Melissa Mark Viverito: NYC's Next City Council President

Melissa Mark Viverito is on the verge of becoming New York City's next Council President. She has the backing of mayor-elect Bill DeBlasio, SEIU and 30 or so of her peers on the City Council. If victorious in the January 8th election, Mark Viverito -- who's Puerto Rican -- becomes the first person of Latino heritage to hold the powerful post.

As City Council President, Mark Viverito would be on a trajectory to higher office. NYC's 1st woman mayor? 

Rhode Island's Tavares and Elorza

Followers of US Latino electoral politics should watch Rhode Island! 

A year from now its leading political executives could be Latino: Angel Tavares, 43 year old mayor of Providence, is running to become the state's next governor; and law professor and former housing judge, Jorge Elorza, 36, is seeking to follow Tavares to the Providence mayoralty. 

Harvard Law School graduates -- Tavares is of Dominican and Elorza of Guatemalan heritage. The state's small size, changing demographics -- along w/the Ivy League launch pad available to a select few -- are combining to fast-track the Rhode Island Latino political ascent.

Jorge Elorza (Credit: Brown Daily Herald)

James F. Castro-Blanco Declares for Yonkers City Council President

Lawyer James F. Castro-Blanco, 50, has declared his intentions to run for the position of Yonkers City Council President in the '09 municipal elections.

Yonkers with 200,000 residents is tied with Upstate Rochester for third place. However, with twice as many Latinos than Rochester (28k), Yonkers (60k) has no Latino on its City Council. Castro-Blanco hopes to fill that void by presiding as the council's leader. If he wins the GOP's backing, he'll be pitted against one term incumbent Democrat Chuck Schorr Lesnick.

Yonkers is a middle-class city in New York's Westchester County abutting the northern border of the Bronx. It's a city that has had major issues with racial segregation in housing and in its public schools. Accordingly, its politics at the mayoral level has been dominated by Republicans--although the council is now under Democratic control.

Castro-Blanco is with the Wilson Elser law firm's White Plains office. He graduated from Brooklyn Law School ('91) and the State University of New York at Albany('88). And he's a member of both the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the Hispanic National Bar Association. He also Past President of the Puerto Rican Bar Association and of the Puerto Rican Bar Association Annual Scholarship Fund.

Castro-Blanco is a member of the Board of Directors of PALS and of the Yonkers Puerto Rican/Hispanic Day Parade Foundation.

Links:
James Castro-Blanco to Launch Campaign for Yonkers City Council President
James Castro-Blanco, Esq.
James F. Castro-Blanco
Yonkers Puerto Rican/Hispanic Parade
NY city of Yonkers announces layoffs

Denise Juneau: 1st American Indian Elected Statewide in Montana

Denise Juneau won her bid to become Montana's State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

A member of Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Tribes, Juneau is the first American Indian woman elected to statewide office in Montana, and only the third tribal member ever elected statewide.

Juneau defeated Republican Elaine Sollie Herman -- a candidate caught in a racial controversy for referring to her opponent as "a young Indian girl" in a plea for conservative support. Juneau won by a margin of 51% to 44%.

(See Juneau's political ad below.)

In addition to Juneau, INDN's List reports that 22 American Indians won elective office in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming.

Congratulations to Juneau and all of the winners on INDN's List.

Obama Loves McCain's Cheney Endorsement

Obama congratulates McCain on winning Cheney's endorsement.


Dick Cheney's "delighted to support John McCain."

Latinos for Obama

Latinos talk about why they're reaching out to their family and friends to do grassroots organizing for Obama.

John McCain and Tina Fey's Sarah Palin Address the SNL Nation

Obama's 30 Minute Ad: American Stories, American Solutions

With this groundbreaking half hour commercial, Barack Obama has proven again why he is the leader America needs. Beautifully produced. Honest about America's challenges. Hopeful about what a movement for change can produced for regular Americans. True political leadership.

SNL's Jesse Jackson on "The Bradley Effect"

Very funny.

El Diario La Prensa Endorses Barack Obama for President

En Español

Our country is perched on the edge of a cliff. We are staring down a growing economic crisis. Our soldiers are fighting two separate wars—in Iraq and Afghanistan—with no end in sight. Over the last eight years, families have been hit hard by stagnant wages, and the rising costs of everything from gasoline to food to health care. Today, there are more children living in poverty in this country than there were a decade ago. And on principles of fairness and humanity, we have gone backwards.

