Four years ago, I wrote a post here urging everyone regardless of party affiliation or preference in candidate to get out and vote. To do your civic duty that comes along only once every 2 years and stand in line for a few hours if necessary and cast your vote for whom ever you preferred. It is what makes our democracy great. Today I sit here behind my keyboard looking at that post and thinking how I just couldnt write the same thing again. In that election, while I did not agree with the policies presented by Mitt Romney and I believe it would regress our country in regards to various issues, I did find comfort in knowing that at his core he was a good person that simply believed differently than I did. My conversations with republicans back then revolved around policies, and how x policy position was better than y. Where did that type of educated discussion go?
I have lived in the continental US for a total of about 8 years throughout my 38 years on this earth. I have met and spoken to people of various ideologies, religions, ethnicities, and nationalities. As all of you know I am Puerto Rican and therefore Latino. Born and raised in the island, but unlike a lot of Puerto Ricans I had access to above standard education as well as being able to travel to the continental US on various occasions on vacation or due to my fathers job. This allowed me to learn English in such a way that it truly became not just my second language but could be interchanged as my primary language. It gave me the ability to have no accent when I spoke English. Its a little thing, right? At least it should be? Well its not. On countless occasions just living my normal life here in the states I have encountered the stigma of being Latino in this country. You start a conversation at a bar, they dont know you are Latino so you talk it up for a while. Later, they ask you your name, and well you say it. Then theres this momentary pause, a subtle tilt in some peoples demeanor that you just see and feel. Some people just look at Latinos a tad bit differently. It gets worse if you are speaking Spanish at a restaurant, or at a public location and you get some weird looks from some people. Hell, Ive even had some drunken idiots ask me to stop speaking Spanish and speak American (is that even a language) because I am not in my banana republic. Maybe its because of the Puerto Rican migration to NY in the 50s, where it was lower income class workers that migrated over and didnt set the best impression forward of what Puerto Ricans are. But like I said, I am lucky. I had a great education and Caucasian complexion that has allowed me to conceal that Latino heritage to move my life forward as just another American, other Latinos are not so lucky. Other Latinos struggle with that stigma daily, just like most minorities in this country do. Even with that stigma we still believe in The American Dream, the dream that if you work hard and dream big good things happen. We keep our head down, and continue to fight the good fight to move our families and our futures forward.
A little over a year ago Mr. Trump descended from his palace in Trump Tower and decided to paint with a broad brush Mexican Americans as rapist, child molesters and drug dealers. What Mr. Trump was too stupid to realize was that he sent out a rallying cry to what is worst in America. He just mentioned Mexicans but what he has done is throw a blanket with that statement over all Latinos. I know because I am a Latino and I felt like he was attacking me just as much as he was attacking our Mexican brothers. Maybe at the end of the day it is a good thing, maybe this is what Latino Americans needed to wake up and take notice, to unify and make our voices heard in the ballot box. We are already seeing record turnout for Latinos in the early voting, and I am a firm believer that we will deliver FL to HRC.
Now look, I understand some of you have reservations about Hillary, some of you may even believe that she is a liar, a crook, another career politician, etc
I think you are 100% wrong on the first two but to each his own. However, is that enough of a reason to hand the reigns of this country over to a man who has no policies to speak of, demeans women, the handicapped, African Americans, Latinos, gold star parents, and anyone who doesnt agree with him? A man who believes in committing war crimes, a man that said regarding nuclear weapons If we have them, why can't we use them?. The list goes on and on. Seriously take a step back and simply think about this. Just give us this one and try again in 4 years. This is not the person you want to be your President. If this man is elected President we will need to explain to our children just how we let it happen. Do you think this guy is going to spend late nights going over policy briefs to better understand our nations problems? He boasts about not preparing for debates which are THE JOB INTERVIEW!!!!! We made the mistake of demonizing McCain and Romney to an extent (although Sarah Palin COME ON!!) and now we may have pushed the right to nominate exactly what we most feared. Dont elect a man simply because of the fear he has pushed on you. All his campaign has been focused on fear of immigrants, fear of Muslims, fear of everything. I have yet to see a single positive message come out of his campaign.
This country is built on being a melting pot of just not people but ideas. People of different backgrounds and in some cases cultures coming together under one flag to live their lives in prosperity and happiness. I am living my American Dream right now, and so are countless other Americans. Dont let our country get pushed back decades. We want marriage equality to stay, we believe that no one should intrude into a womans body and make decisions for her, we believe in Freedom of the Press, we believe in separation of powers, we believe that the office of the President shouldnt be used to punish the opposition, we believe above everything else that TRUTH should be above all else in this country. America is Great because we believe in these things. Dont let the politics of fear sway you from this belief.
To all my Republican friends out there, I am begging you dont drink his Kool-Aid, its not worth it. Take a mulligan and wait 4 more years and nominate a sane candidate and not one that is simply unfit for the highest office in this country. From your perspective Hillary at worst is 4 more years of Obama, so the world is not going to end. With Trump at worst (nuclear weapons) If we have them, why can't we use them?.