Panorama: on politics, Latinos, and conservatism Gil Guerra & Luis Parrales

 AEI's Campus Exchange and the Panorama Podcast (panoramapodcast.org) present this conversation from the Future of Hispanic Politics virtual conference just in time to register for our first in-person National Student Conference on Hispanic Politics! The American Enterprise Institute’s Academic Programs department is proud to partner with the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute and Florida International University for a program that is open to undergraduate students from all political and ethnic backgrounds. Learn more and apply here by September 12th: https://www.aei.org/national-student-hispanic-conference/

What does integrity in political leadership look like? How do we commit to truth in political and social life? Welcome to the new academic year and Season 2 of the Campus Exchange! Former Congressman Carlos Curbelo joins the Academic Programs team to share his insights from his time in public service. In the next decade Hispanic politicians, community activists, and business leaders are poised to influence the American political and social landscape. What sort of issues will this generation of leaders focus on? How might they shake up our current understanding of partisanship and polarization? And what lessons can they learn from leaders that came before them? All this and more in this special crossover episode.

In this bonus episode, Gil and Luis return to discuss recent developments and debates surrounding the establishment of a Smithsonian museum for Latino history. After presenting the conservative arguments for and against the museum, the conversation turns to the broader implications the museum has for Latino and American identity.

Relevant articles:

Sen. Mike Lee on his opposition to the establishment of a Smithsonian museum for Latino or women's history: https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/10/politics/mike-lee-smithsonian/index.html

Mike Gonzalez on why we don't need a national museum of Latino history: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/we-dont-need-a-national-latino-museum/2016/09/23/7f5a0308-7f59-11e6-9070-5c4905bf40dc_story.html

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen on why we should have a museum of Latino history: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/15/opinion/national-latino-museum.html

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In the season finale of Panorama, Gil and Luis talk with Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the first Latina elected to Congress. They discuss her nickname for Carlos Curbelo, why she is a conservative, stories from her congressional career, recent GOP gains with women and Latinos, what sort of messaging the GOP can employ going forward to continue improving with Latinos, the importance of a Smithsonian Museum for American Latinos, and why polarization has worsened as well as how to maintain friendships across the aisle. Afterwards, Gil and Luis reflect on the season and discuss their takeaways.

About the guest: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen served in the U.S. House of Representatives for thirty years as the member from Florida's 27th district. Her tenure marked many firsts: She was the first Latina elected to Congress, the first Cuban American, and the first Republican woman to represent Florida in the House. During her career she served as the  Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and led on issues like the environment, LGBT rights, and foreign policy. She is currently a Senior Advisor at Akin Gump LLP.

Ileana's op-eds mentioned in this episode:
"Where Is the Smithsonian Museum for American Latinos?"- New York Times
"The key to winning the Cuban American vote."- Boston Globe

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Linda Chavez joins Luis and Gil to talk about assimilation, immigration policy, and the growth of Latino conservatism in the United States. Linda discusses her autobiography and the experiences that made her a conservative, the divisions over immigration policy within the GOP, anxieties over assimilation, what identity politics gets wrong, why Donald Trump improved among Latino voters, and how young people can work to overcome polarization. Afterwards, Gil and Luis discuss the difficulty of defining Latino identity and talk about the possible electoral shift happening in American politics.

About the guest: Linda Chavez is a commentator and syndicated columnist who has served in two presidential administrations. Chavez has also authored several books, including Out of the Barrio: Toward a New Politics of Hispanic Assimilation and An Unlikely Conservative: The Transformation of an Ex-Liberal . In 2000, Chavez was honored by the Library of Congress as a "Living Legend" for her contributions to America's cultural and historical legacy. In January 2001, Chavez was President George W. Bush's nominee for Secretary of Labor until she withdrew her name from consideration.

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In this episode, Cecilia Joy-Pérez joins Luis and Gil to talk about the trajectory of U.S.-China relations, how the Belt and Road Initiative has shaped Chinese influence abroad, why Chinese outbound investment has dropped, the ramifications of the One Child policy, and how to reach across the aisle on foreign policy issues.

 Cecilia Joy-Pérez is an analyst with the research and advisory firm Pointe Bello. Her research focuses on the PRC’s global construction and investment projects. She was recently named as a 2020 Latino National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leader by New America.

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Regardless of the outcome, one of the narratives out of the 2020 election will be Donald Trump’s significant over-performance with Hispanic voters. Luis and Gil talk about their reactions to this development and answer audience questions. Was the surge in Latino support for Trump an affirmation of his candidacy, or a rejection of Joe Biden? What specific demographic groups within the Latino vote swung most heavily towards him in 2020? What regional differences account for disparities in party support among Latinos in Florida, Texas, Arizona, California, and beyond? What sorts of lessons can the GOP take from this improvement for future elections? We answer all of this and more in this special post-election episode. 

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