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Guest Voz: Why are Republicans Scrambling to Suppress the Latino Vote?

By Dr. Edward T. Rincón

LatinaLista

 

It is indeed puzzling to witness Republicans scrambling to suppress the Latino vote for the November election. Governor Gregg Abbott’s recent order to limit the number of ballot drop-off locations for mail-in ballots to only one location in each Texas county, an action that has initiated lawsuits charging Latino voter suppression from the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Texas chapter of the League of Women Voters, and two individuals.

In addition to creating more difficulty for Latino voters, Governor Abbott’s action creates higher barriers for persons with disabilities and those 65 years and older who are concerned for their personal safety and the additional distance that they will need to travel to a single location.

Other recent actions initiated by Republicans to limit voter participation include the numerous false allegations of fraud associated with mail-in ballots, significant reductions in the capabilities of the U.S. Post Office to process mail-in ballots, and not allowing Texas voters to use COVID-19 exposure as a basis for requesting a mail-in ballot.

The irony is not lost here – why are Republicans in such a frenzy to further limit Latino voter participation given their historically low voter turnout rates in past presidential elections?

According to Pew Research, Latino voter turnout rates were 48.0 percent in 2012; 27.0 percent in 2014; 47.6 percent in 2016; and 40.4 percent in 2018. No cause for worry, right?

Rather than encourage Latino voter turnout, however, Republicans like Gov. Abbott are experiencing a re-awakening of their strategy due to several recent trends:

  • Highly populated areas like Harris County expect a surge of mail-in ballots, especially from Democratic precincts that include many Latinos and Blacks;
  • The number of mail-in ballots that have been requested from Democratic-leaning precincts are dramatically out-numbering the Republican precincts;
  • Most recent polls confirm that two-thirds of Latino registered voters would support Biden while Trump captures only one-third of the vote, a trend that is consistent across the battleground states;
  • Bloomberg is investing millions to support Democratic candidates;
  • According to Pew Research, 32 million Latinos are projected to be eligible to vote this November and represent 13.3 percent of all eligible voters in the U.S.

Governor Abbott’s action especially wreaks of hypocrisy. During the last gubernatorial election, the governor’s televised campaign included a Hispanic family member in a pitch to capture the support of Texas Latinos. While the Latino vote may have been candy to Governor Abbott in the past, perhaps the governor’s current sentiments about Latino voters is best captured in B.B. King’s song “The Thrill is Gone.”

With the exception of LULAC, it is particularly troublesome to observe the relative silence among Latino business and civic organizations that have publicly challenged the legality and morality of these Latino voter suppression tactics. Rather than bury one’s head in the sand, these voices need to be loud and constant in the days remaining to the November election.

In my opinion, the available evidence regarding the increasing number of Latino eligible voters, registration rates, and polling results suggests that Latinos are energized to vote in the November election and that Republicans may pay a heavy price for their deliberate tactics to suppress the Latino vote.

(Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally published on The Culture of Research™ blog)

Dr. Edward T. Rincón, Ph.D., is president of Dallas-based Rincón & Associates LLC and is a research psychologist. In his new book, “The Culture of Research, Insights from a 45-year practice in the design and execution of multicultural research,” Rincón identifies methodological problems in high-stakes studies that include multicultural persons and offers practical solutions.    

This growing disconnect between the research industry and the U.S. multicultural population is a key factor in the declining survey response rates and misleading conclusions related to programs and policies that impact the quality of life for multicultural populations.  ~ Dr. Edward T. Rincón

England Covid cases error means 50,000 contacts may not have been traced

Boorish Boris becomes Bungling Boris and people die as a result.

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‘Shambolic’ failure resulted in 15,841 cases not reported for over a week

More than 50,000 potentially infectious people may have been missed by contact tracers and not told to self-isolate because of the data blunder that meant nearly 16,000 coronavirus cases went unreported in England.

Public Health England (PHE) admitted it was to blame for the IT error that meant 15,841 positive test results were left off the official daily figures between 25 September and 2 October.

Continue reading…

Ultra-Orthodox violently clash with police at funeral of hassidic rebbe – The Jerusalem Post

Video footage from the scene shows severe confrontations between the police and the assembled hassidim, with the police herding and shoving them away from the procession.

