When people inquire about my passions, they are elated when I say, “Cycling!” They are visibly annoyed, and usually scoff, when I add, “And politics! I love politics … and public policy.”
POLITICa
The world doesn’t like it when you LOVE politics. They especially don’t like it if you’re a Latina.
When people inquire about my passions, they are elated when I say, “Cycling!” They are visibly annoyed, and usually scoff, when I add, “And politics! I love politics … and public policy.”
Typically, their immediate response is a hostile “we don’t discuss politics.”
“Why not?” I usually inquire (in part to challenge their immediate disdain, in part because I’m really curious). Why wouldn’t you care about the one thing that impacts all our lives?
Cycling doesn’t do that. Or, cooking. Or video games. Or, sports. Or, any of our other American interests. There are Americans who readily recite the entire player roster (and stats) of their favorite baseball or football team. But they can’t name the Speaker of the House, or the Senate Majority Leader, or the members of the Supreme Court. I once had a job applicant who couldn’t name the Vice President of the United States. How is that even possible? And this was a young woman with BOTH a bachelor’s and a master’s degree.
My love of politics began as a young girl; it was a way to hang out with my dad, Jorge Jauregui. While he coached my brothers in sports, he coached me through U.S. and international politics, and (unintentionally) swayed me into a career in journalism and later business & public policy.
My first memory was sitting with dad watching President Richard Nixon resigning, then leaving the White House on a helicopter. “I am not a crook,” he proclaimed. My father was visibly pained as he explained that Nixon was a crook and lacked the integrity to hold the office of the presidency.
Now, here we are today: we’ve gone full circle. Presently in the office is another crook who lacks the moral integrity and attention span to be president. And it’s not just that he’s intellectually lazy. Donald Trump is a misogynist egomaniac who thinks EVERY SINGLE DAY is about him. It’s exhausting; toddlers are less work! But at least toddlers aren’t racist or evil, while Trump relies on racism to create a voting block: He launched his campaign by saying Mexicans “are rapists” and has maintained a relentless attack on Latinos since then, at one point calling immigrants “animals.” It’s probably his sick justification for caging children. If this doesn’t bother or enrage you, you need to find God.
If you disagree Trump is a bad guy, then you’re clearly not paying attention: he’s lied to us 20,000 times (yes, 20,000) as of July 13, 2020. No one should condone this behavior under ANY type of circumstance, much less the presidency.
With only four months until the presidential election, we’ll soon find out whether a majority of our fellow Americans recognize that this man is toxic and send him on his way. As Latinos with so much to lose, so much on the line, we HAVE TO VOTE! What’s the point of being America’s largest minority group (since 2003), if we don’t exercise our collective power to force change? To do more than scream, “¡Basta!
Like never before, Latinos can really impact the outcome of an election, particularly in Texas, where the presidential race is currently a statistical tie.
So, let’s do this! My father and I can’t wait to see Trump get on a helicopter as the not-so-great-orange-one exits OUR White House.
Along with Julian Castro and others, we’ll celebrate as we say “adios” to this nightmare and work toward a better, stronger, more united America. This politicA is ready to do her part. ¡Adelante juntos!
— Emily Jauregui | July 13, 2020
You can check to see if you’re on the voter registration rolls at the following websites below. Remember that many conservative governors are doing their best to scrub minority voters off the lists, so check often:
Voto Latino: https://votolatino.org/
Rock the Vote: https://www.rockthevote.org/how-to-vote/am-i-registered-to-vote/