Dems' bilingual debate 'a historic moment'
In the first TV debate of its kind, questions and answers will be translated as Democratic candidates face off on Univisión.What a low pandering stunt.
In an acknowledgment of the explosive growth of Hispanic voters -- more than 16 million will be eligible to cast ballots in next year's election -- all the declared contenders for the Democratic nomination are joining in a debate sponsored by and televised on the Spanish-language network Univisión.
The candidates won't actually be speaking Spanish, a language most of them don't understand. Instead, questions and answers will be simultaneously translated.
So are they saying that Hispanic voters don't know English?
The reason there aren't other foreign language debates is because everyone else who came here did so to become an American and learned English.
Anyone who can't understand English is not an American, and shouldn't be voting.
Dennis Kucinich, however, is from another planet, declaring at the debate:
Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich said he would make Spanish a second national language, but no leading candidate was willing to go that far.Only McCain of the Republicans agreed to a similar Univision offer of a Spanish debate. These Democrats are playing with fire.
That the Democrats participated in the Spanish-language debate is the clearest sign yet of the growing influence of Hispanic voters. The candidates are reaching out to Hispanics with an intensity that speaks to the importance of the nation's largest and fastest-growing minority group in the campaign.Fastest-growing? I thought the muslims claimed that! Anyway, the security fence should help reduce the speed of that growth to assimilatible levels.
US English should be supported in its efforts to make English the official national language. Their take:
U.S. English, Inc. Chairman Criticizes Spanish Language Presidential DebatesGet involved!
Statement by Mauro E. Mujica
U.S. English, Inc. Chairman Mauro E. Mujica today blasted Univision's plans to conduct presidential debates in Spanish next month. The debates, scheduled for Sept. 9th and 16th, 2007 in Miami, will feature questions and answers in Spanish. Translations in English will be provided for candidates who do not speak Spanish.
"In a land of many languages, but united by English, there is no place for debates in specific foreign languages. The 2008 election is about electing the next President of the United States, not the linguistically divided states.
"While candidates may choose to use foreign languages in select private forums, the limited number of public debates dictates that they be conducted in English so that 95 percent of the population can understand them. By pandering to specific immigrant groups, we are continuing a divisive national trend, asking government and government officials to learn the language of immigrants rather than asking immigrants to learn the language of our country.
"Informed political participation is based on the knowledge of the entire candidate, not a select glimpse of morsels offered in the native language. How is it that the Miss Universe pageant can be conducted in English, but U.S. Presidential election involves Spanish language debates?"
U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English, Inc. (www.usenglish.org) now has more than 1.8 million members.
