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Spanish Lesson
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Richardson, the best Spanish speaker of any serious presidential candidate ever, takes care not to overdo it. He doesn't want to appear too Hispanic, just enough to let the right people know that he actually is Hispanic. "It's tough for guys like 'Richardson' to be Latinos," he jokes. He says: "I'm not running as a Hispanic candidate, but I'm trying to convince Hispanics that I am Hispanic, and they don't know."
When Democrats assert the primacy of English, they place their emphasis on what's in it for Latinos: English is the language of getting ahead.
"If I'm out there and I'm talking to anybody in this country, I would say become English-proficient," says Rep. Charlie Gonzalez (D-Tex.). "It's part of the assimilating process, which I think is very important."
But he draws a line: "I totally disagree with 'English first, English only, English is the official language.' " he says. "Those are really code words for something else."
Talking the Talk
It is not yet 8 a.m. and four members of Congress are practicing the sound of the Spanish letter "g," reciting words in a bashful chorus conducted by their tutor, who stands at an easel in the Cannon House Office Building.
" . . . Gato, general, guerra, gigante . . . "
The sharp Worcester brogue of Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), the soft Houston honey of Rep. Gene Green (D-Tex.) and the more unassuming accents of Reps. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) meet somewhere in Mexico, more or less.
" . . . Guitarra, gusto, bilingüe, Nicaragua . . . "
Newt Gingrich, they are not. But they are trying.
"In my district, I have a growing Latino population," McGovern says, outside of class. "I felt I could be a better congressman if I could, if not master, at least be more familiar with the language."
A more advanced class meets weekly in a conference room in the Capitol.
"I want to get past '¡Sí se puede!' " says Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). "My district is increasingly Hispanic. . . . Little by little, I've been able to say short little speeches off the cuff in Spanish." She also has delivered the Hispanic Radio Address.
