Panorama: on politics, Latinos, and conservatism

 AEI's Campus Exchange and the Panorama Podcast (panoramapodcast.org) present this conversation from the Future of Hispanic Politics virtual conference just in time to register for our first in-person National Student Conference on Hispanic Politics! The American Enterprise Institute’s Academic Programs department is proud to partner with the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute and Florida International University for a program that is open to undergraduate students from all political and ethnic backgrounds. Learn more and apply here by September 12th: https://www.aei.org/national-student-hispanic-conference/

What does integrity in political leadership look like? How do we commit to truth in political and social life? Welcome to the new academic year and Season 2 of the Campus Exchange! Former Congressman Carlos Curbelo joins the Academic Programs team to share his insights from his time in public service. In the next decade Hispanic politicians, community activists, and business leaders are poised to influence the American political and social landscape. What sort of issues will this generation of leaders focus on? How might they shake up our current understanding of partisanship and polarization? And what lessons can they learn from leaders that came before them? All this and more in this special crossover episode.

In this bonus episode, Gil and Luis return to discuss recent developments and debates surrounding the establishment of a Smithsonian museum for Latino history. After presenting the conservative arguments for and against the museum, the conversation turns to the broader implications the museum has for Latino and American identity.

Relevant articles:

Sen. Mike Lee on his opposition to the establishment of a Smithsonian museum for Latino or women's history: https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/10/politics/mike-lee-smithsonian/index.html

Mike Gonzalez on why we don't need a national museum of Latino history: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/we-dont-need-a-national-latino-museum/2016/09/23/7f5a0308-7f59-11e6-9070-5c4905bf40dc_story.html

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen on why we should have a museum of Latino history: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/15/opinion/national-latino-museum.html

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In the season finale of Panorama, Gil and Luis talk with Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the first Latina elected to Congress. They discuss her nickname for Carlos Curbelo, why she is a conservative, stories from her congressional career, recent GOP gains with women and Latinos, what sort of messaging the GOP can employ going forward to continue improving with Latinos, the importance of a Smithsonian Museum for American Latinos, and why polarization has worsened as well as how to maintain friendships across the aisle. Afterwards, Gil and Luis reflect on the season and discuss their takeaways.

About the guest: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen served in the U.S. House of Representatives for thirty years as the member from Florida's 27th district. Her tenure marked many firsts: She was the first Latina elected to Congress, the first Cuban American, and the first Republican woman to represent Florida in the House. During her career she served as the  Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and led on issues like the environment, LGBT rights, and foreign policy. She is currently a Senior Advisor at Akin Gump LLP.

Ileana's op-eds mentioned in this episode:
"Where Is the Smithsonian Museum for American Latinos?"- New York Times
"The key to winning the Cuban American vote."- Boston Globe

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Linda Chavez joins Luis and Gil to talk about assimilation, immigration policy, and the growth of Latino conservatism in the United States. Linda discusses her autobiography and the experiences that made her a conservative, the divisions over immigration policy within the GOP, anxieties over assimilation, what identity politics gets wrong, why Donald Trump improved among Latino voters, and how young people can work to overcome polarization. Afterwards, Gil and Luis discuss the difficulty of defining Latino identity and talk about the possible electoral shift happening in American politics.

About the guest: Linda Chavez is a commentator and syndicated columnist who has served in two presidential administrations. Chavez has also authored several books, including Out of the Barrio: Toward a New Politics of Hispanic Assimilation and An Unlikely Conservative: The Transformation of an Ex-Liberal . In 2000, Chavez was honored by the Library of Congress as a "Living Legend" for her contributions to America's cultural and historical legacy. In January 2001, Chavez was President George W. Bush's nominee for Secretary of Labor until she withdrew her name from consideration.

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In this episode, Cecilia Joy-Pérez joins Luis and Gil to talk about the trajectory of U.S.-China relations, how the Belt and Road Initiative has shaped Chinese influence abroad, why Chinese outbound investment has dropped, the ramifications of the One Child policy, and how to reach across the aisle on foreign policy issues.

 Cecilia Joy-Pérez is an analyst with the research and advisory firm Pointe Bello. Her research focuses on the PRC’s global construction and investment projects. She was recently named as a 2020 Latino National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leader by New America.

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Regardless of the outcome, one of the narratives out of the 2020 election will be Donald Trump’s significant over-performance with Hispanic voters. Luis and Gil talk about their reactions to this development and answer audience questions. Was the surge in Latino support for Trump an affirmation of his candidacy, or a rejection of Joe Biden? What specific demographic groups within the Latino vote swung most heavily towards him in 2020? What regional differences account for disparities in party support among Latinos in Florida, Texas, Arizona, California, and beyond? What sorts of lessons can the GOP take from this improvement for future elections? We answer all of this and more in this special post-election episode. 

