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Show VENCEREMOS FALL:DODO 7 lections OPINION big business banner. His “liberal” running mate Connecticut Senator Joe Leibermann has been critisized for being too conservative. He has supported school vouchers (a plan that Bush is promoting!) He was against certain forms of affirmative action, he supported a capital gains tax cut, and was in favor of privatizing social security. : Liebermman also reproached Clinton and Hollywood for lar belief. Bush does not support any English-Only initiatives. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney are still right of the center on many 1ssues. Bush-Cheney tends to look favorably on business interests. They are against affirmative gate. Look at the issues objectively and make an informed decision. Vote for the party and candidate whose vision best aligns itself with what you believe is best for the future. This November millions of U.S citizens will participate in what may be the most consequential elections in the last “an entire class of disenfranWhether it is Democrat, chised people. There are mil50 years. These elections will Republican, Libertarian, lions of undocumented workers set the tone concerning U.S Socialist, Anarchist, or Green, foreign and domestic policy for who cannot vote, who are not vote in correlation to your funaction (so was Lieberman until the new century. At stake is heard. We must vote to safedamental convictions his change of heart) and for guard their rights. All U.S. the U.S congress. New senaIf a woman's right to choose enforcing immigration laws citizens should vote not just tors and representatives will an abortion, gun control, sup(but so 1s Gore!) Both candibecause it is a civic duty, but rise and incumbents will fall. porting unions and affirmative dates are for free trade, which because we must demand that Dozens of state gubernatorial action is dear to you then you often times has an ill effect on and state congressional elec- government be responsible to their illicit excesses. Again, just as with Gore, he has developing countries, such as may want to vote Gore-Liebertions will be fought over as the people it serves. : Man. the ones south of the border. It is just as important not to reversed himself politically and well. If innovative educational The point is that both paris line with the liberal Democfall victim to party stereotypes. But no doubt the presidenreform, protecting the unborn, ties ad both candidates have ratic Party platform. It is utter ignorance to vote - tial elections will be the most tax relief, and privatizing multifarious and similar views. Many believe that the Green only across party lines. We important. The next president social security is on your agenMake no mistake, there are party focuses only on environmust look at the fundamental ll not only oversee nearly da, then you may want to look philosophical and mental issues, but in fact it important policies each candidate is proevery aspect of the U.S. govat Bush-Cheney. moting. We must vote accord- “supports many labor issues as ideological differences between ernment and economy, but Perhaps the two party systhe candidates. Each of their well. The Reform party may ing to our core values, what - could appoint several new tem has disgusted you and you ideas must be scrutinized carepay lip service to “reform”, but ever they may be, and support Supreme Court justices. This are looking for a different perfully. | ] closing borders and incarceratthe candidate that best reprevery well could tip the balance Democrats do not have a “spective. Maybe Ralph Nader's ing undocumented workers of the Supreme Court right or sents our personal convictions. radical approach to o monopoly on ethnic minorities We all know party stereo- does not sound very progresleft and could change many the environment and subjugatsuch as Latinos. No party does. sive. types,Right wing Republican previous court rulings. For big b ttract ing b i usiness is attractive. Latinos are a diverse soap of Republicans are thought to conservatives are against example, if George W. Bush Pat Buchanan may seem individuals who vote accor ing be anti minority, yet Gov. minorities and for the powerwins he could appoint a conappealing if you subscribe to to their values and needs. Some garnered nearly ca ful. Democrats are liberal left- Bush servative justice who may vote an ultra-conservative far right of those values may not be in cent of the Latino vote in Texas ists who support working peoto overturn Roe vs. Wade, agenda. ple. 1 wili ask everyone to and a substantial percentage of lime with the democratic agenmaking abortion illegal. As Analyze each argument, da. Many Cuban-Americans the African-American vote. challenge party stereotypes and - one can see, the outcome of catch phrase, economic packare conservative and vote conBush's school voucher plan election 2000 will have an truly look at the issues and the age, statistic, debate, political sistently Republican. has received praise from many impact on everything from the candidate's track record. pamphlet, and party platform Latinos comprise an minority groups because of the Lets look at Al gore. Asa economy to civil liberties. critically. Never accept any La part of the electorate potential of lifting minority democratic congressman from The question is, what is our statement from any politician could decide the outcome an children from suffering Tennessee Gore's track record role in the system? What is our at face value. Whether you schools. Minority scores 1n of the election