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As far as I am aware, you are free to speak what ever language you would like in the US. You don't give up that right when you become a politician. Politicians can address an audience in what ever language they choose, and I am not sure why (besides xenophobia) you would have a problem with this.
My remarks weren't about freedom of speech but questioning why any politician would choose to speak a foreign language to citizens when only citizens can vote and most can speak English.
You keep using the word xenophobia when it has nothing to do with the question that I asked. You apparently don't even know what a xenophobic is. You might want to buy a dictionary.
And I explained to you exactly why a politician would choose to speak a foreign language to a group that speaks that same foreign language - to show they have something in common with that group. You seem to be ignoring this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldglory
My remarks weren't about freedom of speech but questioning why any politician would choose to speak a foreign language to citizens when only citizens can vote and most can speak English.
You keep using the word xenophobia when it has nothing to do with the question that I asked. You apparently don't even know what a xenophobic is. You might want to buy a dictionary.
And I explained to you exactly why a politician would choose to speak a foreign language to a group that speaks that same foreign language - to show they have something in common with that group. You seem to be ignoring this.
If they aren't of the same ethnic group it's just pandering there is no commonality per se. I already explained to you that the commonality would be the English language as it is our national de facto language, the politician speaks it and so does the ethnic audience they are speaking to and the election is taking place in our country not Mexico, not China, etc. You seem to be ignoring that.
That's the way things rolled back then. Def goes without saying the US should've taken ALL of Mexico in 1848, not half.
Like you, I have an affinity for classic cars. Unlike you, my nostalgia doesn't extend to 19th century cheerleading for imperialism, and fortunately, so are most of the US policy makers today. We're better off as a country and the world for it.
Last edited by silverkris; 07-22-2016 at 12:04 PM..
So, the critical undecided vote for the 2016 election is "white, not latino".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldglory
I have been saying this along. The Latino vote is not significant enough yet to pander to them as so many Democrats and some Republicans are doing. They need to appeal more to the non-Latino white voter.
This is precisely what went wrong when Romney was running against Obama. Romney won the nomination because of his stance on immigration, his whole theory that if immigration laws are enforced, illegals would "self-deport" was key. But Romney self-destruct when he back peddled, attempting to pander to the Latino vote after he became the republican nominee. He essentially turned his back on every one who voted for him which was primarily because of his stance on immigration, this is also a key part of why Trump won the republican nomination this time around; because Americans are sick of foreigners, predicating what U.S. immigration policy should be, and that it needs to be reformed to appease to them.
This is precisely what went wrong when Romney was running against Obama. Romney won the nomination because of his stance on immigration, his whole theory that if immigration laws are enforced, illegals would "self-deport" was key. But Romney self-destruct when he back peddled, attempting to pander to the Latino vote after he became the republican nominee. He essentially turned his back on every one who voted for him which was primarily because of his stance on immigration, this is also a key part of why Trump won the republican nomination this time around; because Americans are sick of foreigners, predicating what U.S. immigration policy should be, and that it needs to be reformed to appease to them.
Lots of Latinos aren't immigrants, but are native born. This will increase over time. Like the judge who Trump accused of bias because of his ethnicity.
Trying to "pander" to xenophobic whites may work in the primary, but has been a loser in the general.
Please proceed, Governor.
And continue to lose the Latino/Hispanic vote for a generation.
This is precisely what went wrong when Romney was running against Obama. Romney won the nomination because of his stance on immigration, his whole theory that if immigration laws are enforced, illegals would "self-deport" was key. But Romney self-destruct when he back peddled, attempting to pander to the Latino vote after he became the republican nominee. He essentially turned his back on every one who voted for him which was primarily because of his stance on immigration, this is also a key part of why Trump won the republican nomination this time around; because Americans are sick of foreigners, predicating what U.S. immigration policy should be, and that it needs to be reformed to appease to them.
I don't recall Romney pandering for the Latino vote if so how did he do it? I certainly don't like flip floppers.
My remarks weren't about freedom of speech but questioning why any politician would choose to speak a foreign language to citizens when only citizens can vote and most can speak English.
Castilian Spanish is the official national language of Spain. However, there are other co-official languages spoken in Spain´s many culturally diverse regions that form an important part of the Spanish cultural patrimony. During the dictatorship of Franco many of these languages in Spain were repressed. However with the arrival of democracy these regional languages in Spain have been able to flourish again. Today, the regional languages are legitimate and acceptable means of communication accepted by the Spanish community.
