Trying to Make Sense of American’s (and Latino’s) Voting Behavior
By Dr. Henry Flores, NewsTaco
The other day I was sitting in my neighborhood Mexican restaurant consuming my Huevos a la Mexicana plate breakfast and I heard three young folks sitting a few tables away lamenting the state of American politics. They were complaining of the “stupid” people who have been elected to office, some of the policy decisions that have emanated from all levels of government, and corrupt politicians. Finally, one concluded that one reason he doesn’t vote was “all of the above.” This led me to think about everything political that has transpired over the last couple of years and I concluded that it’s “pendejos” who don’t vote that have allowed the extreme right to win control of governments at all levels in the United States. All these folks do is complain, complain and complain while the ship of state sinks further in the mire of political muck.
The Issues
[pullquote][tweet_dis]The intensity of racism that has reared its ugly head recently is due to the fact that politicians don’t stand up and take stands against extremists in this society.[/tweet_dis] [/pullquote]Where does one start given the craziness of the current political environment. Donald Trump? The Confederate Flag controversy? Police shootings? Attempts to overturn the Affordable Care Act? Editing public school history books to hide the history of racism in America? Congressional Gerrymandering? Passing laws making it difficult for citizens to vote? Climate change disbelievers sitting over the federal government’s scientific research budgets?
I mean, where do we start? The list is endless but if you just peruse the above list you can trace almost all of these problems plus many I have not mentioned to the fact that politicians are making decisions that have caused these controversies to arise. The intensity of racism that has reared its ugly head recently is due to the fact that politicians don’t stand up and take stands against extremists in this society. Why is this the case? It’s because the politicians don’t wish to anger this small constituency who vote in high percentages. To anger this constituency is to risk one’s term in office.
The Lost Politicians’ Ethos
[pullquote][tweet_dis]… people run for office to push their own or a small group’s political agendas.[/tweet_dis][/pullquote]It used to be the case that individuals ran for public office to serve a community. Now people run for office to push their own or a small group’s political agendas. Many of these agendas are simply based on personal, uneducated opinions about everything from climatology to public housing. You see rich persons, such as the Koch Brothers, spending inordinate amounts of money simply to get individuals elected to office who will support their positions on energy and pollution controls. The Kochs could care less about the social or environmental problems their investment decisions make and the politicians they support only care about obtaining large cash donations so they can win reelection. So, the Kochs end up supporting individuals who would sell their soul to the devil simply to win elections.
Politicians, not all of them but a large number, these days only want to be in power to massage their own egos. They think their misguided, uneducated and illogical perceptions of public policy are important and “correct” enough to be “good” for America. Many of their ideas are based in ideologies or ideas that are more than two centuries old and are a mismatch for today’s world and its problems. Today’s politicians just want to hear themselves talk and be at the center of the media’s attention and that of their supplicants. The concept of serving for the public good and to do for the entire society has been lost on these individuals who populate our nation’s and states’ capitals.
So, Whose Fault Is All of This?
The simple answer to this question is it’s the fault of “pendejos” like the ones eating breakfast in my neighborhood restaurant the other day who don’t vote. And, it’s our fault. It’s the fault of Latinos because we don’t vote. We have the numbers to control the White House and many congressional and senatorial elections but because we don’t vote the crazies get into office. We’ve become like the “pendejo,” jaded, disillusioned, yes alienated from the political system. Well if we want all this craziness to stop, we need to stop it ourselves. This means voting and standing up and voicing our concern at the lamentable state of politics in our country. We need to stand up to the Kochs, the Cruzes, the Rubios, the Trumps and like individuals or else the state of our union will just get worse.
Henry Flores, PhD, is the Distinguished University Research Professor, Institute of Public Administration and Public Service; Director, Masters in Public Administration (MPA); Professor of International Relations and Political Science at St. Mary’s University. He is the author of Latinos and the Voting Rights Act: The Search for Racial Purpose.
Latinos and the Voting Rights Act: The Search for Racial Purpose.
