The face of the American voter has changed dramatically. With the growth of the Latino population in the United States, there has developed a voting block with the potential to determine the outcome of elections throughout the nation. Hispanics in America, both native-born as well as newly arrived immigrants, will forever alter the way this country votes, and even how the nation views itself.
With its staggering population of close to 40 million and growing, Latinos became the largest minority in America in 2003. The monumental effect Hispanics will have on all areas of American culture, especially politics, will be acutely felt as the road to the 2004 presidential election heats up.
Ramos argues that the political party that can correctly understand the wants and needs of Hispanics will triumph in most elections throughout the country, pushing forward that party's agenda and solidifying its hold on power.
Yet, do Hispanics vote as a block? What issues are important to Latinos? And are these issues really that different from non-Latino Americans? In The Latino Wave, Jorge Ramos deftly clarifies these points, among many others.
With interviews from the nation's Latino political luminaries, as well as fieldwork interviews with Hispanics living across the entirety of the United States, Ramos shows just who these New Americans really are. By outlining what political issues are important to them, Ramos underscores why America should care about bridging the gap of misunderstanding that exists between Latinos and non-Latinos alike, during this, the most divisive presidential election the country has witnessed in decades.
