To answer the question why so many Hispanics are now voting for Republicans, NBC tasked Paola Ramos to make a Peacock docuseries and on Wednesday’s Jose Diaz-Balart on MSNBC, Ramos was able to report back an answer: disinformation, toxic culture wars, and being paranoid about socialism and communism.
After guest host Chris Jansing invited her to talk about the socialism angle, Ramos declared, “Chris, that's the story we heard in 2020. You know, that is the familiar story, this idea that what drove many Latina voters towards Trumpism in 2020 was this fear of socialism, but what we found now, two years later, is that the way that this country is being polarized, right? With the disinformation, with these really, really, really toxic culture wars, with the extremism, all of that is feeding off that fear of socialism and communism.”
More specifically, these voters are concerned about what goes on in schools, “I think what was striking was the way that's playing out in the classrooms, right? You—you—you-- see many Latina moms that perhaps in the sidelines for many years, we found many that were apolitical, we found many that used to be Obama supporters, former Democrats, and now, because of these culture wars, paired with this fear of socialism, they're—they’re-- awake. They're in the school board meetings, right?”
For Ramos, it is not just that these voters are afraid, it is “their paranoia is that this idea of communism is infiltrating the classrooms and that is sort of the new Latina voter that I'm starting to see in Florida.”
The reference to Florida allowed Jansing to cue up a video from the series. In the video, Ramos led with a false description of the state’s anti-Critical Race Theory law, “When Republican Governor Ron DeSantis announced his plan to stop Florida kids from learning too much about America's history with race and racism he brought special guests.”
The rest of the clip highlighted one of those guests, activist Eulalia Jimenez. Back in studio, Jansing observed, “It's so interesting when I covered the governor's race in Virginia, obviously a Republican won, it’s similar to what I heard, although sometimes when we talk about Florida we think that's another whole country in and of itself.”
Ramos agreed, accusing “these Latina moms” of “regurgitating many of the same talking points” because “they’re anti-Critical Race Theory, they’re anti-LGBTQ issues being taught in schools, they’re anti-COVID protections. I think the added layer in Florida is again, goes back to that fear of socialism.”
After reporting that Jiminez’s parents fled communist Cuba and that she “literally took her kids out of the classrooms because she was paranoid that the ‘communism’ agenda, she uses the word agenda, was pushed into the classrooms,” Ramos concluded, “So, when you pair these culture wars with that fear of communism, that combination, I think, is again, a different trend that you're starting to see in Florida and it woke up people like Eulalia.”
It is not part of a toxic culture warring to be concerned about the Democratic Party’s hard left plunge into racial politics and not paranoia to be concerned about the left’s increasing willingness to self-identify as socialists.
This segment was sponsored by Walgreens.
Here is a transcript for the June 1 show:
MSNBC Jose Diaz-Balart Reports
6/1/2022
10:44 AM ET
CHRIS JANSING: What I have seen of it, there are so many snippets of what I would call revelation. One of them is a guy who said, socialism. Right. Socialist, socialist, socialist. Talk a little about that?
PAOLA RAMOS: Chris, that's the story we heard in 2020. You know, that is the familiar story, this idea that what drove many Latina voters towards Trumpism in 2020 was this fear of socialism, but what we found now, two years later, is that the way that this country is being polarized, right? With the disinformation, with these really, really, really toxic culture wars, with the extremism, all of that is feeding off that fear of socialism and communism.
I think what was striking was the way that's playing out in the classrooms, right? You—you—you-- see many Latina moms that perhaps in the sidelines for many years, we found many that were apolitical, we found many that used to be Obama supporters, former Democrats, and now, because of these culture wars, paired with this fear of socialism, they're—they’re-- awake. They're in the school board meetings, right?
They’re disrupting the school board meetings and that is because in, they not only believe in these traditional values, but now their paranoia is that this idea of communism is infiltrating the classrooms and that is sort of the new Latina voter that I'm starting to see in Florida.
JANSING: I think we have another piece, a sound from the series. Let's—let’s-- take a listen.
RAMOS: When Republican Governor Ron DeSantis announced his plan to stop Florida kids from learning too much about America's history with race and racism he brought special guests.
RON DESANTIS: Alright, Eulalia, where are you?
EULALIA JIMENEZ: Right here. Thank you, governor, thank you so much.
DESANTIS: Thank you.
JIMENEZ: You can butcher my name any time. Good morning. First, I am grateful to God--
RAMOS: Eulalia Jimenez, the leader of the Miami Moms for Liberty, is part of the rightward shift in the Latina electorate, she’s also an ally of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and a big support of his Stop Woke Act which restricted discussions of race in workplaces and schools.
JIMENEZ: Remember, a lot of things with kids, especially the younger kids, happen subliminally. Work sheets have them, you know, where there's certain words, slavery, you know, black history, certain keywords that are constantly, I'm not talking about one day or one week or one month, it is a constant display of this. That's an agenda in itself.
JANSING: It's so interesting when I covered the governor's race in Virginia, obviously a Republican won, it’s similar to what I heard, although sometimes when we talk about Florida we think that's another whole country in and of itself.
RAMOS: Completely. And I think that's the key. It is very similar, right? What lot of these Latina moms are saying, they’re regurgitating many of the same talking points you probably heard in Virginia. They’re anti-Critical Race Theory, they’re anti-LGBTQ issues being taught in schools, they’re anti-COVID protections. I think the added layer in Florida is again, goes back to that fear of socialism.
Someone like Eulalia Jimenez, who you just saw on the screen, her parents fled communist Cuba. She literally took her kids out of the classrooms because she was paranoid that the “communism” agenda, she uses the word agenda, was pushed into the classrooms. So, when you pair these culture wars with that fear of communism, that combination, I think, is again, a different trend that you're starting to see in Florida and it woke up people like Eulalia. The interesting thing, Governor DeSantis, as you saw, is in very close contact with people like Eulalia.
