It is not too late to register and turn out to vote … for our future.
Do you know who said “we’re not generating enough angry white men to stay in this business for the long term”? No, not Donald Trump, it was another candidate running for the GOP nomination, the senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, referring to his party and its base of support going into the next election.
After the 2012 elections, Republicans realized they cannot win without increasing their share of votes among minority communities in this country, especially Hispanic votes, but every day that passes is another day they attack the same constituencies they need.
This sentiment is best expressed by Donald Trump on his recent xenophobic remarks against Muslims. Trump presented his proposal to not let any Muslim into the country while we are at war with the ‘Islamic state’, a dangerous proposition, especially when it comes to our national security.
Another candidate, Ben Carson, also said that a Muslim could not be president, and Jeb Bush-referring to the refugee crisis in Syria said that we should only take refugees who are of Christian faith.
Have they no sense of history? What do they say of the suffering of the Jews during World War II in which institutionalized hatred killed 6 million people? It all started with this kind of rhetoric.
Republican candidates, knowing that they are running out of time and angry white men who make up their base, have come to embrace these extreme positions. They are looking to blame the problems of America and the world on anyone who does not look like them. And people like Trump seek nothing more than exploit the deepest fears of weary Americans, directing hatred towards innocent Muslims who have nothing to do with the war on terrorism.
Many of these Muslims demonized by Republicans are themselves victims of the terrorist group ‘Islamic state’, thus falling into the trap of terrorists. Members of the group seek to provide validity to their followers that their faith is under attack in the West and use this kind of rhetoric to inspire more massacres against us. We cannot fall into their traps and give them fodder for more propaganda. We must resist the temptation to give in to our fear and blame a global religion. We must stop the hate and xenophobia, and instead open our arms to our Muslim brothers and sisters.
Friends, remember that not too long ago, the Republican Party used the Latino community as a punching bag. They are now doing the same to our Muslims friends. The history of this country is long and we have not always shown the best of humanity But we can learn from those mistakes and not commit transgressions in future as only we can be architects of our own destiny.
In little more than two months, Iowa voters will caucus in the first contest of the presidential primary season. It is not too late to register and turn out to vote … for our future.
This article originally appeared in the Washington Hispanic
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