Franco gained power over Spain in 1939 and controlled Spain until his death in 1975. He believed that Castilian culture and language should be central to economic, political, and social institutions in all regions. He promised "to enforce a brand of traditionalist and authoritarian Spanish nationalism that harbored no expression of the distinct 'minority cultures', such as Catalan. Franco prohibited the use of Catalan names. Castilian equivalents had to be used, during his regime, religious services were held in Castilian, and Castilian was the only language permitted to be used in public. Schools were banned from teaching Catalan. Few books were published in Catalan and any that were published were not popularly read because most Catalans could not read Catalan. Images of popular Catalan culture like the sardanes, a traditional Catalan dance, were also banned. Popular symbols of Catalan nationalism, such as statues, portraits, the flag, were all removed from public view.Even the names of streets that were in Catalan were changed to a Castilian name.
So if you were running for political offices in the Catalan region of Spain where Catalan is the first language of 1.940 million citizens, and Spanish is the first language of 2.275 million citizens would you refuse to speak in Catalan on the grounds that Spanish is the official language of Spain? It would remind the older people of the dictatorship that ended 40 years earlier, and it would insult the younger people. If you don't speak Catalan yourself, you would probably make some effort to have individuals on your staff that do.
Nationwide in Spain speakers of Catalan compose about 17% of the population, which coincidentally is roughly the same percentage of Latinos in the USA. Similarly, there is a history of open warfare between the Anglos and Mexicans.
Although his Spanish was mostly hysterical, GW Bush made a very strong effort to connect to Latinos and was rewarded with the highest percentage of the Latino vote ever recorded for a GOP candidate in 2004.
Castilian Spanish is the official national language of Spain. However, there are other co-official languages spoken in Spain´s many culturally diverse regions that form an important part of the Spanish cultural patrimony. During the dictatorship of Franco many of these languages in Spain were repressed. However with the arrival of democracy these regional languages in Spain have been able to flourish again. Today, the regional languages are legitimate and acceptable means of communication accepted by the Spanish community.
Franco gained power over Spain in 1939 and controlled Spain until his death in 1975. He believed that Castilian culture and language should be central to economic, political, and social institutions in all regions. He promised "to enforce a brand of traditionalist and authoritarian Spanish nationalism that harbored no expression of the distinct 'minority cultures', such as Catalan. Franco prohibited the use of Catalan names. Castilian equivalents had to be used, during his regime, religious services were held in Castilian, and Castilian was the only language permitted to be used in public. Schools were banned from teaching Catalan. Few books were published in Catalan and any that were published were not popularly read because most Catalans could not read Catalan. Images of popular Catalan culture like the sardanes, a traditional Catalan dance, were also banned. Popular symbols of Catalan nationalism, such as statues, portraits, the flag, were all removed from public view.Even the names of streets that were in Catalan were changed to a Castilian name.
So if you were running for political offices in the Catalan region of Spain where Catalan is the first language of 1.940 million citizens, and Spanish is the first language of 2.275 million citizens would you refuse to speak in Catalan on the grounds that Spanish is the official language of Spain? It would remind the older people of the dictatorship that ended 40 years earlier, and it would insult the younger people. If you don't speak Catalan yourself, you would probably make some effort to have individuals on your staff that do.
Nationwide in Spain speakers of Catalan compose about 17% of the population, which coincidentally is roughly the same percentage of Latinos in the USA. Similarly, there is a history of open warfare between the Anglos and Mexicans.
Although his Spanish was mostly hysterical, GW Bush made a very strong effort to connect to Latinos and was rewarded with the highest percentage of the Latino vote ever recorded for a GOP candidate in 2004.
We live in a diverse country. Are any other racial or ethnic groups being pandered to in their native tongues by our politicians? People need to accept the fact that our national de facto language is English and if they know it which most Spanish speaking "citizens" do they shouldn't feel offended by being addressed in English. It's part of being an assimilated American. If they feel the need to be pandered to in Spanish then they haven't fully assimilated and in fact reeks of arrogance.
We live in a diverse country. Are any other racial or ethnic groups being pandered to in their native tongues by our politicians? People need to accept the fact that our national de facto language is English and if they know it which most Spanish speaking "citizens" do they shouldn't feel offended by being addressed in English. It's part of being an assimilated American. If they feel the need to be pandered to in Spanish then they haven't fully assimilated and in fact reeks of arrogance.
You are very confident that you have the right adjective.
The Online Etymology dictionary gives the following original definitions. pander (n.) "arranger of sexual liaisons, one who supplies another with the means of gratifying lust," 1520s, "pimp". pander (v.) "to indulge (another), to minister to base passions," c. 1600, from pander (n.).
I suspect you are thinking more of the Merriam Webster definition pander (verb) "to do or provide what someone wants or demands even though it is not proper, good, or reasonable"
Tim Kaine delivering the first ever congressional speech in Spanish on June 2013.
Do you feel that Kaine's speech is not "proper, good, or reasonable"?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldglory
Are any other racial or ethnic groups being pandered to in their native tongues by our politicians?
I doubt that any other language has ever been spoken by such a large percentage of American citizens. At one point Italian may have been close.
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