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Tim Carney joins Luis and Gil to discuss his perspective on the ideological divisions within the GOP, why Republicans have failed to win meaningful percentages of the national Latino vote, how alienation has affected GOP politics, the role of pluralism in American civil society, and why it is important to proactively exclude racists from conservative circles and how young conservatives can do so. After speaking with Tim, Luis and Gil share their thoughts on how to address issues surrounding race within conservatism and speculate about what the Republican party might look like after the election.

About the guest: Timothy P. Carney is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he works on economic competition, cronyism, civil society, localism, and religion in America. He is concurrently the commentary editor at the Washington Examiner. In addition to his Washington Examiner columns, Mr. Carney’s work has been published in a variety of magazines, websites, and newspapers, including The Atlantic, New York Post, The New York Times, Reason Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. His television appearances include CNBC, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and the “PBS NewsHour.”

Link to Alienated America: https://www.aei.org/research-products/book/alienated-america-why-some-places-thrive-while-others-collapse/

Link to Tim's op-ed, "Republicans talk of chasing the Hispanic vote, then they ignore it"

Link to Tim's op-ed, "It's time to create a conservative ecosystem that doesn't welcome racists"

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Geraldo Cadava joins Gil and Luis to discuss his new book, The Hispanic Republican. They discuss the history of Latinos in the GOP, key issues that matter to Hispanic Republicans, the relationship between Hispanic Republicans and Hispanic Democrats, why some Latinos haven't left the GOP during the Trump era, and how we can understand people who don't share our political views. Afterwards, Gil and Luis share their thoughts on Geraldo's book and answer an audience question about the Latino vote in California.

About the guest: Geraldo L. Cadava (Ph.D., Yale University, 2008) is a historian of the United States and Latin America. He focuses on Latinos in the United States and the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. Originally from Tucson, Arizona, he came to Northwestern after finishing degrees at Yale University (Ph.D., 2008) and Dartmouth College (B.A., 2000).

Link to The Hispanic Republican: https://www.amazon.com/Hispanic-Republican-American-Political-Identity/dp/006294634X

Link to Alex Nowrasteh piece mentioned in audience Q&A: https://www.cato.org/blog/proposition-187-turned-california-blue

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Gonzalo Schwarz joins Panorama to discuss the moral debates happening within economic policy as well as what can be done to increase economic opportunity and business dynamism in the United States. Afterwards, Luis and Gil talk about why liberals and conservatives often talk past each other when discussing economics and speculate about the policy implications of a more racially diverse Republican party.

About the guest: Gonzalo Schwarz is president and CEO of the Archbridge Institute, a newly established public policy think tank devoted to rekindling the American Dream by lifting barriers for upward mobility. Prior to that, Schwarz spent six years with Atlas Network, where he managed the awards and grants program, including the prestigious Fisher Memorial Award and Templeton Freedom Awards, as well as the Leveraging Indices for Free Enterprise Reform program, the Latin American Program, and the Sound Money Project. He holds a master’s degree in economics from George Mason University, and has also spent time working in both academics and other nonprofit organizations. Schwarz is originally from Uruguay, and he has lived in four other countries throughout his life. 

Julio Fuentes and Tammy Olivas join Panorama to talk with Gil and Luis about the critical issue of K-12 education. Julio and Tammy cover what school choice looks like in Florida and Wisconsin respectively, how they respond to common arguments around school choice, how they reach out to the Hispanic community, and also offer their insights as to why the Hispanic dropout rate is so high. Afterwards, Gil and Luis share their reactions and discuss similarities between country music and Latin genres.

About the guests:
Julio A. Fuentes is President and CEO of the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (FSHCC). Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves on the Step Up for Students’ Governance Board, the Board of Directors for Florida Kidcare, Chairman of Latin CEO, appointed by Former Gov. Charlie Crist as the Commissioner for A Blueprint for Juvenile Justice Reform, served on Gov. Rick Scott’s Education Transition Team, and appointed by former Presidential Candidate Gov. Mitt Romney’s Education Policy Committee. In addition, Florida Trend Magazine ranked Mr. Fuentes as one of Florida’s 100 Most Influential Leaders.  Mr. Fuentes resides in Wellington, Florida with his wife and two kids, Nicholas and Gabriella. 

Tammy Olivas is the outreach director of Hispanics for School Choice, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based advocacy organization that serves Hispanic families by informing them of their educational options and advocating for parents’ right to choose the school that best fits their needs. Under her leadership, Hispanics for School Choice has expanded its grassroots efforts throughout Wisconsin. In addition to her work in education, Olivas serves as consultant for the Institute of the Mexicans Abroad and is a Board Member of the Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation.