Ever since Barack Obama took office Latinos have been pounding on his door. It seems to me that President Obama could hear them, after all they have been vocal enough. The problem was, the general feeling of dislike for Latinos by the majority. Keep in mind, the President is the President of the United States, not of just the Latino community, the gay community, the African community or of women. However, it sure seems like the groups I just mentioned were much more valued than the Latinos.

I suppose that if you’ve been depreciating something for years, it simply loses it’s value. If you bought a brand new car and over the years you allowed people to walk by and hit it with a bat, plug some buckshot into it, broke the windows and keyed it, and on top of that, from the day you bought it, you claimed it was a gas hog that cost you dearly, that it was draining your budget, it was inefficient, it smelled, it looked ugly and you just couldn’t stand it’s color, it would surely depreciate. It just wouldn’t have the value that other same model cars of a different color might have, now would it?

The same is the case with Latinos throughout the United States. Especially immigrants! After years of beating them up, defaming them, frowning at the color of their skin, calling them disease carriers, lazy, job thieves and leeches, to name a few, the Latino has been devalued.

This is akin to the 1700′s, when slave owners wanted to count their slaves in order to broaden their representation in congress. The more populous the state, the more representation in congress. They found themselves with a dilemma. These were slaves! Their white slave owners didn’t treat them or consider them to be a man. They were simply sub human beings, that if rated at all, would rate on the lowest rung of the social ladder. They were used to create profit for the wealthy white plantation owners.

I suppose I’m starting to sound a bit militant, using words like white masters and black slaves and stirring up the ugly history we all want to forget. I’m simply trying to put into perspective the reasoning behind the desire to determine the value of a “sub human.” Well, after a knock down drag out fight, congress, in order to appease the wealthy white slave owners, decided to value these slaves as 3/5 of a man, changing the dynamics of the representation these slave owners received, and allowing them to further profit financially from their black skinned property.

Fast forward to modern times and examine the much depended on immigrant labor and what many of us call the modernized slave labor force that responds in a very similar way to their white employers.

In 2010 the U.S. Census was heavily banked on by local, state and federal government entities. The census is a decennial financial windfall for state and local governments.

An astounding $340 million dollars was spent to promote the U.S. Census in 2010. Everyone tried to get a piece of the pie. The local radio and television stations were littered with ads promoting the census. More importantly, and related to this article, the Spanish language media was all over it. The ads targeting Latinos, and specifically undocumented Latinos, were trust specific. They assured the Spanish language viewer or listener that their information would be kept completely private and confidential. The modern undocumented immigrant who they were targeting and enticing to participate, has traditionally had zero trust in a local and federal government that has been part and parcel to their exploitation as this country’s labor force.

The Census Bureau used truckloads of propaganda material, like trinkets, placards, backpacks, handbags, etc., all with the U.S. Census prominently displayed. The material was given away at stores frequented by Latinos and immigrants. People love giveaways, and immigrants are not an exception.

I would venture to say that very few of these immigrants were aware of the U.S. Census’ betrayal of trust during the 1940′s census campaign involving the Japanese Americans, who by virtue of their participation were rounded up and thrown in concentration camps after the Census Bureau gave specific information as to their addresses and ethnicity to the Secret Service. Had they known this, I imagine, the census, to these modern day Spanish speaking immigrants, would have been akin to being willing participants in their own deportation process.

The hype to participate in the census reached a crescendo as the anti-immigrant crowd argued that the census should not taken into consideration “illegals” who had no right to be here. On the other hand, the pro-immigrant groups for the most part, pushed for an absolute enumeration of the undocumented community, arguing that they wanted that representation in congress, new congressional districts, and the federal funds that would be distributed upon determining the amount of immigrants, mostly Latinos that are hiding in the shadows.

The undocumented immigrant community was railroaded by their own “advocates.” They were told that their children would have better schools to attend with the money that would be given to their communities, that they would have better roads to drive on, and that they would have a better infrastructure with the additional funds. Very few of us opposed these snake oil salesmen who profited from the census as they sold the immigrant community an elixir that would not only, not work, but they wouldn’t even get a chance to sip, in most cases.

What they didn’t tell the undocumented Immigrants is that since they don’t have a drivers license, and because they run a risk in just driving on the roads, they would not benefit from better roads. Those roads could very well lead to their deportation after being stopped and asked for their papers. Not only that, if deported, their children in all likelihood would have to join them in their native country, and they certainly would not enjoy that better education they were promised. The only benefit that was received, was for the politicians and the pseudo Latino activists and pseudo Latino leaders that sought additional congressional districts and funding to be distributed on their pork barrel projects which in most cases would not even get to the average Joe, let alone the undocumented Immigrant.