The arrogance and lies of the George W. Bush Administration drove us to war. The anti-government hysteria of the Republican-controlled Congress paved the way for the financial bust. The economy and the credibility of this nation have been deeply damaged.

Our next president must have the capacity, judgment and vision to restore confidence, both here and abroad. El Diario/La Prensa endorses Senator Barack Obama as the leader ready to redirect the United States of America towards its promise.

Senator Obama wisely opposed Bush’s misguided and immoral charge into Iraq. From Corona to Washington Heights, Latinos have suffered the devastating effects of this war. Senator Obama has pledged to bring the sons and daughters who are serving in Iraq back home by 2010.

Senator Obama has correctly identified that trickle-down economics are not addressing the inequities Americans face. As our economy continues to unravel, Latinos and African Americans are disproportionately affected by foreclosures. Senator Obama has proposed a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures so that some lenders and homeowners can renegotiate terms.

Other problems demand attention. Graduation rates in the United States lag behind that of most other wealthy nations. Senator Obama has committed to investing in schools and to making higher education more accessible.

The nation also needs a humane and sensible immigration policy. While Senator John McCain once appeared as a reasonable interlocutor on immigration reform, he gradually pandered to Republican ultra conservatives by promoting a two-step process emphasizing border enforcement. Senator Obama clearly outlines a far superior plan that will take a smarter approach to immigration, including bringing undocumented immigrants out of the shadows.

Two defining moments of this election cycle have been Senator Obama’s declaration that health care is a right and his speech in Philadelphia on race relations. With both, we saw a leader willing to respond to real-life problems and a visionary who can see beyond who we are now, to who we can become.

We were also impressed by Senator Obama’s advocacy for women. He defended a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body and he challenged McCain for blocking pay equity for women.

Senator McCain has sacrificed for this nation as a captured Navy pilot during the Vietnam War. But he remains far too close to Bush’s economic policies to lead a nation out of this economic hole. As the current financial crisis emerged, he argued that the fundamentals of the economy were strong, that we needed a commission to study the issue and pointed to a few greedy executives—not an unregulated market—as the problem. On Iraq and Afghanistan, he is far too wedded to a single tactic – the surge – to present a coherent vision of these damaging wars. He can’t see the forest for the trees. And sadly, McCain has run an angry and divisive campaign.

Our nation needs leadership that is strong, steady and focused on the common good. On November 4, cast your ballot for Senator Barack Obama.

Who Won the 3rd Obama McCain Debate? Obama

The third and final Obama-McCain Debate from Hofstra University is over and the world wants to know who won. Focus groups on CBS, CNN and FOX gave a big win to Obama. Additionally, snap polls at CBS and CNN found Obama the clear victor by a two-to-one margin.

My take is that Obama was steady, unflustered, and gave detailed responses to questions about his plans. McCain was more aggressive, emotional and presented a Republican program of more corporate tax cuts, free trade agreements and against a woman's right to choose. Obama was a bit cautious but relaxed; while McCain was overly anxious and a bit angry.

The big news--if that's what it can be called--is that McCain denied that he's George W. Bush (duhhh!!!!) and that he didn't care about an "old washed up terrorist"; and Obama dismissed the Ayers question as a McCain obsession and distraction.

Additionally, the intimate setting of the two men sitting at a table in front of a televised audience was not the forum forum for harsh partisan red meat. Obama was focused on calmly presenting his plans to undecided independents; while McCain came off as the prickly ideologue of the past appealing to his base.

The winner? Obama

Who Won the Obama-McCain Debate 2? Advantage Obama

The 2nd Obama-McCain debate is over -- and so is the race for president. Barring a direct meteor hit, Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States.

McCain needed a game changer and he didn't come close. Instead, he looked old, sounded cranky at times, and even looked infirmed. But more importantly, his grasp of the issues and his solutions were at best too general, and at worst, too much of the same.

McCain needed a knockdown but be barely landed a punch. It's no wonder that the Republican pundits on television are unhappy with McCain's performance. For example, Leslie Sanchez and Alex Castellanos were frustrated with McCain, complaining that the senator missed numerous opportunities to score points.

