Annotations for Subject-headings: Political Parties

Singer, songwriter, Hollywood actor, Harvard Law School graduate. These are just a few of the personas of Panamanian-born Ruben Blades. A Renaissance man, if there ever was one. Blades and his group, Seis del Solar, have just completed what may be their last tour for a good while because Blades is looking to begin a new career. As he told reporters in San Antonio recently, he'll be returning to his native Panama to head up a new political party.

The group is already together. It's called Papa Egoró, which means 'Mother Land' in the Emberá language. I wanted to use an indigenous, a palliative to the movement, so we don't end up calling ourselves one of those slogan-ish pamphlet-sounding, demagogic-sounding names of party for the democracy of the people, and then they turn out to be anything but.

Blades' new party was recognized earlier this year by Panama's National Electoral Tribunal. Still, Blades says he is not currently a candidate for president, but that his move into politics will give the Panamanian people an option.

It's the first time you have a political party that has been created because the people are sick and tired of being abused by left and by right. So we have now a scenario here where we may create the kind of infrastructure that really addresses the issues of the nation and not the issues of special interest groups, and I'm very hopeful about that.

Blades says that given the breakdown of Panama's economy and infrastructure, it's going to take honesty, organization and a lot of education to turn things around for the country. When asked whether he'd like to see US troops leave Panama, Blades replies that he wants his native land to take care of itself. As to charges that his campaign is one of demagoguery that is far removed from the lives of everyday Panamanians, Blades said this:

The scenario in Panama will be determined by the Panamanian people, by its will and its desire to carry out a specific position. And if you try to become a Messiah, and if you try to become a demagogue, you're going to end up with pie all over your face because people are going to determine whether what you're spouting or defending is going to work or not. What good is it for you to say, "Oh, do this," and then have 60, 70% of the country say, "That's not what we're going to do." Well then, what do you do? What do you do?

And finally, Blades says, for him, there is no contradiction between his career as an artist and musician and a future as a politician.

I don't find that there is a scenario of antinomy or any kind of contradiction. On the contrary, I think that the fact that I was involved in the arts is giving me the kind of credibility amongst the majority of Panamanians who are sick and tired of business as usual in politics.

In New York, a veteran Latino politician has surprised that city's political establishment. Herman Badillo, Longtime democrat is endorsing the Republican mayoral candidate Rudolph Giuliani. Mandalit Del Barco reports.

As the elder statesman of New York's Latino politicians, Democrat Herman Badillo says he's hoping to attract a large Latino vote and democratic support for Republican challenger Rudolph Giuliani. Last election, Latinas were a crucial factor in electing Democrat Mayor David Dinkins, giving him two-thirds of their votes. This time, Latinos are being seen as a crucial voting block. Together, Badillo and Giuliani are calling theirs the Fusion Party, linking Liberals and Republicans. Others have called it the Confusion Party. 63 year old Badillo is the first Puerto Rican born congressman in the country. He was also the city's first Latino housing commissioner, burrow president and deputy mayor. Earlier this year, Badillo had hopes of running for mayor himself under the Democratic ticket, but he dropped out, citing his inability to raise enough money to be taken seriously.

Now in a bid for city controller, Badillo has been highly critical of Mayor Dinkins, and his endorsement of Giuliani is seen as a defection and a blow to other Democrats. So far, none of the other Latino elected officials in New York City have joined Badillo in supporting Giuliani. For Latino USA, I'm Mandalit del Barco in New York.

New Yorkers go to the polls to elect a new mayor in September. You're listening to Latino USA.

You're listening to news from Latino USA. It may not be election time, but Democrats and Republicans are wooing Latinos. In a briefing held for the Hispanic Press in Washington, Democratic National Committee Chair, David Wilhelm announced a ‘Salud Para Todos’ campaign to win Hispanic support for the President's healthcare plan and also a major drive to increase Latino voter participation.

We are going to be very much involved in encouraging citizenship and encouraging participation among that new huge voting block.

Meanwhile, several recent press reports say it's the Republicans who are making inroads among traditionally Democratic Latino voters. Cited are results of exit polls done in November by the Southwest Voter Research Institute in San Antonio. But institute director Robert Brischetto says, the press reports misconstrue the data about Latino voter preferences.