I think you would agree that the 2010 U.S. Census was very much like what occurred in 1787 with the three fifths compromise. What everyone considered and considers to be an unwanted sector of the general populous is used for political and financial gain.

Enter SB1070 in the same year as the census, and you not only had an outright hatred for the “illegal” a term coined by the racist, Tea Party members and Nationalists. You had a desire to violate the rights of those who looked like they might be an “illegal.” The concept behind SB1070 was to put a band aid on a border issue by pursuing those that might appear to fit the “look” of an “illegal border crosser.” Just about every one of the state house members that voted to pass SB1070 stood up and said they didn’t think it would resolve the border issue, but, it was a start.

With SB1070 under scrutiny by the District Court of Arizona and eventually the U.S. Supreme Court, Latinos were depreciated more and more. I remember having a chat with more than one Tea Party activist that said they had no problem with people being stopped based on what they looked like, if they fit the bill. They explained it by saying, “if you aren’t here illegally, then you got nothing to worry about.” One fair haired blue eyed gentleman in his fifties said, “well, if you’re looking for oranges, you go to the orange orchard, not the apple orchard.” To me it was obvious, the violation of a U.S. Citizen’s rights by and through racial profiling was A okay with supporters of SB1070, further depreciating the Latino, documented or not.

By the time 2012 rolled around, the Republican debates were littered with attacks on Latinos, U.S. born children of undocumented parents offensively called anchor babies, and the “Dreamers”, kids brought at a young age by parents who arrived seeking to fill those jobs most of us wouldn’t dare work.

As soon as the Republican primary ended, the prevailing candidate Mitt Romney, did an about face. After taking a look at his dismal standing with the Latino community, he began floating the idea of a Dream Act. He partnered with a “Latino” and banked on Latinos having short memory syndrome. The problem with his strategy is that Marco Rubio son of a Cuban Immigrant doesn’t completely qualify as a Latino in the eyes of many Latinos. You see a Cuban and a Puerto Rican would never be in the dilemma that a Mexican, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Honduran etc. would be in. The wet feet, dry feet policy that the U.S. has for Cubans provides for a fast track to permanent residency and U.S. Citizenship. So as Romney struggled to sell Rubio as a Latino, and Rubio struggled to sell his fictitious Dream Act, President Barack Obama made his move.

President Obama granted a reprieve for kids who had been brought to this country by their parents at a very young age. By and through an executive order Obama made it clear, these kids would not be subject to deportation. Almost one year to the date from his change in prosecutorial discretion by and through a memorandum issued by Immigration & Customs Enforcement director John Morton, Obama lowered the boom on the Republicans.

The race was on! The Latino vote was the most desired vote. It was the game changer. All of a sudden that same sector of the community that had been devalued, kicked around, called names, and frowned upon, was a high value pawn in the political game. Without a large percentage of the Latino vote, a candidate can’t win the presidency of the United States.

Ten days later the Supreme Court rules the majority of SB1070 unconstitutional and allows the show me your papers portion to take effect. Once again, Obama comes to the rescue of the Latino and the undocumented immigrants which form an integral part of our Latino communities. Obama strips Arizona law enforcement agencies of their 287g certification rendering them helpless in trying to verify the legal status of a person who may fit the “look” of an “illegal immigrant.” Not only does Obama strip law enforcement of their 287g, he goes one step further in ordering that those determined to be unlawful Immigrants will not be picked up unless they have committed a felony. Essentially granting your average undocumented immigrant that is not a felonious criminal freedom to continue washing your cars, cleaning your houses and mowing your lawns.

So while my colleagues, the Immigrant activists complain about President Obama, it appears, it’s Obama that has done the most for Latinos and the undocumented community.

Although I don’t think our value as Latinos will bounce back overnight, I think this is certainly a start to making us whole again.

However, nothing will take away the pain that we have endured, the dirty looks, the filthy names, the inferior treatment for us and our children. As a child bussed to all white schools as part of the desegregation of America, I have been enduring this pain and abuse for many years.

A word to the wise, we Latinos don’t suffer from short memory syndrome, but as good Americans we are willing to forgive, and when we become the majority, I promise you, we will not treat you, the way you have treated us.

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen in Arizona. Carlos Galindo is President and founder of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

The Supreme Court has decided on SB1070 and it appears that little by little the most aggressive anti-immigrant legislation created in U.S. history is being dismantled. It was born in a laboratory called Arizona and was carefully nurtured in a bright white petri dish branded with the ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) logo and bought and paid for by the giant private prison industry.

