Change is coming and Mexican-American identity is at the center
By Michael Meurer, August 22, 2019
In the 2020 election, 32 million Latinos are eligible to vote. They are the largest minority voting bloc for the first time in US history. Mexican-Americans account for 63.3% of these voters.
After the El Paso massacre of Aug. 3rd , the NY Times reports that Mexican-Americans nationwide feel a cosmic shift in the cultural landscape and are more determined to vote than ever before. Mexican-American attorney Dario Aguirre of Denver summed up this new mood for the Times.
“We’re the new Jews. It’s quite a transition from being invisible to being visible in a lethal way. It’s something new to my community. We are used to the basic darkness of racism, not this.”
With large Mexican-American voter blocs in at least six key swing states, a slight increase in their turnout will change the outcome of the 2020 election. A loss in any of these states dooms Trump’s chances.
Beyond the spectacle
My two most recent articles were published in the US, México and Uruguay in both English and Spanish. In these articles, I analyze the transformation of US civic life into a permanent consumer spectacle, and I then deconstruct the El Paso massacre from my perspective as both a legal resident of México and a US citizen. Links for English and Spanish versions can be found at this Journal post.
Reimagining Politics is about citizen-driven political innovation, and this perspective also informs my work with a stellar Mexican-American consulting team at Meurer Group & Associates. My focus is on planning Reimagining Politics seminars and events well into 2020, but my Mexican team and I are also fully engaged in the upcoming election.
Help us make change
My work at Reimagining Politics depends upon your continued donations as we work together to create a more hopeful citizen’s politics beyond endless media spectacle.
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Photo: El Paso vigil, Aug. 5, 2019