The Politico is among those reporting that a Spanish-language radio ad aired in Nevada by UNITE HERE — one of Sen. Barack Obama’s labor allies — is effectively accusing Sen. Hillary Clinton as being anti-Hispanic:
(Translation)
Hillary Clinton does not respect our people. Hillary Clinton supporters went to court to prevent working people to vote this Saturday  that is an embarrassment.Hillary Clinton supporters want to prevent people from voting in their workplace on Saturday. This is unforgivable. Hillary Clinton is shameless. Hillary Clinton should not allow her friends to attack our people’s right to vote this Saturday. This is unforgivable; there’s no respect.
Sen. Obama is defending our right to vote. Sen. Obama wants our votes. He respects our votes, our community, and our people.
Sen. Obama’s campaign slogan is “Si Se Puede†(“Yes We Canâ€Â). Vote for a president that respects us, and that respects our right to vote. Obama for president, “Si Se Puede†(“Yes We Canâ€Â).(Emphases added.)
Although this latest flare-up of identity politics was also blogged by major media, including the New York Daily News, Newsday, ABCNews, CBS News, TIME and AOL News, none of them has yet to identify Obama’s Hispanic dog-whistle.
The L.A. Times seems virtually alone in the establishment media as having noted — if only in passing — that “SÃÂ, se puedeâ€Â was the slogan of the huge pro-“immigration reform” rallies that mobilized Hispanics in Los Angeles and around the country two years ago. The Las Vegas Sun is seemingly alone in noting — as PW guest-blogger Darleen Click commented — it was also the labor slogan popularized by United Farm Workers leader Cesar Chavez. Indeed, that paper also notes that the phrase, in Spanish, is “plastered all over the walls” of the influential culinary workers union’s headquarters.
Obama appears to have adopted this slogan in New Hampshire, while both he and Clinton were vying for the culinary workers’ endorsement. Given the importance of the Hispanic vote and the high-visibility of illegal immigration as an issue in this election cycle, it is remarkable that the establishment media has missed the true lengths to which Obama has gone to court not only that union, but also the Hispanic vote generally.
Anyone who knows the Spanish for “No, No it’s not” is free to leave it in the comments.
– “No, no, su no”
– Not to fear, that bastion of the illegal aliens right to vote, Che Willy Clintonatus himself, is out working the disobiediant press core over with the Bagella “cloak of political invincibility”, along the lines of “[you] guys know I did not have legal relations with that lawsuit…”.
Si, se puede.
“No, no es”
The thing about the Latino vote is that no one in the media is willing to speak to racism and sexism as it pertains to the cultura latina.
There is more hostility towards blacks in the hispanic community (in general) than in the white community (in general). Also, it would very much surprise me if the Hispanic vote went for Hillary… a woman (not necessarliy Hillary specifically). And keep in mind that one has to consider the religion factor when it comes to Hispanics… although, I guess maybe not given how my compatriots of Irish lineage typically vote. I take that last one back.
Actually, in Méxicano the mirror of si, puede would be no hay (the “h” is not quite silent). The phrase is a colloquialism, essentially untranslatable, meaning a complex amalgam of there’s no such thing/you can’t do that/we don’t have any/that’s impossible. Its closest analog in English would probably be “Ain’t gonna happen.”
At the entry to the toll road:
a donde puedo retornar? Where can I turn around?
no hay You can’t.
It astonishes me that nobody has the balls to confront Hispanics with perfect truth: You came here because there was no opportunity at home. Why are you trying to recreate the same conditions that made you have to leave?
Regards,
Ric
Ric – fine. No, no se Puede. Translation from white guy in WI (pretty sad, that) = No, no one cannot.
– I suppose if we want to service the upscale ‘chic high Spanish set properly, we might need to include:
– “OlvÃÂdese sobre él”
As Ric’s comment touches on by pointing out that the Spanish spoken in southwest USA has little to do with “Spanish”. And “Hispanic” embraces a whole lot more than “Mexican”.
Wrong, it “no it can’t be”. She’s really ticking everybody off, isn’t
she.
Karl
Take a gander at Patterico’s piece on Hillary’s speech in Compton yesterday.
Enoch and Big Bang are both correct, of course — I was looking for colloquialism, where they are both giving correct forms.