The masterful art of taking the fear of others who don’t look like you, who talk different than you, perhaps maintain different customs, coupled with the outright racism of others, the ardent desire to preserve the white race by yet others, and profiting from that fear by cashing it into votes and laws is impressive. The concept is basic, yet Machiavellian and diabolical. You scare the hell out of the voters with fictitious talk of decapitated bodies in the Arizona desert and an alleged invasion of this country using key elected officials like Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona and ex Arizona state senate president Russell Pearce, and you end up with a terrified voter willing to cast their vote over and over for those who they think will protect them from this “invasion.” But why would these politicians be so hell bent on using the immigrant as their whipping post? Simple, they love the title and the power that comes from holding an elected position. Senator X, Legislator Y, the Honorable Z, etc. It commands respect and grants you unbelievable power, and we all know what happens when you allow power to swell your head. As Lord Acton put it, “Power corrupts, and absolute power, corrupts absolutely.”

That’s exactly what’s happened to Arizona’s politicians. The whole lot of them! After all, most of those politicians supportive of SB1070 took money from the private prison industry.

There is big business at play here. What we’re looking at is a multi-billion dollar business that is simply not going to go away. These private prisons are here to stay. It falls right in line with the privatization of our education system and our health care system. Perhaps even the social security system at the rate the Republican controlled congress is headed.

To give you an idea of the impact the private prison industry has had on the political landscape, I’ve taken a section from an AZ Central article that thoroughly explains it.

Political footprint

The nation’s largest and oldest corrections company, CCA runs more than 60 prisons and immigrant-detention centers across 19 states and the District of Columbia. It has by far the largest political footprint of the dozen or so companies that operate private prisons in the U.S.

CCA has spent about $17.6 million lobbying Congress and federal agencies over the past decade, according to records compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan organization that tracks the effect of money on U.S. politics. The agencies include the Department of Homeland Security and its Immigration and Customs Enforcement division, which contract with private operators such as CCA for immigration-detention centers.

Thirty of CCA’s 35 lobbyists on Capitol Hill previously worked for members of Congress or for federal agencies. Two CCA senior executives are former directors of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, including Harley Lappin, whom CCA hired in June as chief corrections officer a week after his retirement from the bureau. CCA is a major bureau contractor. Another CCA vice president, Bart VerHulst, previously worked as chief of staff for then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee.

Since 2000, the company has won $3.84 billion in federal contracts, including just under $546 million for federal contracts in Arizona, according to government records. CCA’s six prisons in Arizona hold inmates from other states, federal prisoners and immigration detainees. Its bid calls for moving out prisoners from Hawaii and California at its existing Red Rock and La Palma prisons in Eloy and moving in Arizona prisoners.

CCA lobbies heavily on the state level, employing 178 lobbyists in 32 states over the past eight years, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics, a nonpartisan group that gathers lobbying and campaign-finance data.

In Arizona, the company has cultivated high-level connections. Former U.S. Sen. Dennis DeConcini sits on CCA’s board of directors. Perhaps the highest profile among CCA’s 22 registered lobbyists in Arizona belongs to Chuck Coughlin, president of HighGround Public Affairs Consultants and a senior political adviser to Gov. Jan Brewer. Besides CCA, HighGround’s 23 lobbying clients include Maricopa County and Salt River Project.

Coughlin served as chairman of Brewer’s transition team when she took office in 2009 and as her campaign manager in 2010. He also has managed election campaigns for Senate President Russell Pearce.

Other heavy hitters with ties to CCA include Paul Senseman, a lobbyist with Policy Development Group, who served until last fall as Brewer’s spokesman and whose wife, Kathryn Senseman, lobbied for that group while he worked for Brewer; and Bradley Regens, who joined CCA in 2007 after nine years as an Arizona legislative staffer, including two years as director of fiscal policy for the state House of Representatives.

Brewer has advocated for privatizing Arizona prisons. But even other privatization supporters say her CCA connections raise red flags.

“I’ve questioned Brewer’s choice of staff in the past for the same reason; she has a lot of contract lobbyists, and I have a problem with that,” said Sen. Ron Gould, R-Lake Havasu City. “At the very least it gives the public the appearance that these companies have too much influence, and you have to wonder what’s going on when they leave Brewer’s office and go right back into lobbying.”

Brewer’s office did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Since 2003, CCA employees and affiliates have given nearly $2 million in campaign contributions to state-level candidates and ballot issues across the U.S.

In Arizona, CCA associates and its political-action committee have reported giving about $35,000 in political donations over the past decade to Brewer, Pearce, former House Speaker Kirk Adams, House Speaker Andy Tobin and many others. A big chunk of that, $11,520, was given for last year’s election campaigns.

