on the biggest stage possible, a presidential campaign!
Trump is that face for the right wing, tea party, Republican Party. He is their new standard bearer and their voice. When he says we need a “great wall” they all stand up and cheer. Herein lays the problem for the Republican Party. To win the Party’s nomination, a candidate needs to walk a tight rope of appeasing the right wing voter while at the same time appearing to be a viable candidate. Viable candidates need to reach out to Hispanic voters by portraying themselves moderate Republicans. It took weeks before Jeb Bush, and later Marco Rubio, to denounce the statements made by Trump. To date no other Republican candidate has made a public statement to denounce Trump’s statements. By their silence they are endorsing those sentiments.
Trump in essence pulls back the curtain on the Republican Party and exposes the ugly underbelly for all to see. Trump may come and go, but that ugly anti-Hispanic sentiment will live on within the Republican Party. Their candidates are encouraged by this racist segment, which is supported by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Mike Huckbee, and Bill O’Reilly, to name a few.
While some of the Republican candidates may put up a façade of reaching out to the Hispanic community their candidacy purports to represent them as a moderate Republican that the Hispanic voter can “trust.” This is the façade. The reality is that the Republicans are not accountable to the Hispanic community and when push comes to shove, Republicans will concede to the right wing segment of the Party.
If the Republican Party ever hopes to win over the Hispanic vote they will have to at some point divest themselves of their extreme right wing segment. Until then, they will not get the minority vote. Without a diverse voting bloc, Republican chances of winning the White House will always be an uphill battle.
One last word on all those business cutting ties with Trump, don’t be completely fooled by their actions. It was only a few years ago that Univision supported Pete Wilson during the period Wilson authored the anti-Hispanic Prop. 187. Univision, NBC, and Macy’s have made economical decisions – not philosophical ones – to cut ties with Trump. The Hispanic community is a trillion dollar market, growing stronger every day, and money will trump (pun intended) politics every time.