There Certainly was a change in party identification among Latinos that showed up on our exit polls, both in California and Texas, but the shift was a decline in identification with either of the two major parties and an increase in independents. Independents more than doubled. Now about one in four Latino voters are independent.

Brischetto also says recent electoral victories by Republicans in Texas and California, Kay Bailey Hutchinson for the Senate and Richard Riordan for LA's Mayor had less to do with increased Latino support than with more Anglos coming out to vote and with greater polarization between Anglos and Latinos and other minorities along party lines.

Indeed, Latino politics is still pretty much controlled by the Democrats, but it certainly could change, and I think that it depends a lot on the extent to which the parties make an effort to run Latino candidates and address Latino Issues.

Robert Brischetto of the Southwest Voter Research Institute, I'm Maria Martin with news from Latino USA.

This is news from Latino USA. I'm Vidal Guzman. President Clinton's economic plan faced opposition from Republicans who called it one more democratic tax and spend plan and even from members from his own party. And as Patricia Guadalupe reports, members of the Hispanic caucus were concerned about cuts to social programs.

Democratic members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus conditioned their support of President Clinton's budget on his backing the House version, which contains more money for social programs. The Senate version virtually eliminates many of those programs. Caucus chair José Serrano of New York says Hispanic representatives are also concerned about amendments they find discriminatory.

There is a mean amendment going around that says that any dollars allocated for any program must meet a test that says if you are... You serve an undocumented alien, anywhere in any of the programs you may run as an agency that you cannot share in those dollars.

President Clinton promised the caucus he would try to include their points in the final budget version. For Latino USA, Patricia Guadalupe in Washington.

This is news from Latino USA. I'm Maria Martin. The struggle over the North American free trade agreement continues to intensify. Even as treaty negotiations draw to a close, supporters and opponents of NAFTA heat up the lobbying effort for votes in Congress. Among vocal opponents of NAFTA coming to Capitol Hill recently were members of Mexico's opposition Democratic Revolutionary Party. From Washington, Patricia Guadalupe reports.

While Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortari has staked his political reputation on passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Congressman Miguel Huerta of Mexico's Democratic Revolutionary Party said he had to come to Washington to tell his counterparts here that the North American Free Trade Agreement would hurt citizens of both countries.

It's not the problem that because we are opposed to Salinas, we are opposed to NAFTA. It's not... that's not the argument. We are opposed to some fundamental chapters of this NAFTA because it's bad for the citizen of the two countries. We are opposed to NAFTA because some chapters and some principles establishing the NAFTA are opposed to the interest of citizens of Mexico, of United States, and of Canada.

Since then, six Democratic senators have sent a letter to President Clinton, urging him to renegotiate the free-trade agreement. For Latino USA, I'm Patricia Guadalupe, in Washington.

US Senator Barbara Boxer of California is defending her controversial proposal to have the National Guard patrol the US-Mexico border. Boxer says her suggestion is meant to limit the backlash against legal immigration by using the troops to deter undocumented immigrants. Boxer's suggestion is being heavily criticized by many Hispanic officials in California, and another immigration-related proposal came under fire in Washington.

It's not going to accomplish anything in keeping people from crossing the border. It'll simply prevent them from wanting to come over to buy American goods.

That's California Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard reacting to Senator Diane Feinstein's proposal to charge a fee for crossing the border as a way to pay for more border patrol agents. At a hearing in Congress, some experts warn such a fee might cause even longer delays at the border and perhaps difficulties with the governments of Mexico and Canada. Larry Francis is the mayor of El Paso, Texas.

Any kind of fee will cause Mexican nationals to cross the Rio Grande illegally, worsening our problem. Over a broader view, any attempt to reduce the flow of people will have an economic impact on both countries.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service also expressed concerns about the border-crossing fee.

This is news from Latino USA. I'm Vidal Guzmán. California governor Pete Wilson is calling for major changes to limit undocumented immigration. The governor promoted a so-called program for recovery at press conferences in San Diego and Los Angeles. Alberto Aguilar reports.

Governor Wilson alleges that up to 2 million of California's 32 million people are here illegally, 1 million in Los Angeles alone.

In a state where we have within Los Angeles, a community of illegal immigrants the size of San Diego.