Arizona lobbying firms that represent CCA made about $35,000 in political contributions in the 2010 election cycle. Whatever influence contributions may bring, they are wielded on behalf of many clients.

Given the recent Supreme Court decision on SB1070, President Obama’s executive order regarding the Dreamers, The fact that ICE pulled the 287g certification from 7 law enforcement agencies, including the one previously granted to the Department of Public Safety, and to add insult to injury, ICE made it very clear that they would not pickup anyone suspected of being in the country unlawfully unless they had committed a felony.

It’s obvious that the private prison industry is being dealt a serious financial blow. The less undocumented immigrants captured and detained in CCA’s prisons, means a smaller invoice that can be tendered to the Feds for incarceration of individuals who the states feel is the Feds responsibility. This is shocking to me given the amount they spend on lobbyist. Does this then come down to a war behind the scenes that hasn’t been exposed by the media? The Obama administration has to be aware that they are dealing the private prison industry a big financial hit. The private prison industry has to have voiced their opposition to this administration’s recent immigration policy, and it’s applications.

The question remains, how will CCA and Geo Group, the two largest private prison industry purveyors explain the dramatic loss in revenue to their investors? Will CCA and Geo Group take advantage of Citizens United and get behind Romney with substantial backing for the Super PACS in the hopes that a President Romney would reverse these executive orders?

Allow me to float an idea that the general populous should be very concerned about. These private prisons that have traditionally held what many call “illegal aliens”, may soon be holding your brother, your sister or your neighbor. We could soon see harsher penalties for crimes committed, longer prison sentences, and, there’s a great likelihood that those sentences will be carried out in private prisons. To quote the AZ Central story, “CCA lobbies heavily on the state level, employing 178 lobbyists in 32 states over the past eight years.” I ask, what do you think they’re going to do with an army of lobbyists when the amount of immigrants they have been incarcerating diminishes? It’s obvious that state legislatures will be lobbied for specific laws with harsher penalties creating a new breed of prisoner.

I don’t think CCA and Geo Group, really care about the color of your skin, they just care about filling their jail cells for profit.

I imagine there’s a lot of disappointed investors, legislators, racists, xenophobes, white supremacists. They all had their personal reason for supporting SB1070, and they all worked in tandem to ensure it’s preservation, but in one fell swoop on June 25, 2012 they all took a serious hit from SCOTUS and the Obama administration.

Private Prison Industry Giant

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen in Arizona. Carlos Galindo is President and founder of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

As soon as Romney heard the news about President Obama’s executive order he threw a conniption fit. He was caught totally off guard by the breaking news. As I stated in another blog, a politically astute move. Romney’s first statement chastised the President for having granted relief via an executive order and hinted that a new incoming President could in fact revoke the executive order. He then said he agreed with Marco Rubio in that a long term relief was needed and that this action by the President would somehow make reaching a long term solution more difficult. I would argue that it makes it much easier given the fact that the issue is now clearly on the table and that any President would now have to take the issue head on.

Romney later appeared on “Face The Nation” and absolutely refused to address whether or not a “President Romney” would strike down the executive order that gives relief to undocumented youngsters who were brought here at a young age by their parents. Romney avoided the question like the plague. Par for the course for Romney.

Romney and his advisors have been scrambling trying to figure out what they’re going to do to attract the Latino vote now that President Obama pulled the rabbit out of the hat.

Well, the response came today in a reply from Romney addressing whether or not he and his team were vetting Marco Rubio for the VP spot. Romney has been highly evasive regarding his vetting process or any potential candidates for the vice president spot on his ticket. Yet today he immediately confirmed that Rubio was in fact being deeply vetted as a potential vice presidential candidate.

This is Romney’s way of testing the waters with the party and his base. He wanted to get a reaction to see if Rubio is in fact palatable. After all, he is a Latino, and that might not sit well with some of the conservative white base. We will see in the next few days what type of blow back Romney receives from his litmus test.

Meanwhile he’ll also get a good read on the Latino reaction. What Romney has to understand is that unfortunately for him Cuban Americans don’t always rate as common Latinos for the rest of the Latino community. Don’t get me wrong, I embrace my Cuban brothers and sisters as members of the Latino community and many of them Immigrants like many of us. However, Immigrants from other countries don’t always embrace them as warmly as I do. This primarily due to the immigration policy maintained by the United States regarding Cuban refugees. The U.S. has maintained a wet feet, dry feet policy with the Cubans. Immediately upon touching U.S. soil, Cubans are taken in and examined and processed on a fast track for residency and citizenship, yet Mexicans, Salvadorans, Guatemalans etc. don’t have such luck and find themselves working by day and living in the shadows by night.

