We must mobilize the Latino Vote

 By Armando García

Editor and Founder of Nuestra América Magazine

As we move forward in this country with the primary elections to decide who will be the contenders in the November elections, expectations are heating up, primarily within the Democratic Party, since the Republicans, have their main candidate, President Donald J Trump

On the part of the Democratic Party, the results of Iowa and New Hampshire, voters have clearly stated that they no longer want the same in Washington and prefer, whether a young and new face, such as Mayor Pete Buttigieg or, an experienced candidate like Bernie Sanders, with new ideas on how to govern for the benefit of minorities, women, working class families and Medicare for all, including access to free education across the board.

Former Vice President Joe Biden was surprised that he didn't come out as the favorite in Iowa, saying he received a ‘punch on the gut’. But it was not only in Iowa, in New Hampshire so far, he does not pass a third place during the campaign, having  Sanders ahead and Buttigieg in second place.

If Sanders does well in the rest of the Caucasus and the primaries, including Super Tuesday in March, and his nomination is “stolen” for a Biden or someone else, it will be time to talk about a true and visible fraud election by the Democratic Party, influenced by the Obamas or the Clintons, to nominate a viable contender, other than Sanders, to face Trump in November.

Bernie Sanders on national television said he does not think at this time that the Democratic Party intends to harm him to affect his nomination. But it must be recognized that Sanders is a candidate who has troops of volunteers to go after voters on the streets and in homes with the aim of beating Trump. He has a movement that was organized for the 2016 presidential election and it has developed further until now.

For his part, Buttigieg acknowledges that he does not come from a place in the country that has a national electoral presence, but he has been able to organize a movement that has taken him to Iowa and New Hampshire. He said he knows that he is not an Obama or a Biden, but he insists that everyone should work together to beat Trump.

Tom Pérez, president of the Democratic Party, spoke to the media the stumble in Iowa, blaming to a system crash, for not having given immediate results of the vote of delegates and citizens. He said he recognizes the problem; but to solve it, state legislatures must pass so that caucuses are no longer held but go directly to primary elections in each state.

If the trend continues to give preference to Sanders, and the Democratic Party nominates another of the contestants, I believe that none of them has the possibility of beating a President that is an egotist, cheater, vengeful and racist, who does everything in his power to be reelected. Trump is a powerful manipulator of the public opinion, as well as to his  imperialist oligarch friends and even his supporters in Congress and the Electoral College, who ultimately decides who will be the next president of the United States.

If the popular vote does not choose Trump as president, and the Electoral College declares him victorious to keep his seat in the White House, and later it is discovered that there was meddling  by a foreign State, the American people, even if it is too late, will know who is ruling the country, who are the legislators, who are behind the political parties and will be until then that arouses fervor for a total change in the USA.

Social networks in this country and in others, are already beginning to compare the fall of the electoral system in Iowa with countries like Mexico, Bolivia, and others where there has been a long history of electoral fraud. If Sanders is not nominated for the second time by the Democratic Party, we must remember that Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador had the same fate before being elected president of the Aztec country. The last example is Bolivia, Evo Morales won the elections last October and his government ended in a coup d'etat.

We have very few months to register new citizens and campaign against Trump. Latinos or Hispanics, US citizens, we must go beyond the  demagogue slogan, "your vote is your voice", to really fight abstentionism, break down the barriers that divide us, and move forward, with a unique force to get the vote out of those who are apathetic, as well as of the activists in order to make our existence presence in this country.