Obama’s Spanish Tongue as a Political Tool
8:05 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Obama| Politics| language
6 Apr 2009
I caught heat for criticizing President Obama’s appearance on Premio Lo Nuestro. I proposed that Obama’s use of Spanish in a way that didn’t address any real issues was pandering. Others thought I missed the point completely since after all Premio lo Nuestro is a social/entertainment event not a political one.
I still would argue that Obama’s video injected politics into an event that usually just injected with lots of silicone. A new poll shows that I may not be alone.
Recently, President Obama has been speaking in Spanish and appearing on
Spanish-language networks. AOL Latino just conducted a poll in which a
majority (54%) voted that the move was a strategic/political move, while
34% voted that he¹s just getting closer to his electorate.
Ok so the source is AOL Latino, which indicates that the poll may not be the most scientific, pero interesting none the less.
What do you all think?
- Tags: latino vote, obama, spanish language media
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2 Responses to Obama’s Spanish Tongue as a Political Tool
Jennifer
April 6th, 2009 at 11:42 am
I think as long as he can back it up with telling us what his policies are on things that affect us – immigration, education, foreign policy (Cuba and Mexico), then yes, he can continue to try to speak in Spanish. Otherwise, appearances on Spanish language stations for entertainment shows should be avoided. He will not get close to Latinos by saying “gracias” y “amigo.”
I am with you on your first reaction, Maegan, to the appearance on Premio lo Nuestro. What did it really accomplish? With two wars, economy in the toilet, he might have done better doing an interview with Jorge.
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