Audio By Carbonatix
In the desperate fight to snag Hispanic voters in Miami-Dade — a battle that could easily swing Florida, and thus the presidency — Romney’s campaign has decided to pull out the oldest trick in the GOP handbook: Tying Obama to Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara.
It’s ridiculous, of course, but if Obama catches the ad he’ll probably wish Chavez had kept his mouth shut instead of offering his endorsement.
The Miami Herald has translated the meat of the ad, in case your Spanish isn’t up to it:
Will you step up to support New Times this year?
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If Miami New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
NARRATOR: Who supports Barack Obama?
CHAVEZ: “If I were American, I’d vote for Obama.”NARRATOR: Raúl Castro’s daughter, Mariela Castro, would vote for Obama.
CASTRO: “I would vote for President Obama.”
NARRATOR: And to top it off, Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency sent emails for Hispanic Heritage month with a photo of Che Guevara.
CHAVEZ: “If Obama were from Barlovento (a Venezuelan town), he’d vote for Chávez.”
Sure, the ad does point out one semi-legit flap — when Obama’s EPA briefly sent out fliers that included a pic of Che Guevara.
But Obama can’t exactly help it that Hugo Chavez or Raul Castro’s daughter have offered endorsements. (Just ask some other Latin American leaders how trying to get Chavez to quiet down has worked out.)
As key as Hispanic votes will be to this campaign, in the end this skeezy ad probably won’t matter much. Obama’s already trailing among Cuban voters in Dade by 76 to 19 percent.
The real question is whether he can turn out enough other Hispanics in Dade and Florida at large — particularly Democrat-leaning Puerto Ricans in Central Florida — to combat Romney’s Cuban edge in Miami.
Follow Miami New Times on Facebook and Twitter @MiamiNewTimes.
