Like the faults in California's crust, there was a lot of shifting last night, but surprisingly not what we would think in California. Where the rest of the country dramatically tilted right, California voters resoundingly went left. The country's seismic patterning was spectacular and strange. Blue went red, left went right. Latinos against immigration. South Carolinian Republicans claiming there is no difference between wealthy, middle class and poor folks. Huh? What was going on?
After spending nearly $200 million on her gubernatorial campaign, former eBay CEO Meg Whitman lost her fight to ex-Governor Jerry Brown. Thirty years after he was one of the youngest to ever run any state, he takes over as one of the oldest to course-correct this now- crumbling state.
Boy did she ever blunder after the Nannygate doors were thrown open. OK, so she employed a non-documented worker. So do millions of employers. Anyone who does that is taking a risk as are the workers for working under illegal circumstances. The woman, the nanny/housekeeper in question, had come from an agency to which she had provided false papers. Whitman and her husband probably did not ask or simply turned a blind-eye to the situation. Then, after controversial lawyer Gloria Allred, fresh from getting money from numerous mistresses of Tiger Woods, took on the housekeeper's case, what did Whitman do? She went to the mat, declaring no-knowledge of non-documentation and then let her employee of nine years be faced with deportation. Latinos took that as the ultimate insult-- even though it was the housekeeper who lied -- committed fraud actually. How dare she turn her back on a household employee who served her for nine years?
Latinos switched in droves. Here's what I find irritating in this: we all use "don't ask don't tell" when it's convenient. I have no doubt that over nine years the question of her papers came about and my guess is the housekeeper said something like "Don't worry. I have papers." I've heard it many times. I guess if Meg had really wanted to pursue it, she could have.
Where she blundered was not being able to turn this around as an example of why we desperately NEED immigration reform. Granted there are many who take advantage of this country and have no sense of debt to it or pride of being here. They do not want to be American; but, simply take the American dollar to improve life for those back home. For those, deportation may in fact be proper.
But for millions of other undocumented workers who work hard, who are trying to follow the correct legal paths to naturalization, who are providing services for families, businesses, farms, restaurants, hotels and others, the state of immigration is untenable, frustrating and plain WRONG. They want to be part of this country legally but are forced to work here under undocumented circumstances. And what's more, this country needs to grow its economic base, lower unemployment and can by creating fast-track citizenships for these millions of aspirational "immigrants" living in this country today. By legalizing these workers, we can dramatically reshape this country for the future.
In years past, it would be the Democrats to do this. Or a coalition. Or at least teams of Latino lobbyists. But it's going to be some crazy times ahead. We don't know who will do what or where it will come from. If Latinos are one thing it's this: they are divergent and do not vote as one.
Look at New Mexico. Governor-elect Susana Martinez is now the first Latina Governor. Great you would think, if immigration reform is on your mind. But she ran on the Republican platform espoused by neighboring Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona. She is about as right as you can get and if she has her way, will give power to her police force in unprecedented ways to keep her state free of "illegals" and "corruption." She is already plotting to repeal driver's licenses given out this year to 50,000 undocumented workers in her state. She wants a wall between Mexico and the "Land of Enchantment."
How about Marco Rubio in Florida? He considers himself not "American" first but a "Son of Exiles" first. He too ran on the Republican -- Tea Party -- ticket. He's not thinking of those millions of undocumented workers. He's thinking of how to get land back in Cuba.
This country is at a major crossroad and voters showed their distaste for the course we are on. Course correction, introspection and action are needed. Unfortunately what we got was a lot of pandemonium.