It’s moot, anyway. We shouldn’t be confronting them in their own language. Dammit, English is the easiest language in the world to learn enough of to communicate, and it is pervasive. If a Chileno meets a Chinese in Calcutta to discuss mining in Madagascar, there’s a 95% chance the conversation will be in English. A person who doesn’t speak English has severely limited access to not only the larger economy of the United States but of the world.
We should not penalize people for speaking Spanish (or any other language), but when they insist that we accommodate any non-English language we should ask them: Why do you want to limit yourself to a small community? More important, why do you want your supposed beneficiaries to be so limited? You’re encouraging people to hide in a corner and depend on you as their interface. That sounds more like empire-building and self-gratification than any benefit to them. Why should we finance your attempts to become a corrupt and abusive Patrón? That’s what they were leaving when they came here in the first place.
Regards,
Ric
I find the irony of the Dem party getting ready to tear itself apart over the issue of identity politics endlessly amusing. In the general election all the Republican candidate will have to do is bring these things backup. It has always been said that the Democratic party never misses a chance to shoot itself in the foot and here is a great example.
Ric
Dammit, English is the easiest language in the world to learn enough of to communicate, and it is pervasive.
I vaguely recall a story about Lee Trevino playing in some charity/senior golfing event with a top player from Spain (I cannot recall his name)…a reporter was surprised to see them talking and joking around in English. The other golfer said “I’m the only one that speaks Spanish.”
Hispanics are not one huge block. There are tons of different groups. For example Cubans are far different from Mexicans. Hell even Central Americans think differently from each other. It also depends on how long a particular family has been here. It would be like lumping Americans, Canadians, Australians, and the British all together because they speak a common language. No matter how much the media want to say it, Hispanics are not a monolithic identity group.
I wish the Republicans would wise up to this fact. If you approach Hispanics like regular people you will do far better.
“Sen. Obama’s campaign slogan is “Si Se Puede†(“Yes We Canâ€Â).”
In other news, Obama was sued by Bob the Builder for trademark infringement.
Cause what Barack’s campaign has been missing is a slogan. Things could start to move very quickly now.
Yeah, you couple a good slogan with Obama’s changey-ness and that will be an unstoppable force.
Aztlan, Aztlan sobre todo…
Did I just el Godwino this thread…?
– Ric. Whats amazing is that the prolitariot never ask themselves what purpose would be served for the Donkeys (nee Burros) to enfranchise them. They never seem to quite get the name of the game, where the King keeps promising redistribution, while never actually delivering.
– Fish don’t fry on the stove top, pie don’t cool on the sill
– Takes a whole lot of tryin’, Jess to get up that hill….
– Wonder if George ever got Wheezy to switch to Republican….
Hail, hail Vespucciland…
Deacon – that is why I said “in general”. We only need to look to Hispanola to find mestisos and nestisos that consider themselves Latinos. I get that. But look, as a culture… yes, a monolithic stalagmite… overall the vast majority of those considered Hispanic, whether from Mexico or Bolivia share a great deal in common with regard to worldview. Yes, there are differences among them, but it is not wrong to lump them together for discussion sake.
Pie don’t cool on the sill for sure when I’m around. This is why I have been veggie soup boy for like ten days I guess.
and anyway, I’ve already been diversified to death, really.
Also this stimulus package is teh ghey. That’s off-topic I guess but for real it’s disgusting.
Oh. I don’t mean to be off-hand about it. After weighing all the economic factors and taking account of the political climate my conclusion is that the stimulus package presently under consideration is teh ghey.
The correct answer to “Si, se puede” is “Not unless we decide to let you”.
In English, of course.
Republics are never conquered from the outside…
Por Obama Todo
Fuera L’Obama,
Por La Rhodham especual,
NADA
MEchA – is that Portugese?
Sin dudo, pendejo.
Mojo-
Shut up, Vespucci! I claim this stinking desert in the name of the Empire of Spain forever – let’s go!
– Too late steph. Mohammod stayed at a motel in Barcelona one Saturday night in 496AD, so All of the Spanish main is now just a suburb of Damascus.
Giuliani recently used the slogan in an ad, too — plain-sight hidden in “Se pudo en Nueva York y se puede en Washington” — and, seemingly tone-deafly, in a speech for mostly Cubans. What was surprising (to me, anyway; he’d obviously figured otherwise) was that the audience strongly took to it.
There is no politics but identity politics.
