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StumbleClinton’s, Obama’s Spanish ads seem almost an afterthought
Thursday, Jan. 17, 2008 | 2 a.m.
Hanging out at the debate
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Not everything surrounding the Democratic debate happened inside Cashman Center Tuesday night. In fact, supporters for all three top Democrats, as well as a healthy segment of Dennis Kucinich backers, vocalized their thoughts about the debate inside and the 2008 presidential race. (En Español: La gente y el debate)
(Sun new media intern Jenna Kohler contributed to this report.)
En Espanol: La gente y el debate
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Un video tomado en el debate entre los candidatos Democratas el martes, 15 de enero.
Audio Clip
- Rodney Slater, Secretary of Transportation during Bill Clinton's administration, talks about Hillary Clinton's view on aiding minorities
Audio Clip
- Sheila Leslie, Nevada assemblywoman, talks about Barack Obama's opinion on education for minorities
A day after the campaigns of Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton launched TV ads in Spanish, observers of the Hispanic electorate wondered whether the effort wasn’t a case of too little, too late.
Nevada’s Democratic caucus was moved to Jan. 19 in part because the party wanted to give minority voters a voice. Hispanics make up 25 percent of the state’s population, including an estimated 80,000 active registered voters in Clark County alone.
Obama’s and Clinton’s TV ads in Spanish began Tuesday, with Obama spending $38,000 on Univision, which airs the area’s most widely seen Spanish-language news program, and Clinton spending nearly $20,000. The third leading Democratic contender, former Sen. John Edwards, is not running any ads in Spanish.
In contrast, both campaigns began advertising on the area’s four network affiliates in English a month ago, and together had spent nearly $600,000 as of last week.
Why didn’t the campaigns put more resources into reaching potential Hispanic voters in their primary language?
Lisa Garcia Bedolla, associate professor of political science at UC Irvine, said the scenario in Nevada with regard to the ads “is consistent with what has always been the case nationwide.”
Campaigns, she said, typically decide, “If we have a little extra money and time, we’ll put together a Spanish ad.”
This shows, she added, that “neither side has been very good at figuring out how to do outreach to Hispanics.”
Harley Shaiken, chairman of the Center for Latin American Studies at UC Berkeley, said the move was “odd on the face of it” and wondered whether it “might reflect concerns over backlash ... if they had begun advertising in Spanish earlier.”
Both campaigns noted that they had bought ads in Spanish on radio earlier a reflection of that medium’s popularity among many Hispanics and said they were concentrating more on reaching Hispanic voters in door-to-door efforts.
Fabiola Rodriguez-Ciampoli, director of Hispanic communications for the Clinton campaign, said “personal contact is very important in the Latino community.” So dozens of bilingual volunteers have spent up to 45 minutes at a time explaining Clinton’s platform to the valley’s Hispanic voters.
TV ads, she said, “are a complement to that strategy.”
Similarly, Shannon Gilson, communications director for Obama’s Nevada campaign, said her staff’s “emphasis here is on ... the grass-roots organizing approach” in the Hispanic community.
The ads launched Tuesday are, for the most part, indistinguishable from their counterparts in English, featuring the candidates’ positions on issues such as education, health care and jobs.
But each candidate puts in a bid for the attention and support of the valley’s Hispanics.
“No more anti-Hispanic demagoguery!” Clinton’s ad says.
Obama reminds Hispanic voters of their commonality, referring to his Kenyan father’s immigrant background.
“Remember the hopes that brought you or your parents to this country?” the ad asks.
“Don’t let anyone or anything take those hopes away.”
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Despite protests to the contrary, Saint Obama the Uniter has actively sought an opportunity to inject race into the 2008 campaign leading into Nevada and South Carolina. He couldn't find it, so they first went with "fairy tale" being racist to describe one of Obama's positions. Hardly racist. Then his campaign picked up on Clinton’s MLK comment and misinterpreted it. He needed to trick and incite African Americans, while distancing himself enough personally so as not to be obvious to whites, Hispanics and others.
Obama is a con man.
He needs to keep in mind, however, that if his race is going to held out as a valid reason to vote FOR him, it must also be a valid reason to vote AGAINST him. He can't have it both ways. I hope his disgusting race games ultimately crash his campaign.
Uh, no, Denwa.
First of all, you've pasted this same stupid comment in every thread I've seen.
So you're probably a Clinton plant.
Secondly: Clinton injected gender and race into this campaign when Clinton sent an e-mail around saying Obama was a "Muslim drug-dealer" and a top campaign advisor said Obama was an "imaginary hip black friend."
In case you're blind - yes, that's racist.