Governor Wilson, who will probably seek reelection next year, wants President Clinton to deny US-born children of undocumented parents citizenship and access to healthcare and education: proposals which have created a firestorm of controversy with state Senator Art Torres saying that the governor is using the wrong approach to a complex problem. Other immigration advocates say denying education to children goes against a 1982 US Supreme Court decision and keeping somebody from achieving citizenship will require a change in the 14th amendment to the US Constitution. For Latino USA, I'm Alberto Aguilar in Los Angeles.

In Chicago, the city's park district has rejected the gift of a statue of Puerto Rican nationalist Pedro Albizu Campos. And as Tony Sarabia reports, this has sparked protests from the city's Puerto Rican community.

For some, Pedro Albizu Campos is a hero who fought for Puerto Rico's independence, but his philosophy has many of Chicago's Puerto Ricans opposed to honoring a man who was jailed for attempting to assassinate President Harry Truman. A park district board spokesperson says the board didn't want to contribute to the community's division, so it decided not to accept the statue. Supporters are incensed the board is censoring a monument when it has never done so in the past. Chicago alderman Billy Ocasio calls the action hypocritical.

Where were they when they had to censor the Robert E. Lee statue? Where were they when they had to censor the Balbo statue? They haven't censored anything. Now they want to censor the Puerto Rican community.

Ocasio says the vote isn't the end of the issue. He and other Puerto Rican community leaders plan on taking their fight to court. For Latino USA I'm Tony Sarabia in Chicago,

We're here today as a coalition of Latinos, leaders in our community, leaders in business, and leaders in the political arena to hold Governor Wilson accountable for his recent proposals to President Clinton.

As politicians throughout the nation from Washington to Texas come up with proposals to curb illegal immigration. A coalition of Latino organizations in California warned that immigrants are fast becoming the scapegoats of bad economic times. From Los Angeles, Alberto Aguilar reports.

In just 12 hours, this week, US attorney Janet Reno, two US Senators, Governor Pete Wilson, the state Senate, and the assembly put aside other issues to promote laws against illegal immigration. The rush to legislate and castigate illegal immigration has created a great deal of concern in the Latino community, which responded with its own open letter decrying Governor Wilson's recent initiatives to strip immigrants of access to health, education, and constitutional protection.

We know well in our community that this is a historical cycle. During the depression in 1931, immigrants were made scapegoats. In 1954, immigrants were made scapegoats. During the inflationary periods of the seventies, immigrants were made scapegoats. And the 1990s, in today's recession, guess what? Immigrants are being made scapegoats.

Arturo Vargas is the vice president of the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund. MALDEF is part of the coalition who responded to what they feel is an anti-immigrant hysteria. Representing the Latino Business Association, Ed Vasquez disputes that immigrants are a public charge.

There's a hundred thousand, 100,000 Latino owned businesses in Los Angeles alone generating six and a half billion dollars in revenues every single year. For the politicians to blame the economic problems on immigrants it sends out a dangerous message. Immigrants did not take away the jobs in the defense industry. Immigrants are not taking away jobs from corporate America, bad economic policies are.

California leaders aware of the upcoming state elections strongly decry what they call scapegoating of Latinos for the sorry state of California's economy by both Republicans and Democrats. For Latinos USA, I'm Alberto Aguilar in Los Angeles.

And from Austin, Texas you're listening to Latino USA.

In New York City mayoral candidates are campaigning for what many see as the crucial Latino vote. Recent polls show the Republican candidate ahead of the Democratic incumbent. From New York City, Mandalit del Barco has more.

The latest Harris Poll by the Daily News and WNBC Television shows Republican-Liberal candidate Rudolph Giuliani beating Mayor David Dinkins, 54 to 41% among Latino voters. Of the Latino registered voters surveyed the same percentage said they were optimistic about the city's future. Both Giuliani and Dinkins have been courting potential voters in New York's Latino communities, appearing at the Dominican Day Parade and shaking hands in El Barrio. Campaign watchers note that Latino support will be critical to either candidate's victory this fall. Giuliani is running for office with city controller candidate Herman Badillo, the elder statesman among New York's Puerto Rican politicians. Mayor Dinkins discounted the latest poll saying, "His own campaign survey show he's ahead of his opponent." Dinkins also got a boost from Brooklyn Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, who promised to campaign for the mayor's reelection throughout the city's Latino communities. For Latino USA, I'm Mandalit del Barco in New York.