Pre-Nevada, Hillary’s campaign had calclulated and presumed an advantage over Obama based on Latino racism, which is more anti-black than anti-white. If Obama can deflect this back on her with just some solidarity sloganeering (which he probably can in Nevada, because of the specific, easily spun story of the lawsuit, but it won’t be so easy elsewhere), it speaks well of his strategists — and badly of his voters.
But what doesn’t?
Only the Huckamaniacs and Paul’s truther faction are nearly as thoughtless.
I am Fred and Fred is me.
I’m prettier though.
…and we are all together?
yep – i will say it… as of yesterday I am now throwing my endorsement behind Fred. that’s newsworthy or whatever.
NO. I didn’t mean that in a boomer way I meant it for real.
Happyfeet – I have seen Fred Thompson… and you, blogger, you are no Thompson.
GREAT. Just freakin’ great.
Now I’m a walrus.
Is this yet another HTML thing? I didn’t do it.
I’m Thompsonesque. Everyone says so.
“…and I’d just like to say that we admire you Injuns for your God-given ability to survive, in whatever hell-hole we stick you in.”
– Well thank’ya paleface….. comin’ from you, I just gotta say…..it doesn’t mean jack shit…..Now hold still Kemosave….this here ‘scalpin’ stuff can be a messy business…..
Hey, man, don’t let ’em bring you down, now. There’s a lot of young people in this country just like myself who really know where the Indian’s at, and don’t worry, pretty soon we’re all gonna be out here on the reservation living like Indians, dressing like Indians and doing all the simple, beautiful things that you Indians do… Got any peyote?
– Feets…..I thought you said everone thinks you are “veggie-esque”, or is that too much teh ghey?
“…You ain’t got no friends on the left! (You’re right!)
You ain’t got no friends on the right! (Your left!)
Sound off!
HOUND DOG!
Sound off!
TREE FROG!
Sound off!
Hound Dog
Tree Frog
Poontang
THAT’S RIGHT!…”
mojo – this could go on all day, much to the consternation of many (and I have to get back to work). Just one more from me, okay? And I’ll set it up, if’n its okay with you:
“Just remember, Abraham Lincoln didn’t die in vail…”
(your turn)
veggie-esque is pretty damn accurate today. The happyfeet who don’t do anything. Mostly cause I’m traveling next week, but also cause I am feeling pretty darn veggie-esque.
“He died in Washington, D.C.!”
This just in: Enoch_Root downsized! Oh, the Humanity!
Rick Locke:
You came here because there was no opportunity at home. Why are you trying to recreate the same conditions that made you have to leave?
Obviously, because “they are only trying to take back their country”. No sacrifice is too great for Spain’s Imperial glory.
Progs also believe deeply that language causes or is identical to thought – given their Blank Slate confessional, and also as valiantly proven by their ability to only repeat memes – and certainly not instead that human thought capacities can use any language at hand, a word-formulation itself which is a sorely feared signification of The Oppressor. So that people who speak different languages are perfectly separate species, in a socially constructed kind of way, or maybe more like differently-etched rocks whose very uniqueness still demands of us that they be preserved forever, and likewise makes Climate Change’s weathering a sin almost as bad as speaking English within any one else’s earshot, etc..
Therefore, the only authentic answer to your question which is allowable has to be Si Se Puede, which cannot be translated – on pain of committing crimes against nature’s Gaia – but only repeated, in order to show genuine solidarity with Blank Slates of all etchnicities, or if you ever want to drink any Gallo wine again.
That should clear it up, given enough Gallo.
Animal Mother: Freedom?
[scoffs]
Animal Mother: You’d better flush out your head, new guy. This isn’t about freedom; this is a slaughter. If I’m gonna get my balls blown off for a word, my word is “poontang”.
— Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Enoch_Root,
I am sorry to read that. I hope it wasn’t the time spent here!
Karl – naw… I am spending more time here as a result of that. but thanks. should have seen it coming from further off. they canned all the Veeps in November… thought I’d be safer a little lower on the totem. thought wrong.
That is what the kids would call a “bummer,” if my knowledge of what the kids would say was current beyond the early 80’s.
well, in that case it is a “bummer” in the truest sense of the word.
Where was Obama when thousands of Hispanics marched in DC shouting “Si Se Puede?” What has he done for us since becoming a Senator? Sure, now that he needs our Votes, he sides with Kennedy on legislation and we matter.