in key states can be considered anything but responsibility? Our responsivote left, right, or center of the such as Florida and New York. bility is to participate 1n our liberal. He voted pro gun, pro Texas elementary schools have political spectrum 1t is a matEach candidate is courting risensas result of Bushs insis“life, pro tobácco. Now he has representative democracy. In Latinos, making dozens of ter of making an individual reversed himself and carries the - tence on educational accountother words, vote. Not just informed choice. The power is vote, but make an informed, pro-choice, gun control, anti- ability. And contrary to popu- - promises, in an effort to pull in our hands, not the party ahead. machinery. | Don,t succumb to political pandering, get out and investi- My HATSOFF TO THE PRESIDENTÍAL CANDIDATES by Roberto Rodriguez) One day Al Gore wears a 5-gallon sombrero and becomes a dancing charro, and just when I think Pl vote for him, George W. Bush trots out on stage in a mariachi suit. At the next convention, Gore wears a 10-gallon sombrero; then Bush does a photo-op with hi Taco Bell's Chihuahua. OK, so 'm hyperbolizing, but I crack up when I see both presidential candidates stumbling over each other to garner my vote. Apparently, they've been told that in 2000, mine's the vote that counts. “Si Chuy” (rough translation: “Right, Bucko”). The truth is, the presidential candidate who wants my vote will have to do more than shake his political maracas, eat a taco, or wear a tight mariachi suit and pose next to a stationary burro. For my vote, the candidate may actually have to sing atop a live burro and throw a mean “grito” (rough translation: a - primal scream). ; : : Seriously, to make an intelligent decision, I don't want to see Gore in political black or brown face or George W. Bush carrying on at conventions like one of his father's infamous “little brown ones.” The little brown ones, incidentally, were supposed to be President George Bush's grandsons, not his sons. But can we really blame Gore or Bush for the politics of condescension? Wasn'tit President Clinton who revealed a couple of years ago at an American Indian town hall meeting on race that one of his great-grandmothers was a Cherokee princess? It didn't start with Clinton either. Politicians have a long tradition of pandering. The only differ- ence nowadays, is that the political sombreros and their false promises have gotten much bigger and their ability to pander in e languages has expanded from being able to say “Viva” (rough translation: Yippee!) to actually being able to string together a few nonsensical sentences. : To get my vote, 1 want candidates “to speak my language” — not necessarily speak IN e aonnEse 1 Tt makes little difference to me if the candidates + address me in halting “Spanish or in fluent King's. English, if the message offends me. Actually, to be insulted in cartoonish Spanish because it reminds me that the only people who speak in that manner are Speedy Gonzalez, Dinky and “sinverguenzas” (rough translation: scoundrels, aka politicians). On the matter of speaking forthright, straight talk alone is not enough. No one talks straighter than Pat “I never met a wall or immigration fence 1 didn't like” Buchanan. He's honest all right, but who wants to vote for a candidate whose primary message 1s centered on demagoguery or scapegoating? 1 would rather vote for someone who tells me his or her uplifting vision of what the next four years will look like, Similarly, it's not Eee enough that ol' W. has a “Latino nephew” named George P. Bush. He's a nice, bright kid, but irrelevant to his uncle's politics. And it's also not good enough for Gore to el us that his grandfather personally invented tequila. Truthfully, lots of peo- a aign reform, not simply speak about it. That goes for politics as a whole. a Ralph Nader and his running mate, Winona LaDuke of the Green Party, are honest and do not pander, but integrity and honesty should be a requirement of all candidates. At a minimum, COPYRIGHT 2000 UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE : da pie are uneasy about votin or someone who is still MA politically wet behind the PY SA years— whose father was | ¡ne president just eight years 09E ago — añd whose only e claim to fame is overseeing Y more executions than any MA other governor in the coun- AA asNUIsSÍO aESPAÑOoL Y suecCOMAoO ENS try. Besides, I'm not even. sure he can spell the word *comato.. At. the e “sames time, lots of people are ff uncomfortable with a can- !) didate who is so closely linked with the president and, worse, who can't distinguish himself from the Texas governor on such crit- ical issues as the death penalty, defense spending and the global economy. Additionally, I want to vote for candidates who live ds 1005. 1 HISPANTOSOS, ANA e Y GONTRA El 10 like Nader, we should all clamor for candidates who don't need focus groups or committees to tell us where their moral or o center is ... or who they're going to choose or their vice presidential running mates. OK. So maybe I did get a little carried away. The truth is, the first candidate who dons a sombrefo and does a photo-op taking a siesta while leaning on a cacet my vote. Ifone of them actually eats a hot “tus wil chile, PlÍ get my closest 100 relatives to vote for him, ACOS.., SUE y TW educated decision after carefully reviewing 1ssues. For Latinos it is important to vote because we have the moral obligation to represent a MPATITTMAIATTM by Javier Chávez Make an Educate d Vote. TT Dont Fall for Party Stereo ypes, Empower Yours |