GOP shuns Hispanics at its peril.

It’s gotten cheap to say, but Sunday night it will be true: History will be made. For the first time ever, presidential candidates will take part in a nationally televised debate en español. That anyone would even entertain the idea is a sign of the growing political clout of Hispanics.

That would be significant enough for most historians. But the debate is also offering overwhelming evidence that the Republicans — with the notable exception of John McCain — are willing to squander a quarter-century of concerted GOP efforts to attract Hispanics. Ronald Reagan must be spinning in his grave.

Here’s what happened: The Spanish-language television network Univisión invited all the presidential candidates to go toe-to-toe in nationally televised partisan debates. The Democrats quickly accepted. The Republicans, except for McCain, declined. (I’d say refused, but the candidates are blaming scheduling conflicts — regardless, it seems, of what date the network offers.) Since McCain can’t very well appear alone and debate himself, the Republican debate originally scheduled for Sept. 16 is off.

Candidates don’t `get it’

The truth is, that helps cement the historic status of the event. Because where would history be without a juicy plot? The Republicans begging off was just a manifestation of the great national debate that quickly embroiled the Spanish-language debate. Conservative mouthpieces, and some of the candidates themselves, are questioning whether it’s even ”appropriate” for presidential contenders in this country to face off in a language other than English.

You’d expect that kind of thinking from someone clueless like Republican candidate Tom Tancredo, the Colorado representative whose feeble poll ratings prove he only represents an embittered, bigoted fringe. Or a Lou Dobbs, who’s using malignant extremism to boost his ratings.

But it didn’t stop there. CNN’s Rick Sanchez hyperventilated over the issue as he hosted a panel of conservatives and liberals gingerly bouncing the topic around, and scathing comments clogged websites posting stories about the debate.

OK, that’s the radical rim and media pot-stirring. But when all the GOP challengers except for McCain refuse to participate, it shows that they just don’t get it.

Reagan did. So did George W. Bush. Both saw Latinos as critical components of immediate Republican victories, and of long-term party dominance. Reagan saw that Hispanics shared his belief in family values, faith in God and that America is the greatest country. Latinos got Bush elected as governor of Texas, twice. And he built on that base when he took his campaign national.

Democrats recognize clout

Reagan and Bush’s strategies became a blueprint for their party.

Political strategist Lance Tarrance, who helped engineer the successful Republican strategy to wrest control of the South from the Democrats and turn it into a GOP stronghold, said as much at the annual gathering of the Republican National Committee back in 2000. ”For the last three decades,” he said, “we’ve had a Southern strategy. The next goal is to move to a Hispanic strategy for the next three decades.”

Now it looks like the Democrats are the ones heeding Tarrance. After watching the GOP steal away the Latinos who had generally been faithful Democratic loyalists, the Dems look like they’re recognizing how critical the Hispanic vote is.

Sheer numbers should mean something. Hispanics are the fastest growing group in the country. The census counts 41 million today, and more than 16 million of them are eligible voters, 18 or older. About 10 million are expected to vote in the next election. Hispanics are the new swing voters. And while issues are key for Latino voters, the current crop of Republican candidates are ignoring an important component of Bush’s Hispanic-winning strategy. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, and again: We like to be courted in the language we make love in, and that’s español.

By taking part in the Spanish-language debate, the Democrats are showing they recognize an opportunity to connect with us through language. Some inevitably will call it pandering. But reality is this is the new America, an America that is bilingual and bicultural. Bienvenidos.

Jose Cancela is Principal of Hispanic USA Inc, a full service Hispanic Market Communications firm. He has also authored his first book which was released March 13th “The Power of Business en Español, Seven Fundamental Keys to Unlocking the Potential of the Spanish Language Hispanic Market” Rayo / HarperCollins

http://www.hispanicusa.net>

jo**@hi*********.net