Another ‘first’ presidential debate

 

This will be very interesting, as debates go. The Democrats are holding a Spanish debate this evening, hosted by the University of Miami.

Democratic presidential candidates were meeting Sunday night for the first debate broadcast entirely in Spanish, the clearest sign yet of the growing influence of Hispanic voters.

Here’s how they’re going to do it:

The debate at the University of Miami will be broadcast by Univision, the nation’s fifth-most watched network. Anchors Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas will pose questions in Spanish and the candidates will wear earpieces to hear simultaneous translations into English. Similarly, their English answers will be translated into Spanish for the live, 90-minute broadcast. English-speaking viewers can watch using the closed caption service on their televisions.

Do candidates who speak Spanish have an unfair advantage this time? No….if they follow the rules. But politicians find ways to get around things like that. Especially when they’re expected to.

Two participants — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd — have objected to the format because they speak Spanish and want to address the viewing audience directly. Debate rules say all answers must be in English to level the contest, but it was unclear whether Mr. Richardson or Sen. Dodd would comply.

See. Unclear whether they would comply with the rules? That’s kind of like tacit persmission to break into Spanish on stage, isn’t it? Which would be hard to resist, since they are able.

Candidates in both parties are reaching out to Hispanic voters with an intensity that speaks to the importance of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing minority group in the campaign.

Expect a lot of immigration rhetoric. And remember that, to this point, Congress has done nothing about it.

Couple of thoughts here…

Mr. Richardson has a Mexican mother and has made overt appeals to Hispanic voters, including announcing his candidacy in English and Spanish. He has said he doesn’t think many Hispanics realize he is one of them.

He’s a Hispanic Catholic, a group traditionally devout in practicing their faith. Many faithful Catholics don’t realize he’s one of them because of his support for abortion. 

And…

Sen. Dodd, who served in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic, spoke in Spanish and English on Saturday in Coral Gables as he criticized U.S. policy toward Cuba.

I’m wondering how that message was received in Coral Gables, which is heavily Cuban American, a community that has traditionally strongly supported the tough policy toward Castro’s Cuba.

And by the way, Sen. Dodd is also a Catholic. And he supports abortion.

Okay, why isn’t there one pro-life Democrat running for president? Or even in Congress with a high profile?