This is news from Latino USA. I'm Maria Martin. The House of Representatives votes on NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement on November 17th. And a newly formed bipartisan coalition has set out to convince Latinos and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to support the controversial accord. Barrie Lynn Tapia reports.

According to Democratic Congressman Bill Richardson of New Mexico, the coalition could play a crucial role in swaying Latino congressional leaders who oppose or are undecided on NAFTA.

The purpose is to show that NAFTA's a Hispanic issue, to show that we have a majority within the Congressional Hispanic Caucus of NAFTA. That's the goal. That bipartisan, we will get a majority of Hispanic members. Right now we're at about 50/50.

The congressman admitted the battle is an uphill one. Yet members of the coalition feel they may be able to turn the tide in favor of free trade in the next few weeks. For Latino USA, this is Barrie Lynn Tapia in Washington.

More than a dozen big cities elect mayors on November 2nd. One of the most contested races is in Miami, where Cuban-born Commissioner Miriam Alonso is facing former mayor, Steve Clark. That race has been characterized by a great deal of mudslinging, with Clark being dubbed the marshmallow mayor, and Alonso's opponents calling her Castro's ambassador and a communist. Alonso's husband was Cuba's ambassador to Lebanon, before the couple defected from the island 27 years ago.

NAFTA is just one of the issues facing the man who's almost sure to be Mexico's next president. He's Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta, who as is the custom in Mexico, was named to be the candidate of Mexico's ruling institutional revolutionary party by the incumbent president, Carlos Salinas De Gortari. With us to speak about what Colosio's nomination means is David Ayon, director of the Mexico Roundtable at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Bienvenido David. Given all of the attention that's now focused on Mexico and NAFTA and Mexico's political system, why do you think it was Colosio who was chosen as the candidate of the PRI?

Well, I think it is now pretty plain that Salinas has been grooming Colosio for this moment, for this role for quite a number of years. Further than that, he also has an enormous amount of experience in knowing how to run a campaign all over the country. He was Salinas' own campaign manager when Salinas was a candidate in 1988, and subsequent to that, Salinas made Colosio the president of the PRI party. So Colosio is very well positioned and the ground has been prepared very carefully for him to be something of an ideal candidate, to be the PRI standard there.

What do you think Colosio is going to bring to the particular relationship between Mexico and the United States now that NAFTA has been approved though?

He's unlikely to represent any difference or modification of the basic project or trajectory that's been traced by Salinas, which is one of really transforming various levels, Mexico's attitude towards the United States and its relationship with the United States. This is the project that continues along the path of especially commercial and business integration.

In Mexico, Colosio has been chosen by what's called El Dedazo, by the pointing of the finger. In other words that people assume that he will be Mexico's next president and there's a lot of talk about pressuring Mexico to democratize the institutional party there. Do you think that Mexico will heed this call or do you think that there will be a kind of sense that they have to now bow down to the United States who is suddenly telling them what they have to do? How do you see this democratic process within the PRI.

It's very difficult to see how this is going to be democratized and they plainly have not achieved this at all. In fact, Colosio's own destape, his own unveiling and his being chosen, the dedazo, the pointing of the big finger by Salinas was handled perhaps in a more undemocratic fashion than in the previous two presidential successions. It was just simply announced suddenly, unexpectedly Sunday morning that he's going to be the guy without any pretense of a process whatsoever. So I think what this suggests to us is that they haven't figured their way out of a really complicated corner that historically the Mexican political system finds itself in.

Now the election takes place on August 24th, 1994, but the opposition candidate, the main opposition candidate, Cuauhtemoc Cardenas, is surely expected to give Colosio a run for his money. Do you think that there's a possibility that this might be the first election in which the PRI actually loses and the opposition with Cuauhtemoc Cardenas actually has a chance to win or not?

Colosio is going to have a vast machine and a virtually unlimited budget behind him. He starts already, if we can go by most recent polls, there was a poll taken in October that measured a hypothetical matchup between Colosio and Cardenas. He already starts with a significant lead about a dozen percentage points over Cardenas, and that is before ever being named. This is such a mountain to overcome that it's really hard to conceive that Cardenas, popular as he genuinely is, will be able to really to surmount it.

Well, thank you very much for joining us. David Ayon teaches political science and specializes in Mexican policy at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Muchas gracias.