Can this move bring Romney the much needed Latino vote? He needs to stay above 30 percent of the Latino vote to win this election. The last Latino vote poll taken gave President Obama 73 percent of the vote and 26 percent to Romney. This poll was taken prior to President Obama’s bold executive order. It’s my understanding President Obama has gained a considerable amount of those Latinos who were polling in favor of Romney since his executive order.

It’s amazing how a sector of the community that has largely been ignored and devalued, now plays a major role in the presidential elections. Everyone is pandering to the Latino vote. Well, let’s be clear, everyone with the exception of Arizona’s politicians, they are oblivious to the turning tide and the Latino tsunami that will eventually drown out any chances of political survival for these primarily white, privileged candidates, that have spent their legislative sessions creating laws targeting Latinos.

Romney & Rubio strike a deal

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana Arizona. Carlos Galindo is a founding member and President of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

I think this is a great photo. Many of you have lost sight of the fact that we not only have a Black president with a wonderful wife, and gorgeous children that clearly represent the true fabric of America, but they are also our first family. We are living historic times! If you were able to go back in time and show this picture to Americans from a previous era, citing, that this is the first family, they would laugh at you. Given all the racism, we have come a long ways, yet, we have so much more to do!

The first family

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen in Arizona.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

Every day I return home from the daily grind to turn on the television and watch my recorded programs. The DVR has become an intimate friend who shares moments with me I may otherwise miss, and that might otherwise relegate me to searching through the Internet to capture tidbits of what I am looking for amongst the hundreds of thousands of items that pop up when I use a keyword search phrase.

I am sure that the hottest search word this past week is CPAC or Conservative Political Action Conference as it is otherwise known.

A tidbit about CPAC:

The conference was founded in 1973 by the American Conservative Union and Young Americans for Freedom as a small gathering of dedicated conservatives. Over the years it has grown to thousands of attendees annually. Roughly half of those in attendance in the past few years have been college-aged.

Speakers have included Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Pat Buchanan, Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Tony Snow, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Allen West, Michele Bachmann, and other conservative public figures. Before, during, and after his presidency, Ronald Reagan spoke at CPAC a total of 12 times. In his 1985 speech, he referred to CPAC as his “opportunity to dance with the one that brung ya”, referring to CPAC having been a contributing factor to his political success.

CPAC has featured “groups at odds with conservative orthodoxy in years past—including the American Civil Liberties Union,” and, more recently, the gay Republican group GOProud, which has attracted major controversy.

Okay, enough of the Wikipedia crap! Let’s get to the nuts of this blog. First of all, if the damn conference couldn’t already be appropriately defined as a boatload of extremist Republicans meeting once a year to teach their hypocritical followers how to spin the their lies, it certainly can be defined in that manner this year. This year, more than ever, CPAC has gone completely extremist and anti-Obama.

As if that wasn’t bad enough the contraceptive controversy surfaced just as CPAC launched it’s misinformation conference. Boy howdy, they grabbed this one by the horns and they been riding it for all it’s worth. Some of the titles on the right wing blogosphere are “Catholic Bishops: Obama‘s Contraception Mandate Change “Unacceptable”, “Limbaugh on So-Called HHS ‘Accommodation’: There‘s no ’Compromise,‘ It’s all BS!”, “Pastor Rick Warren: “I’d Go to Jail Rather Than Cave to Contraceptive Mandate”, “Gloves Off: Sen. Rand Paul Blasts HHS Mandate as “Authoritarian” & “Totalitarian.” Well, you get the drift.

Those titles are like red meat for the right, of which there are no longer what could be considered “reasonable Republicans” if there was ever such a thing, but simply put, these are extremists who’d rather see this country divided and failed, rather than allow a successful presidency under a black president.

As they tried their best to spin the contraceptive controversy into a wedge issue, successfully getting even some Democrats to criticize the president, The 2012 candidate and sitting president Barack Hussein Obama (yes I used his middle name) did what he always does, he stood back, observed the mayhem and effectively took the wind out of their sails by modifying his mandate to accommodate the religious organizations that care less about their flock than their supposed “religious principles.”

We are into day three of CPAC and the stink emitting from the conference is intolerable. I can smell it all the way here to Arizona. It’s so bad, it’s almost overshadowing the stink coming from the Arizona State legislature. Let me clarify, I said almost, since the Arizona State Legislature is putrid with hate and rancor towards it’s underprivileged, Latinos, Immigrants, women and children.

