The politics of espanol

It's difficult to blame Villaraigosa for accepting the party's offer of a national television platform. Yet the mayor's Spanish-language address did play into the misconception that Latinos are an undifferentiated -- and permanently foreign -- mass. Indeed, you have to wonder if Villaraigosa explained to his party's bosses the nuances of Mexican American linguistic and cultural assimilation. Although the use of Spanish persists longer among Mexican Americans than native languages in most other immigrant groups, the shift to English is inexorable. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, by the third generation 71% of Mexican American children speak only English.

Those who are bilingual still tend to have a superior grasp of English. And so it is with Villaraigosa, who is third generation on his mother's side. It's one thing to be a fully bilingual politician, such as New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who gave the Democrats' Spanish-language response in 2004; it's another to play one on TV.

Why is it so important for Americans to understand all this? Because as long as national institutions accept the portrayal of Latinos as residing permanently outside the U.S. mainstream, they don't feel obligated to fully integrate them. While the up-and-coming Anglo governor from Virginia is invited to address a national audience in English, a rising Mexican American politician from the most populous state in the union gets to speak to a tiny sliver of the electorate in Spanish. There is nothing wrong with Spanish-language outreach, but it should not be mistaken for true inclusiveness. Indeed, narrowly targeted outreach, without true integration, is tantamount to ethnic marginalization.

Starting with his broad-based electoral victory over Jim Hahn, Villaraigosa has for the most part done an admirable job of living up to his pledge to be "a mayor for all Los Angeles." In fact, his administration is more reflective of old-fashioned Democratic inclusiveness than is the contemporary party. But what do you expect from an organization that talks big about diversity, then selects Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont -- more than 95% white and native-born -- to lead it into the multiracial 21st century?