Cries of “Nazis” from some of the hassidic mourners could clearly be heard as the police sought to disperse the crowd.

Police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that the funeral was coordinated with the police in order to allow people to participate in the ceremony “according to the rules and regulations of the Ministry of Health.”

Police forces intervened when far larger numbers of mourners took part in the funeral procession than had been agreed. Source: Ultra-Orthodox violently clash with police at funeral of hassidic rebbe – The Jerusalem Post

American and United airlines furlough 32,000 workers

US Senate has ignored new Covid-related aid for months… so people lose… again and economy hit again because of inaction against Covid-19 – McConnell-Trump get to work!

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American Airlines and United Airlines have sent furlough notices to a total of more than 32,000 employees, saying they cannot afford to have them on payroll after Thursday, the date when the federal CARES Act Payroll Support Program expires.

The move comes after lawmakers and the White House failed to agree on a COVID relief package that includes additional federal aid for airlines.

“To our departing 13,000 family members: thank you for your dedication and we look forward to welcoming you back”, United said in a message sent to employees.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said that if Washington comes up with a deal with $25 billion for airlines “over the next few days”, he will reverse the 19,000 furloughs. United also said it told leaders in the Trump administration and Congress that it could undo the furloughs if payroll aid is approved in the next few days.

The US government’s pandemic relief effort had provided some $25 billion in loans and grants to airlines. Passenger air travel rebounded in June and July, but the numbers have not grown since, and the airlines have much more workers than they need.

Von der Leyen negative in second COVID-19 test, in quarantine until Tuesday | New Europe

Von der Leyen also said she was tested for the virus on October 1 and she would take another test today.

I’ve been informed that I participated in a meeting last Tuesday attended by a person who yesterday tested positive for COVID-19. In accordance with regulations in force, I’m therefore self-isolating until tomorrow morning. I’ve tested negative on Thursday & am tested again today

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) October 5, 2020

According to the Commission’s spokesperson, Eric Mamer, the second test was also negative, however, the EC President will remain into precautionary quarantine until Tuesday, as health regulations foresee.

Source: Von der Leyen negative in second COVID-19 test, in quarantine until Tuesday | New Europe

One of President John Tyler’s Two Living Grandsons Just Died

wow.

Last weekend, Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr. died at the age of 95. Remarkably, Lyon was the grandson of John Tyler, the 10th President of the United States. His brother Harrison Ruffin Tyler is still alive. Here’s what I wrote about the Tylers back in 2012:

John Tyler was the 10th President of the United States. He was born in 1790 and took office in 1841. His son, Lyon Gardiner Tyler, was born in 1853, when Tyler was 63 years old. In turn, Lyon had six children with two different wives, two of whom were Lyon Gardiner Tyler, Jr. and Harrison Ruffin Tyler (born 1924 & 1928 respectively, when Lyon Sr. was in his 70s).

John Tyler was born barely a year into George Washington’s first term and undoubtably met and even worked with some of the nation’s earliest political figures, including Thomas Jefferson and John Quincy Adams. Amazing to think that just three generations of the same family stretch almost all the way back to the founding of our country. It underscores just how young the United States is — after all, the last person to receive a Civil War pension just died back in June. You can check out more examples of The Great Span phenomenon here.

Tags: John Tyler   The Great Span   obituaries   politics

Coronavirus Wisconsin Today: Trump WI rallies canceled after positive COVID-19 test; county health leader quitting over virus handling – ABC7 Chicago

Wisconsin reported 1,865 new coronavirus cases, with 5 additional deaths Sunday. The state set a new record for COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday with 27.

Wisconsin hospital officials report they’re close to being overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients, forcing doctors to transfer patients to other facilities and build waiting lists. State health officials also reported a total of 7,646 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized as of Sunday. Source: Coronavirus Wisconsin Today: Trump WI rallies canceled after positive COVID-19 test; county health leader quitting over virus handling – ABC7 Chicago

Kentucky reports highest number of new virus cases ever

Kentucky reported its highest ever number of new coronavirus cases on Saturday.

“We now have 1,275 new cases announced today, meaning 1,275 Kentuckians have just tested positive,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a news release. “This is our highest number of cases ever. This is the highest number of cases per week ever and we have one more day that will add to the count, and it shows that we have to do better.”

Source: Kentucky reports highest number of new virus cases ever