The speakers at CPAC are as classic as the previous years, one tries to top the other, until I’m sure one of them will go so far overboard, as they always do, that everyone will act offended and supposedly repudiate the offensive rhetoric as they giggle amongst themselves at their mixers or in their hotel rooms while their wives down their contraceptives and the husband makes a pass at the housekeeper that enters the room to turn down their bed covers.

Alas, observe the Republican creature in his natural environment, it’s called CPAC.

Something stinks to high heaven

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed col

Well Cain is out. We knew it was coming. Simply put, Herman Cain isn’t presidential material. We know it has nothing to do with the color of his skin, given that we have a black president. No, Cain’s problem was, amongst many, the fact that he wasn’t up to speed on the “issues.” Put aside the womanizing and the lying, which in the past, have actually been qualifiers for the presidency, simply put, Cain is a political dunce.

I couldn’t help but visualize Cain with 3×5 index cards in his hands as he struggled with the Libya issue in a recent interview with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel editorial board. He was also visualizing those index cards, and unfortunately for him, his brain couldn’t access his memory banks quick enough, causing him to have what many call a Jan Brewer or Rick Perry moment.

As Cain drew upon his memory he muttered:

“Okay, Libya,” said Cain, glancing up. “President Obama supported the uprising, correct? President Obama called for the removal of [Muammar] Gaddafi. Just wanted to make sure we’re talking about the same thing before I say, ‘Yes, I agreed. No, I didn’t agree,’” said Cain.

“I do not agree with the way he handled it for the following reason,” Cain started, before cutting himself off. “Nope, that’s a different one.” Cain shifted in his chair, adjusted his jacket and looked up again.

“I got all this stuff twirling around in my head,” he added.

It was a painful moment even for me. I think most of us were aware that this was the start of his demise. As I previously stated, Cain’s womanizing didn’t seem to be a problem for the GOP or the faithful Tea Baggers that yearned to see a black man give the other black man occupying the white house a run for his money. It was amazing to watch these hypocrites, men and women alike, paint the women who reported Cain’s extracurricular activities as promiscuous vixens.

Keep in mind that when someone runs for the presidency, their entire family is subject to scrutiny, and even if they themselves are squeaky clean, as in Gloria Cain’s case, they have to deal with the candidates misdeeds, missteps and misconduct.

I Imagine the pressure for Gloria Cain was just too much to bear. I don’t doubt one bit that Gloria was aware of Herman’s sexual promiscuity, many women in long marriages are well aware of their husbands infidelity and choose to ignore it for the sake of preserving their marriage. For God’s sake, if you’re married to a man for 43 years you know his every whim, desire and faults.

Eventually Cain’s sexual appetite proved to be his demise. One too many accusations. Ginger White and his alleged 13 year affair proved to be the final nail in his political coffin.

Cain eventually decided that he would allow Gloria to decide whether or not he would leave the race for the GOP nomination. Why does the song I’m Leaving It All Up To You” come to mind?

Gloria’s decision was loud and clear. Gloria said no more, and the Cainster hung up his political apron, much dirtier than the one he wore while running Godfather pizza.

Remember, I said Cain was a political dunce, I never said he isn’t a greedy S.O.B. that has lied and cheated his way to the top. Cain suspended his campaign. He didn’t dissolve his campaign! The difference is, that when you suspend your campaign you can continue to raise and receive funds to pay off any outstanding debts, and of course, the clincher, Cain get’s matching federal funds next year. In layman’s terms, matching federal funds means you and I will be handing Cain some of our hard earned bucks, also referred to as taxpayer money.

During Cain’s long drawn out and often babbling campaign suspension speech in which his wife was acknowledged by the mostly Tea Party supporters by chanting “Gloria, Gloria Gloria”, Cain announced the launch of a new project, a website.He plugged the site www.thecainsolutions.com as if he were plugging his infamous and flawed 9-9-9 plan.

Cain doesn’t want to have to return the millions received as he rose in the polls touting his 9-9-9 plan, I suspect he’ll turn his campaign into a PAC, which is of course allowed under FEC rules. That allows Cain to stay in the political manipulation game by using his political action committee.

So the Herman will go back to being Herman! Womanizing, lobbying, and rubbing shoulders with those who buy politicians like him.

His relationship with the Koch brothers I suspect will get better. After all, he followed orders well and did exactly what he was told. The Koch brothers ties to his campaign were obvious. Mark Block, “the smoker” from the Cain campaign youtube video also worked alongside Cain lobbying for Americans For Prosperity, one of the Koch brothers advocacy organizations from 2005 to 2011. Block was Cain’s campaign manager and served as overseer for the Koch brothers.

Cain has always known his place around rich white men. He learned it from his father who was a chauffeur for Coca Cola’s president Robert Woodruff.

