The reality that the normally dependable Hispanic voter is moving to the Right has the Left becoming increasingly unhinged.
There was a curious and revealing episode that took place outside the auditorium early Monday evening following the debate between Ron DeSantis and Charlie Crist. There were factions outside in support of each gubernatorial candidate, and when some chanting came from the backers of the governor an accusation was hurled out on social media. Details from Politico beat writer Marc Caputo have the Crist people claiming a racial slur was directed at his running mate, Karla Hernandez.
This is a completely ridiculous charge to make, for numerous reasons. To start, the chanting was the DeSantis crowd delivering his campaign slogan, “Keep Florida Free.” Even more laughable, the accusation is that the DeSantis people were acting in a racist manner towards Crist’s Hispanic running mate. This would be a curious reaction from the group supporting the man who is backed by Florida’s first female Hispanic Lieutenant Governor, Jeanette Nunez.
But the desperate face-saving deflection attempt on Monday, following Crist getting thoroughly trampled during the debate, touches on a broader issue taking place in the state that is reflective of a broader issue in the nation. The automatic move to hurl charges of racism over a Latina candidate is a sign of the desperation Democrats are exhibiting with growing frequency as their party is losing the grip on the Hispanic voter it has enjoyed for generations.
Here in Florida, we have watched with each election as the move to the right with Hispanics has taken steps, and with the approaching midterms, it could possibly become a leap. Nationwide polls are showing that the default Democrat support is no longer, with close to two-thirds of Hispanics disapproving of President Jose Biden. In Florida, there is more concerning evidence.
Ron DeSantis is not only showing a comfortable lead in the race, but the internal numbers are also glaring. DeSantis may actually earn the majority of Latino votes in the coming election, as currently, his approval with that group is over 50 percent. Probably a more revealing number that has the left and the media perplexed concerns his most controversial topic involving this demographic – the immigrant flight to Martha’s Vineyard.
Amid all the controversy, Florida Hispanics side with the governor on the Martha’s Vineyard flight, with 50% in favor and 43% opposed to the relocation, according to the poll. Independents joined Republicans in lending majority support to the governor on the issue while Democrats were opposed.
We can almost hear the collective jaws hitting the floor, as this was regarded as the one issue that could be used to get Hispanics to turn against the political powerhouse that is DeSantis. But it is a result that is self-created by the Democrats — and one they are actually making worse for themselves.
The move by the Hispanic voter began years back. Numbers for the GOP were surprisingly high for Donald Trump in 2016. In 2018, we saw increased percentages in Florida voting Republican, as incumbent Bill Nelson lost his seat to Governor Rick Scott, mostly a result of not pulling enough support in his home area around Orlando, a heavily Puerto Rican enclave that swelled with an influx of hurricane transplants.
In the 2020 national election, Trump took Florida for a second time, as Biden and the Democrats languished in the state with disorganized field efforts and a message that addressed Hispanics as a solitary entity and not a collection of diverse cultures. Trump nearly matched Biden in the heavily Hispanic Miami-Dade County. The GOP, meanwhile, looked at the independent influences of the people. Marco Rubio is connected with the Cuban Americans, Rick Scott had worked ardently with Puerto Rico in hurricane relief efforts, and President Trump was a backer of the Venezuelan people’s effort to oppose its socialist regime.
The Democrats continuously condescend towards the Hispanic voter. With each election result showing more departures to the GOP side met with dismissive explanations. The shifting tide has been blamed on Qanon infiltrating Spanish radio stations. (As if the disorganized group had that kind of pull, before dissolving at the end of 2020.) “Right-wing misinformation” is another demon said to be corrupting the minds of Latinos.
The latest excuse is a personal favorite: The reason for this shift in Hispanic voting is due to – are you ready? – the growth of white supremacy. See, if Hispanic voters are moving to the side of Republicans, then the only natural explanation can be racism. But…but…how can Hispanics be guilty of white racism?! That is only a question that can be asked if you are operating with a mind clouded by racism, you see.
The proper-thinking elites have figured out that Hispanics can be guilty of racism themselves, conveniently blamed on white supremacy. The claim is that this is a result of “multiracial white supremacy.” Yes, seriously. This way, the racism is both explained and the individual is explained away at the same time. This has even been touted at one time by — none other than Charlie Crist’s running mate, Karla Hernandez herself.
We just saw this take place with Nury Martinez, the Hispanic Los Angeles Commissioner caught on tape using hateful racist comments. The way it works – allegedly – is that Latinos have an inherent tendency towards racism due to the colonialism that saw the arriving Spaniards mistreating and abusing the indigenous people in Central America and the Caribbean. This debasement of others is steeped in the culture, we are told, and it explains why minority examples of racism exist. Now, because of this heritage poisoning of the culture, examples of racism are blamed on whiteness.
This is a convenient dodge, after years of being told only whites can be racist. This way, the inexplicable examples are said to be white supremacy, and it clears the rest of the race. Of course, this does not explain how not all but only some Hispanics are affected by this birthright curse. Somehow only the high-minded Latinos who vote Democratic are cleared of this generational scourge. Once they vote Republican, however, then the supremacy has become evident, goes the argument.
All of this comes down to regarding Hispanic voters as a very weak-minded set of people. If they stray from the accepted political support and think for themselves, suddenly they are easily influenced individuals prone to be swayed by QAnon conspiracies, nefarious media types who dupe them with lies, or they give in to base racist instincts. Any Latino who thinks “incorrectly” is not in their right mind.
This message is being heard by these voters, and it is not delivering the response the Democrats want. Telling people who disagree that they are being stupid is not the way to sway minds, but that appears to be the driving message of the Democrats and the media. They are left with the pretzel logic that as more minorities look to the Republicans, those on the left resort to claiming that makes for more racists, all while the allegedly all-white Republican Party becomes more diverse. And larger.