As he spoke across the state, blazing crosses would erupt on hills nearby. Pointing to them, he would denounce the Klan and reprimand Republicans for their shameful silence on the issue. But the difference between then and now is that today's Democratic strategy has an ideological edge. As liberal philosopher Richard Rorty has pointed out, hopelessness has become fashionable on the political left. Pessimism is often mistaken for compassion.
Cynicism can sometimes pass for serious political thought.
The conundrum of contemporary Latino politics is that the national Democratic political elite is less hopeful about the future of Latinos in America than Latinos are about themselves. The only way this is ever going to change is if enough Latino Democrats break ranks and scare the party into refining its message or if prominent Latino politicos challenge their party's vision. Two years ago in Chicago, a cadre of young Mexican American advocates did just that. Convinced that the portrayal of Latinos as pawns in the hands of a hostile majority was more oppressive than empowering, three Latino advocacy organizations, with the support of leading Democratic Alderman Danny Solis, conspired to change the way Latinos were treated in Chicago politics. The old boogeyman strategy doesn't get us anywhere, anymore.