Herman Cain is living proof that the good old “boy” system is alive and well, and the masters of that system are the major players in the Grand Old Party.

Nein, Nein, Nein I did not have sex with these women

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen in Arizona.

Listen to our live radio broadcast every Friday from 5-7 PM on The JOLT Tucson 1330 AM or via the web on http://www.carlosgalindo.com

I was reading a news story today which I’m sure has repeated itself throughout the United States over the years. The difference is that in this case, the young man left explicative letters behind. Joaquin Luna committed suicide out of frustration and desperation because of his legal status in the United States.

Luna was brought here at a very young age and was fully integrated into what we consider the fabric of America. He did all the right things. He kept his nose clean, studied hard, and had dreams of becoming an engineer. The typical American kid with the typical American dream. However, that’s exactly what it was, a dream. Joaquin Luna was a Dreamer in a multifaceted sense of the word.

Young undocumented students are commonly referred to as Dreamers based on the proposed “Dream Act” legislation that would allow these kids to come out of the shadows and either enlist in the military or attend a post secondary school. They’re your teenagers friends, your neighbors, perhaps the kid who on weekends mows your lawn as he helps his dad out in his landscaping business. They are all around you! They speak perfect English. They’re bright and articulate, and for the most part, well informed. They are up on political issues. Well, for them, political awareness is survival.

Maybe that’s exactly what frustrated Joaquin so. Having the knowledge that last year the Dream Act failed by a handful of votes. Knowing he was about to graduate from high school and facing that very real fear that he wouldn’t be able to afford to attend a university because of the prohibitive costs for non residents, and knowing that he couldn’t work based on his social security number deficiency. If he worked, he would have had to use a false identification which as he well knew, is a crime. Imagine the frustration, loving the United States with all your heart, feeling like a patriotic American, yet living with the open secret that you are undocumented. I also want you to imagine feeling like an American, yet having to hear yourself described by extremists as an illegal, a leach, a dirty wetback who came here to live off welfare and become an Obama Democrat.

It’s no wonder that a young fragile mind facing such a haunting future would have felt that the only solution was to end his life. There are very few resources available for these young people. Without a social security number they can’t seek psychological assistance or even counseling from the normal channels that many of us Americans would traverse.

They’re caught in the middle, and they’re hearing the hype from both sides. Many pro Immigrant groups and “leaders” give them very little hope. Claiming instead that their President abandoned them and that they doubt Obama will do anything to help them or other undocumented Immigrants in their struggle to adjust their Immigration status. While at the same time they watch the anti-Immigrant groups aggressively lobby to shut not only the borders, but any door that may lend itself as a viable option for relief for these Dreamers. The politicians often refer to these Dreamers in their debates and in speeches on the campaign trail. They have masterfully polished the Immigration issue to get elected and reelected using all “illegals” as scapegoats for the nation’s problems.

As the years grind on and more doors are shut to these Dreamers, will we see a growing trend of frustration and acts of desperation on behalf of these Dreamers that for all practical purposes are great Americans, well, except for one slight problem, they were brought here unlawfully as toddlers by their parents from a country they don’t remember and have never returned to?

So many Dreamers feel they’re facing a dead end, at least that’s Joaquin Luna thought when he dressed up in a suit and tie, kissed his family goodbye and took a small caliber handgun into the bathroom of his family’s home and shot himself in the head, ending his life as a Dreamer.

The only thing young Joaquin left behind was his frustrations and shattered dreams as an “illegal”, all penned on paper for the world to see.

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen. Arizona.

Listen to our live radio broadcast every Friday from 5-7 PM on The JOLT Tucson 1330 AM or via the web on http://www.carlosgalindo.com

Herman Cain is political toast. In baseball it’s three strikes and you’re out. In politics you normally get one strike and it could potentially take you out of the political game, but four strikes? Come on? Herman Cain might as well hang up his mitt and allow the other Mitt to take the lead.

Now that a fourth woman has come out with some serious allegations and a description of Cain’s “unwanted advances,” you would think that Cain would slip into the political shadows. However, Cain’s arrogance and his financial backing from the Koch bros will drive him to try and survive the lethal wound delivered by Sharon Bialek a former employee of the National restaurant Association.

The words were real, from a real person, something that the public had not yet seen. Cain’s invisible accusers and victims according to settlements reached with The National Restaurant Association permitted Cain to dodge the bullet. As long as these women stayed silent and refused to place a face on the accusations, Cain was able to duck and run by refusing to openly address the accusations and the details.

Bialek an Anglo woman with a college degree and mother of a thirteen year old boy decided to be that face and that voice. Her words were harsh, descriptive and politically fatal.

