The Hispanic vote

This week, I was on Channel 23 to talk about the Hispanic vote. The truth is that Hispanics are not signing up to vote. Check out Uphill Climb: RegisteringHispanics to Vote:

"Four months after millions of Hispanics took to the streets to show their political clout, what is most striking is what hasn't happened: Community organizers say they have done little to register immigrants for the 2006 elections -- and face an uphill climb even for 2008."

What happened? Actually, there is very little surprise here, as I mentioned during the televised conference.

The spring marches were about legalizing people who are here illegally. It had nothing to do with signing up voters. You can not register a person who is not a citizen.

This is why the "marches" had so little impact on elected officials. In the end, the politicians listened to those who stayed home, i.e. the same ones who want the fence and troops on the border.

Where do we go from here:

"The hurdle of turning Hispanic numbers into Hispanic political clout remains high.

Hispanics are the largest minority group in the U.S. and account for more than half of all foreign-born immigrants.

But historically, most of them can't or don't file for citizenship, and most of those who do file don't vote.

For example, during a recent week, 28,000 immigrants became citizens.

If past patterns hold, 6,160 are Hispanic, and just 3,572 of them will register to vote."

Hispanics will eventually vote the same way that Anglos do.

In other words, Hispanics won't vote because they are Hispanic. They will vote because they are middle class, "suburbans" or professionals.

In the future, you will see that professional Hispanics will vote in greater numbers than those in lower socio-economic levels.

In the future, you will see that middle class married Hispanic parents will vote with their pocketbooks.

In the end, I think that's how Hispanics will vote! It's a mistake to assume that Hispanics will vote as a bloc.

Hispanics are not a bloc. The media has always tried to present Hispanics as a bloc.

We are not. We are in fact very different.