While the debate was as I expected, fairly genteel, and the candidates stayed largely within the talking points, McCain did offer two surprises. One is that he believes that Social Security benefits will have to be curtailed. Ouch!!! This seems like an especially tone-deaf proposal given the poor stewardship of his party and the resulting levels of insecurity.

The other McCain proposal, which would costs 100s of $billions just for teetering subprimers, is to have the government purchase all the bad mortgages and reissue new ones at the diminished value of the homes. And which agency would buy the loans? FannieMae and FreddieMac -- the agencies McCain and the rightwing has been railing about?

This mortgage purchase proposal (which, btw, is along the lines of my own alternative bailout plan) must have conservatives re-evaluating their support for "mavericky" McCain. But it also clashes with his point that it's Obama that's the big spender. His mortgage bailout idea, together with the cost of more wars, and his huge tax cut proposal for corporations and the rich, hugely dwarfs the costs of Obama's proposed investments (in energy innovation, health care and education).

Bottom line, Obama showed well; McCain, not so much. Verdict: Advantage Obama

Related Links:
Obama-McCain Round 2: Wingnuts Need a Knockdown

Shakira Hearts Obama

Latina recording artist Shakira endorsed Barack Obama this weekend as the best candidate for president.

The Grammy-winning pop artist and humanitarian believes that Obama is best prepared to lead United States -- a place of "profound importance to me".

"I feel in my heart that he would be able to reconstruct peace and confidence in the United States."

Shakira encourages all U.S. Latinos to vote in November.

Si, Se Puede!

Links:
Shakira - wikipedia
Shakira anuncia respaldo a Obama
Shakira Lauds Obama's 'True American Message'
Shakira
La Fundación Pies Descalzos (The Barefoot Foundation)

Who Won the 9/25 Presidential Debate? Obama

Video Clip of the Debate's Defining Exchange

Senator Barack Obama won this evening's first presidential debate at Ole Miss for these reasons:

- Obama more than held his own against a 26 year political veteran.
- Obama offered superior judgement in pursuit of national security interests.
- Obama was gracious, respectful and likable.
- Obama offered proposals that benefit middle Americans - tax cuts, smarter foreign policy, energy diversification, affordable college, etc.
- Obama looked and sounded like a commander-in-chief.
- Obama displayed a command of domestic and foreign policy.

In comparison, McCain was overly aggressive, condescending and repeatedly misrepresented Obama's positions. Additionally....

- McCain had surprisingly little to offer Americans on economics.
- McCain came off like an stubborn old man on the issue of the Iraq War.
- McCain was ungracious, condescending, and dismissive. He never looked at Obama.
- McCain became visibly angry when challenged.
- McCain repeatedly threw his political ally George W. Bush under the bus.
- McCain seemed too desperate, repeatedly pleading for support.

Latinos Favors Obama 3 to 1 in Key States

Latino voters favor Barrack Obama over John McCain by a 3-1 margin in the key battleground states of New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada. In Florida, Latino preference is split (and within the MOE) for McCain and Obama.

In short, Obama is crushing McCain --and outperforming Kerry '04--by significant percentages:

Colorado________O:69%_____M:24%
New Mexico_____O:70%_____M:21%
Nevada_________O:68%_____M:22%
Florida_________O:45%_____M:48%

The Latino Decisions poll was completed August 27, 2008 -- the week before the DNC's Denver Convention.

Latino Decisions is a joint effort of Pacific Market Research, Dr. Gary Segura, and Dr. Matt Barreto, both of whom are Senior Researchers at Latino Decisions and Professors at Stanford University and the University of Washington, respectively.

Barack Obama's Acceptance Speech: Thunder in the Rockies!

The political world shook tonight as Barack Obama accepted the Democratic Party's presidential nomination at Denver's Mile High Stadium. His magnificent speech--embued with undeniable strength, keen intelligence and awesome courage--capped a truly historic day and convention.

It was Barack's moment. It was America's victory.

This election should not even be close!

Obama in Hawai'i: The Aloha Spirit

In Hawai'i for a respite Barack Obama took time to tell islanders that what America needs in its politics is the Aloha Spirit - i.e., respect and kindness towards others. Amen, brother!