“He reached over and he put his hand on my leg under my skirt and reached for my genitals,” Bialek said, her voice breaking with emotion. “He also grabbed my head and brought it towards his crotch. I was very, very surprised and very shocked. I said, ‘What are you doing? You know I have a boyfriend. This isn’t what I came here for.’”

To which Cain responded:

“You want a job, right?” Bialek said she asked him to stop, and Cain complied. She then asked to be driven back to her hotel, and she said Cain promptly complied with that request as well.

In my opinion, Herman Cain is an inept candidate. He’s proven that, time and time again. On foreign and national policy, he’s a 0-0-0.

When the Koch brothers hired him in 2005 to speak publicly for Americans For Prosperity, they cited his public speaking ability. I think what they were referring to is his ability to sell snake oil. Cain is nothing more than a polished, wealthy, snake oil salesman, and of course, a political token for the Koch brothers.

His political career was a short lived one and was failed from the start. Those who followed him and continue to be supportive of his misbehavior by justifying sexual harassment in the workplace and now possibly sexual assault, are those same American’s who are willing to abandon their ideals, values and principles in the name of politics, hate and the promotion of the wealthy in this country. These are the same people who claim to love America and claim to own patriotism, dismissing anyone who doesn’t fall in line as a traitor.

This brings to mind Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous quote,

“When a whole nation is roaring Patriotism at the top of its voice, I am fain to explore the cleanness of its hands and purity of its heart.”

Maybe someone should let Cain know that his political career is dead. The coffin is waiting. He should save himself some embarrassment and lay down already!

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen. Arizona. www.nospinonair.com/http://www.carlosgalindo.com

Listen to our live radio broadcast every Friday from 5-7 PM on The JOLT Tucson 1330 AM or via the web on www.nospinonair.com

When I was advised that Bachmann would be scurrying into town, I decided to skedaddle on over to Sheriff Joe’s office to see what she had to say, and of course to keep the mainstream media honest. I didn’t figure anyone would ask the hard questions, or at least a question that would put her on the hot seat, particularly regarding the fact that we have millions of undocumented workers in the United States. What would she do with them if she won the most prized post as leader of the world? Of course I knew she wouldn’t answer directly when asked.

Nobody wants to admit that we are completely dependent on the low skilled undocumented labor that we import from Mexico. Nobody wants to admit that we are complicit to the existence of the undocumented workers. Everyone wants to live in denial and in the houses built by these “culprits”. They want to stuff their faces with the vegetables picked by them. They want to enjoy their manicured lawns mowed and trimmed by them, and they want to enjoy their shiny cars after going through the local car wash spiffed up by these undocumented car wash employees. The list goes on and on of jobs filled by the undocumented worker that an average American absolutely will not fill, and, if they were to work that job, they wouldn’t last.

So Bachmann answered my question like any other politician would. You know? Using code words meant to incite emotion from Immigrant haters and deniers, and meant to make her appear responsible and in tune with the topic. “We have to secure the border first”, “We have to remove those magnets that draw them here.” Blah, blah, blah.

Bachmann proved she was just another talking head out of touch with the undocumented Immigration issue, seeking to fill a job she just is absolutely not qualified to fill. She did however, look like Sheriff Joe’s drooling lap dog, looking for his endorsement by touting his stardom and by winking her enlarged eyes while converting her cynical smirk to a beauty queen smile.

As for Sheriff Joe, when asked whether he would give Bachmann his endorsement, he responded by saying that he hadn’t decided yet. Ah, Sheriff Joe, always the astute politician. Why would he commit to endorsing one candidate so early in the game when he could possibly be courted by other candidates as the Republican field narrows down to two viable candidates for the Republican nomination to replace the black man sleeping in the White House.

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana Arizona and the Tucson Citizen. www.nospinonair.com/http://www.carlosgalindo.com

Listen to our live radio broadcast every Friday from 5-7 PM on The JOLT Tucson 1330 AM or via the web on www.nospinonair.com

Facing a harsh economic reality and under close scrutiny after having been bailed out by the TARP program, Bank of America is in an absolute free fall and is desperate to purchase a politician that’s willing to engage in overt pay to play politics.

So B of A throws the bait out, what will this secessionist tea bagging theocratic political whale ask for, and what will he promise?

The video below highlights the offer made by James Mahoney, Bank of America’s director of public policy. Mahoney to Perry, “good job governor, Bank of America, “we’ll help you out.”

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen. Arizona. www.nospinonair.com/http://www.carlosgalindo.com

Listen to our live radio broadcast every Friday from 5-7 PM on The JOLT Tucson 1330 AM or via the web on www.nospinonair.com