The Latino Wave: How Hispanics Will Elect the Next American President - Hardcover

Ramos, Jorge

3.91

70 ratings by Goodreads

9780060572013: The Latino Wave: How Hispanics Will Elect the Next American President

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060572019 ISBN 13: 9780060572013

Publisher: Rayo, 2004

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

With a population of 40 million and growing, the United States witnessed Latinos becoming the largest minority in America in 2003—creating a voting bloc with the potential to determine the outcome of elections throughout the nation.

In The Latino Wave, award-winning journalist Jorge Ramos argues that the political party that can correctly understand the wants and needs of Hispanics will triumph at the polls. Ramos deftly clarifies these points, among many others, and explains why it's necessary to bridge the gap of misunderstanding that exists between Latinos and non-Latinos.

With insight from the nation's Latino political luminaries and interviews with Hispanics living across the United States, Ramos reveals who these New Americans really are—and what it means for the country.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

Most political observers agree that the Latino vote will be even more crucial in the future elections than it was in George W. Bush's victory in 2000. Latinos are an expanding group of voters and account for a high percentage of the electorate in swing states like Arizona, New Mexico, and Florida. And while the lion's share of the Latino vote has gone to Democratic candidates, who favor social programs and economic policies beneficial to working class people, Republicans are making inroads by playing on socially conservative themes in regard to abortion and gay rights. In The Latino Wave, Jorge Ramos offers insight into the political state of the Latino population while also pointing out how underserved Latino causes have been in the United States as well as how underrepresented Latinos are in terms of elected officials. Although the raw data make Ramos' basic thesis of burgeoning Latino voting power inarguable, his case is often undercut by clunky and obtuse analysis. Ramos ably dissects the special attention Bush paid to courting the Latino vote with the aid of talented advisors and a willingness to speak Spanish in a meaningful way but then theorizes, without much foundation, that Gore could have won Florida (and thus the election) had he only spent more money on Spanish language television in Miami. And while pointing out the tremendous size of the Latino population, Ramos makes sweeping generalities ("We enjoy 'fitting in' and following the same path as others") that serve to oversimplify. Political criticisms of former California Governor Pete Wilson, a Colorado congressman's attempts to deport an immigrant family, and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez are interesting but contribute little to the promise of the book's title. History will prove Ramos right about the growing power of Latino voters but a more specific analysis of this trend would be welcome. --John Moe

About the Author:

Jorge Ramos has won eight Emmy Awards and the Maria Moors Cabot Award for excellence in journalism. He has been the anchorman for Univision News for the last twenty-one years and has appeared on NBC's Today, CNN's Talk Back Live, ABC's Nightline, CBS's Early Show, and Fox News's The O'Reilly Factor, among others. He is the bestselling author of No Borders: A Journalist's Search for Home and Dying to Cross. He lives in Florida.

Jorge Ramos ha sido el conductor de Noticiero Univision desde 1986. Ha ganado siete premios Emmy y el premio Maria Moors Cabot por excelencia en perio dismo otorgado por la Universidad de Columbia. Adem�s ha sido invitado a varios de los m�s importantes programas de televisi�n como Nightline de ABC, Today Show de NBC, Larry King Live de CNN, The O'Reilly Factor de FOX News y Charlie Rose de PBS, entre otros. Es el autor bestseller de Atravesando Fronteras, La Ola Latina, La Otra Cara de Am�rica, Lo Que Vi y Morir en el Intento. Actualmente vive en Miami.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.