Obama has NEVER brought his race into his campaign. Not ONCE. EVERYONE KNOWS THIS BUT YOU, apparently.
His campaign did NOT pick up on the MLK comment - it was only when African-American-focused talk shows started discussing it, having been troubled by it, that he did - by the way, both John Edwards AND Martin Luther King's SON said it was a terrible statement. Remember Clinton saying Obama has to do more "spadework"? No? Are you even WATCHING this election? Do you remember that Obama was the one who FIRST called a truce to all this, and Clinton COPIED him hours later?
STOP WATCHING FOX NEWS - learn some facts.
NEVADA VOTERS BEWARE: watch out for Hillary's gang trying to STEAL the vote in your state. She will stop at nothing to win. She did this in New Hampshire.
NO THIRD TERM !
NO MORE BUSH, NO MORE CLINTON. Enough is enough!
and Hillary08, I assume you're one of the Clinton paid staff who we're told is spamming the blogs
WARNING PEOPLE OF NEVADA! IF YOU VOTE OBAMA, I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR NEW YUCCA MOUNTAIN NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP NEVADA. HE'S GONNA OWE SOMEONE FOR ALL THE CAMPAIGN FUNDS TO HIM. ONLY 90 MILES FROM LAS VEGAS!! WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN TO YOUR JOBS WHEN THE CASINO'S HAVE TO SHUT DOWN DUE TO "SOME RADIATION LEAKAGE"???? NO CASINO, NO JOB, NO FOOD, NO CAR, NO NOTHING! VOTE HILLARY CLINTON SATURDAY, JAN. 19TH! SHE IS THE ONLY CANDIDATE WHO HAS CONSISTENTLY VOTED "NO" TO YUCCA MOUNTAIN BEING USED AS A NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP! STAND UP AND BE COUNTED! LAS VEGAS IS WHERE YOU LIVE AND WORK. PROTECT YOUR LIFE AND LIFESTYLE! VOTE HILLARY CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT!
Obama does not deserve to be president.
His supporters are rude, vicious people from what I have encountered steadily.
Obama encourages it like he did with his smear job "stand up" routine attack on Hillary at a high school today.
He was AWOL and did not vote a record 130 times!!! in the Senate when it came time to '"change" America.
He fixed his wife's salary in Chicago, it doubled to $365,000.00 and he did nothing for the people there on top of it.
I do not trust him.
His health care plan leaves millions of Americans out in the cold.
He and his campaign workers constantly use bait and switch attacks on their fellow Dems. Being sneaky and dishonest are hardly traits we need all over again for 4 - 8 years.
After he slanders and damages Hillary he plays all innocent and becomes Mr. Nice guy, and it's 'let's all have a truce' after he started and encourages the whole incident.
He has no experience compared to Hillary, only a Jr. Senator 2 short years to Hillary's 7 including her re-election.
Is too young to be President yet, JFK had 14 years in Congress and Senate before he ran, and Obama is no JFK.
Obama steals lines from MLK and JFK for his speeches in an attempt to dupe his zombie youth clone army to thinking he is as great as those great men. Hey Obama, here's a clue! accomplish something first, and be original, "I have a dream" ?? oh brother..
He is a "dreamer" Hillary is a "doer"
His second largest campaign contributer is Exelon, the largest nuclear energy company in America, so much for the environment..
He and his wife both are very materialistic, it is quite obvious seeing their lush lifestyle.
We already have a President we are trying to be rid of giving all our money away to foreigners, we don't need another one.
We already have a President we are trying to be rid of that bases his judgments on what God tells him to do, we don't need another one.
We already have a President we are trying to be rid of who refuses to hold people accountable who screw up when they work for him, we certainly don't need another one.
Hillary on the other hand has fired several of her people when they stepped out of line.
Obama uses preacher speaking techniques in his speeches, an actual phony mind control 'roll technique' used by preachers to hypnotize their followers into mental submission.
Is very arrogant talking down to Hillary in his blatant disrespect for her being a woman and 15 years his senior.
Very disrespectful along with his snotty, clueless followers to both Bill and Hillary thumbing their noses at the Clinton's incredible legacy and all the great things they have done for their country and people all over the world.
I really could go on here more but I think that will suffice for now.
Hillary All The Way!!
Obama please just GO away..
We do not have a monarchy system. No Clintons, No Bushes in 08. Why should we continue to be ruled by 2 families? No Bushes, No Clintons in 08! Fresh Blood, Fresh Minds - Bloomberg, Obama or Edwards. No more Bushes, No more Clintons. There are over 300 million intelligent people in this country. Why should 2 families dominate?