It’s No Longer Enough To Be Born In America: A Midlife Hispanic View of the American Presidential Election

President-elect Reality Show Host has shown open disdain for Hispanics, and that doesn’t bode well for me. Long ago it was preferable to “pass” for an another ethnic group rather than look Spanish. I can but have enough self-respect to answer honestly. “What is your heritage?” “What is your ethnic group?” “Are you [fill in locally acceptable nationality here.]?” Hispanic.

I was born in New York, as were my parents. I am not fluent in Spanish. But I recall, long ago, being diminished because of my surname and looks. I’ve written about this before and never thought I would have to do it again, but here we are.

President-elect Beauty Pageant Owner referred to a Miss Universe as Miss Housekeeping. She was from Venezuela. He railed against Judge Gonzalo Curiel reviewing the lawsuits against his real estate “University” because the Indiana-born judge’s parents were from Mexico. He wants to build a wall between the United States and Mexico and thinks the Mexicans will pay for it.

He speaks like we don’t hear the dogwhistle alerting the most ignorant that it’s now okay again to hate. We know “Mexicans” = “Latinos.”

I’m proud that I believe in working hard, practicing good financial health, learning everything I can to be a better employee. I’ve loved this language since I learned how to read, love my country even as I learned about and appreciated others. Clearly, for almost half the voting populace, that is not enough.

Almost half because this was not a mandate. President-elect Art of the Deal won the Electoral College but lost the popular vote. This reminds me of the 2000 election, where Al Gore lost to George W. Bush. Gore won the popular vote by 540,000 but lost the Electoral College 271 to 266. And under Bush we went to war.

Back here in New York City, Secretary Clinton was favored by voters in four of New York City’s five boroughs, and won the state 58.9% to his 37.4%. I’m not surprised; we have little tolerance for his antics. We ordinary New Yorkers have to live and work together, often in close proximity. Not in some gaudy penthouse far above the masses.

The television show Designated Survivor had a great line: Together we can find the common ground that has been missing in the American political landscape for years.” I hope that happens in real life, and that the common ground benefits and respects all Americans.