The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.

This is outrageous, and this has become a gender-specific strategy used to pull the rug on women politicians.   Since when do we research male politicians help? Has the media reported on congressmen and their relationship to employment of undocumented laborers in their homes or their families’ farms, or how they treat them?

Look like it is now a women-only requirement to account on their household’s help (which is not women’s but the entire family’s help).

I hope this time Latinos don’t fall for this, and see that in spite of all her faults (yes, she is human, is this a surprise?), Meg Whitman is a good candidate for governor of California, and she will be good for Latinos.

Meg Whitman wants an environment of increasing working and business opportunities, and she knows Latinos are a key element in the Labor force, and in California’s and the US economy.  This awareness shows she understands that if Latinos don’t make progress, it will be very difficult for the US to make progress.

I am a US Citizen and a Mexican immigrant.  I am pro-immigrant (ALL-documented and non), and again, I am outraged at the race baiting whether it is done by Republicans or Democrats.

The use of Nicky Diaz vulnerable situation (making it even worse) is a worn and inappropriate strategy used by democrats (and has been used by republicans) to prevent access to Meg Whitman to California’s governorship.

If Democrats were interested in helping Nicky, they would have passed immigration reform; they controlled congress (no excuses are valid any longer).  So the use of her problems doesn’t help Nicky, and doesn’t help women, since it is being used only for electoral purposes: race bating, and not at all to address immigration (a Latino priority), or to address women’s vulnerability in the workplace.

The media role is key in orchestrating this misogynist/racist theater.   In the case of Meg Whitman,  SHAME ON DEMOCRATS, and SHAME ON THE MEDIA for using a powerless woman and immigrants specifically to target women, This is a pattern, and several cases of women, from Clinton administration aspiring appointees, Bush administration appointees (Shame also on Republicans who didn’t defend Linda Chavez).  It is not a matter of party or ideology; it is just one more tool to prevent women’s access to power.  If the media was interested in being fair to immigrants and women, in the first place, they would have responded to the National Association of Hispanic Journalists who sent a letter to all the media requesting to stop the use of the word “illegal”, as for Latinos it is parallel to the “N” word ( used to demean an entire ethnic group).  In the case of women, if the media were interested in addressing the issues of women in the workplace, they would be covering daily the lack of women in board rooms and the disparities in pay.

As I entered the US as an immigrant, I was a convinced Democrat.  I soon lost confidence and realized that democrats manipulated Latinos, used their votes, but kept them in their place: without access to positions of power, and down in the social ladder so that they can be the permanent, vulnerable constituency. Latino organizations play the game being more interested in receiving the crumbs the Democratic Party throws at their leadership to keep Latinos “quiet”.  Republicans are happy to play the game, responding to the instincts of the most radical and Xenophobic of their constituencies.

In 2008, what an awakening!! I became aware that women suffered the same ills. Democrats use women’s precarious status as a flag to erect (no pun intended) themselves as their defenders, but always keeping them in “their place”.  Women’s organizations do the same as Latino organizations: they are more concerned with being unconditional democrats than responding to their constituency’s needs. Republicans are more than happy to dance around this game too, jumping into the misogynist dance when it is convenient for them (and also when it should not, as in the case of Sarah Palin).

I invite all Latinos in California to vote for whichever candidate they believe will respond better to their needs and interests: do not respond to the race baiting, and stop being unconditional to one party.  This is what is really in our interest.

I also call on all Californians not to fall for the mean boss lady trick.  This a sexist tactic that democrats know will work, and exploit sexism in our culture for electoral purposes. This is a close race and they are using this to break the tie.  The democratic party called in the big guns from around the Country for Jerry brown’s campaign raising millions. They are desperate, and willing to use sexism and race baiting  Californians and Latinos. Turn the tables on them.  They are presenting her as mean to immigrants, and mean to women.  Don’t let sexism and racism break a tie, let the merits break it.   I hope Californians show the way to the rest of the country, as they often do:   that those tactics don’t work.   SHAME those who use them and show them: Sexism is not acceptable.