Univision Accepts $80000 to Air GOP Group's Ads that Tell Latinos Not to Vote

[ashling]

Source: Alternet

Yesterday, Latinos for Reform — a Republican 527 group — announced that it purchased an $80,000 buy on Univision to air ads urging Nevada Latino voters not to vote. Robert Desposada, a conservative political consultant and political analyst for Univision, has described the ad as an expression of the Latino community’s frustration with the lack of immigration reform. Apparently, telling Latino voters not to vote will somehow empower them. “It’s the only way for Hispanics to stand up and demand some attention,” Desposada claims. “I can’t ask people to support a Republican candidate who has taken a completely irresponsible and bordering on racist position on immigration,” he said about senatorial candidate Sharron Angle (R-NV). (As a side note, the ad doesn’t mention Angle or the fact that Republicans have been obstructing reform for the past year).

Posted by AndreaNill at 8:51 am
October 19, 2010
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Univision Accepts $80,000 to Air GOP Group’s Ads that Tell Latinos Not to Vote
Posted by AndreaNill on @ 8:51 am
Article printed from speakeasy: http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy
URL to article: http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/10/19/univision-accepts-80000-to-air-gop-group’s-ads-that-tell-latinos-not-to-vote/

This post first appeared on Think Progress.

Yesterday, Latinos for Reform — a Republican 527 group — announced that it purchased an $80,000 buy on Univision to air ads urging Nevada Latino voters not to vote. Robert Desposada, a conservative political consultant and political analyst for Univision, has described the ad as an expression of the Latino community’s frustration with the lack of immigration reform. Apparently, telling Latino voters not to vote will somehow empower them. “It’s the only way for Hispanics to stand up and demand some attention,” Desposada claims. “I can’t ask people to support a Republican candidate who has taken a completely irresponsible and bordering on racist position on immigration,” he said about senatorial candidate Sharron Angle (R-NV). (As a side note, the ad doesn’t mention Angle or the fact that Republicans have been obstructing reform for the past year).



The big question is: Why is Univision even airing this ad? Obviously, Univision is a private company, not a public interest organization. It is free to air the ads of whomever it wants. However, it seems odd that the network would accept $80,000 to air a message that isn’t just fundamentally at odds with its own self-professed mantra, but also directly contradicts the goals of a campaign it has already invested significant resources in. Univision is a critical partner in the non-partisan Latino civic participation campaign, Ya Es Hora. According to the campaign’s website, Ya Es Hora “represents the largest and most comprehensive effort to incorporate Latinos as full participants in the American political process.” The Wonk Room also points out Univision Communications PAC has donated money to Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and has more on the network’s voter outreach efforts.

In 2008, Latinos for Reform aired ads “alleging that Obama puts African Americans before Latinos and Africa before Latin America.”

Read more: http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/10/19/univision-accepts-80000-to-air-gop-group%E2%80%99s-ads-that-tell-latinos-not-to-vote/

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watch the ad in English and in Spanish at the link

[AlphaCentauri]

1. They are pitching to frustrated Latino Voters

“Latino voters appear to be very frustrated this year,” said Latino Decisions pollster Matt Baretto. “They’re seeing states like Arizona trying to implement a series of anti-immigration (measures) that would isolate Hispanic or Latino voters… What started with a lot of hope and optimism has now generated a lot of anger and frustration.”

http://www.capitolnewsconnection.org/news/latino-electoral-power-closely-watched-midterms

[bongbong]

2. Hispanic Quisling

Quislings are one of the ways repigs keep their boot on the throat of America.

[Gman]

3. Isn't Henry Cisneros on the board of Univision

What the hell is going on? I don't think the ad will make one dime's worth of difference. But has the RW web gone that far?

[Judi Lynn]

5. Right last name. That's Gustavo Cisneros, friend of George H. W. Bush.

Gustavo Cisneros
AKA Gustavo A. Cisneros

Nationality: Venezuela
Executive summary: Billionaire Venezuelan media mogul

One of two Venezuelan billionaires, Cisneros was born into a rich family that parlayed their sole distributorship of Pepsi into a fortune that allowed them to control a sizeable chunk of all Latin American media. The subsequent capital flight, based on "diversification" and moving 80% of the family investments outside of Venezuela, resulted in Venezuela's crawling to the blood-suckers at the International Monetary Fund for help. One could point out that the personal enrichment of Cisneros was one direct cause of Hugo Chavez's later rise to power.

Cisneros-owned Venezuelan TV network Venevision controlled coverage of the US-backed 2002 coup on the populist Chavez. Some claim Cisneros was one of the principal backers of the coup- his family being longtime representatives of US interests. It certainly doesn't help Cisneros' case that he ordered a ban on footage of the resulting counter-coup consisting of tens of thousands of the citizenry seeking to reinstate Chavez. Cisneros' network instead aired classic cartoons and golden age movies. The US State Department's chief Latin America handler (and one-time Ambassador to Venezuela) Otto J. Reich later confirmed that during the 2 day coup he had spoken with Cisneros "two or three times".

Cisneros married into a family that owned another Venezuelan media empire. He and his wife Patty Phelps were overnight guests of Ronald Reagan at the White House, around the same time US Customs agents confiscated 50 grams of cocaine from a Cisneros family airplane. US Customs declined to file charges for some reason.

As one of the 100 richest people in the world, Cisneros is a classic case of a big fish in a small pond, causing comparisons such as "the Rupert Murdoch or Silvio Berlusconi of Venezuela". Speaking of fishing (and of cocaine and coups), Cisneros is a sometimes-fishing companion of former US president George H.W. Bush.

http://www.nndb.com/people/766/000135361/

http://www.soberania.org.nyud.net:8090/Images/Cisneros_422g.jpg

Fishing pals, Gustavo Cisneros, George H. W. Bush
It's good to remind people that the moment the attempted coup in Venezuela was overturned BY THE PEOPLE, Cisneros and George H. W. Bush arranged a vacation to huddle in the Dominican Republic resort owned by Cuban "exile" sugar barons, Pepe and Alfi Fanjul.

http://newyorksocialdiary.com.nyud.net:8090/socialdiary/2005/01_18_05/images/DR/Pepe-Emilia-Fanjul-Alfo.jpg

Pepe, striped shirt, Alfi, blue shirt
http://newyorksocialdiary.com/socialdiary/2005/01_18_05/socialdiary01_18_05.php
Cisneros has been a 19& owner of Univision, and currently sits on the board of directors.

[Gman]

6. Henry actually served as president of Univision from 97 - 2000

after he left HUD:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Cisneros

I knew he was on the board, but I'm 10 years behind the times.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Oh! THAT Cisneros! Thanks for the information. Didn't know about it.

Never would have guessed!

[Metta]

4. Money talks, bullshit walks.

This is clear evidence of that.