“Latinx people think they are white.” I lamented Liberal commentator trying to explain November’s election. Of course he was wrong, but he missed the truth just a little. Latinos consider themselves Americans.
Democrats are having a hard time accounting for this year’s “Latino vote.” Because it doesn’t exist. Most came to this country poor, uneducated, and spoke Spanish. And over generations, they became ordinary Americans in every sense of the word.
More than 65 million Hispanics live in the United States, representing 19% of the population, and the vast majority were born here, according to the Census Bureau. They are not visitors or transients, they are our neighbors, colleagues, and fellow Americans.
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The stereotype that Latinos = Mexican berry pickers is laughably outdated. Latin-owned business ownership has exploded, increasing by 40% in recent years, the highest growth rate in 30 years. Median household income for U.S.-born Latinos will reach $62,000 in 2021, marking remarkable progress from where their parents started.
They run businesses, lead corporations, and shape American culture. Many of them are educated, middle-class professionals from countries like Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil who have fled bad economic policies rather than persecution.
But the left seems to be stuck in a time warp, treating Latinos as if they are still newly arrived immigrants in need of government protection from racist gringos. They seem genuinely shocked that Hispanics don’t automatically check the “D” box on their ballots, and are dumbfounded that nearly half of the country’s Latinos voted for Trump. It is said that
Here’s what the political panderers don’t understand: When you work hard and build a life in America, you tend to believe in American values.
This should come as no surprise to anyone who understands basic human nature. People who have achieved success through free markets usually want to protect that opportunity, not destroy it. If you think about it, when was the last time you saw Latinos burning down their neighborhoods in protest of racist cops?
Like any large group, they face challenges. If you look at most economic statistics, you’ll find that we lag behind the national average. But their upward mobility is strong and consistent, with each generation doing better than the previous, like every other immigrant group in American history.
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We’ve heard a lot about immigrants entering the United States illegally, and it seems likely that the government will soon start taking this issue seriously. It should come as no surprise to anyone that allowing unrestricted numbers of anonymous people to flood across borders causes major problems.
But that’s a different story than the tens of millions of Latinos who are already here, building businesses, raising families, and living the American dream. They are as fully integrated into American society as Italians, Irish, or any other group that came here.
The political class needs to wake up to this reality. Treating Latinos as a monolithic voting bloc makes sense given that most are recent immigrants who face similar challenges. But what about today? They have diverse opinions just like other Americans.
Some conservative Catholics are concerned about traditional values. Some progressive urbanites are focused on climate change. Many small business owners are concerned about taxes and regulations. And yes, some people support expanding government services.
In other words, they are ordinary Americans. The only people who don’t seem to understand this are politicians and pundits who are still stuck in the 1980s.
Ken LaCorte writes about censorship, media malpractice, uncomfortable questions, and honest insights for people who want to know how the world really works. Follow Ken on Substack
Syndicated with permission From Ken LaCorte.
