Personally, there are some things about silly season that I like:
Obama also picks up the endorsement of Sonny Nardi, president of Teamsters Local 416, and an Ohio superdelegate.
UPDATE: See also this for more of a reggaeton vibe.
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¡Viva Obama!
22 Feb 2008 12:35 pm
Comments (35)
There's some discussion today that Obama might be on track to pull in upwards of $50M this month. That buys a goddamn lot of sombreros.
My God, when will this country wake up?
why don't i find this silly? I think it's wonderful as it expresses a political idea through a specific ethno-musical lense. great addition to all of the others.
Man, Matt Wright must get to retire early with all the royalties he's gotta be pulling in on that photo. Right? Right?
Looking at that Matt Wright photo, I feel, oddly enough, like I'm looking at a shot of Bob Dylan.
I don't think Obama himself is at heart a very complicated person; everything he says and writes is quite intelligible, and he seems down to earth
But Obama's persona and image has a Dylanesque quality to it: constantly transforming, metamorphosing, giving rise to waves of ecstasy among his fans which are occasionally followed by feelings of satiety and disappointment.
Yeah, but Clinton eats hot peppers to stay healthy and spend six months in South Texas thirty-five years ago, so this isn't going to work.
That video is oddly... good. It has a genuineness, a seeming authenticity, a likeable singer and good cameos; it's not really very cheesy. I like it, somehow I think it foretells good results for Obama among the Mexican-American community in Texas.
I like this video almost as much as the Yes-We-Can piece.
The song starts properly according to form, with a dedication and introduction (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrido for more about the Corrido):
Al candidado quien es Barack Obama
Este corrido se canto con el alma ...
(To the candidate who is Barack Obama, this corrido is sung with [the] soul)
The singer enunciates so beautifully that I can understand him (aided by the accompanying script), as he talks about battling (luchando) for Nuestra Gran Nacion. And health care! Familias unidas, seguras, y hasta con plan de salu (u-u-ud)!
Some of the bits I had to look up (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lograr!):
"Trabajando par' lograr una vision" -> working to realize a vision ..
I like Barack Obama because he has managed to make my policy and political views and preferences sing. Con el alma. It is a delight to have those same notes sing back in the distinctive rythms of El Valle del Rio Grande.
Great stuff, Matt, thanks for the reggaeton too.
I will shamelessly link to these excellent songs!
Lowkell has another great video posted from Eric Byler.
Something is happening when people all over the country start writing (good) songs about you.
Despite not speaking Spanish, I found this video absolutely delightful. I couldn't stop watching.
I loved it - possibly even more than the Yes We Can video. It also makes me want to learn Spanish!
And Clinton is already saying Texas doesn't count.
We do not want to be disenfranchising Michigan and Florida. We have to try to carry both of those states. I’d love to carry Texas, but it’s usually not in the electoral calculation for the Democratic nominee.
To be fair she doesn't say it doesn't count, but this is pretty condescending to Texas Democrats.
CG--it is perhaps worth noting that some of the Spanish-speaking population of Texas (and New Mexico, like native-son Cesar Chavez, and California) are from families which have lived in those places for many generations, so the term "Mexican-American" may not be quite right. Which is why I feel kinship with the singer when he croons about Nuestra Gran Nacion.
As far as the democrats carrying Texas goes, the demographics say that this will happen and can happen soon (remember Governor Richards??). Why not now?
Viva!
"Voté Marzo 4 por Obama"? The dumbass who edited this video doesn't know fourth grade grammar. This actually reads "I voted for Obama on March 4." What a joke.
Not surprising though, after stealing my peeps' "si se puede" -- never mind that UFM endorsed HRC -- I can no longer get pissed at Obama's ethnic opportunism. Irony of it all is that Obama adopted "yes we can" to reach out to Latinos, who have turned their backs on him, but ended up with a rallying call that yuppies and college kids drool all over. I guess they've watched braveheart too many times.
Most gringos will find this video "cute" and "ethnic." The same way Bush feels when he dances in Liberia. Good work Yglesias.
Absolutely loved the video. The song is great! Thanks Matt.
Israel,
What organization is the UFM? Offshoot of the UFW perhaps?
I was led in the chant Si Se Puede not by Cesar, but by his brother, at the dedication of Cesar Chavez Elementary School. The mural there depicts Cesar sitting under a tree, telling stories of peace, love, work and struggle in the Great Valley of California, to the children gathered at his feet.
This story, this struggle, and the songs and slogans of freedom, are not the property of any candidate faction or group. If they are, then the story ends, the struggle falters, and the singers fall silent.
Or we can together ensure that the march and song and story go on.
El pueblo unido jamas sera vencido.
Si se puede.
Viva.
--a Gringo. Excuse me if I mangle a language whose rhythms I love, if imperfectly.
Wow. I'm no expert on Mariachi groups, but these guys and gal(s) were good. The beauty of the singer's tone completely squelched any reaction I might have had to the underlying cheesiness. Bravo.
Con Plan de Salud!
Thanks for proving my point, Marcus.
Israel - I assume you are of Latino background? Can you explain why Latinos should not support Obama?
"Change you can Xerox?" - isn't that what Clinton is offering?? Hey check out this new pro-obama meme: http://obamawill.com
Israel,
I am trying to figure out what your point is.
Is your point that some Gringos have been inspired mightily by Cesar Chavez, and felt the same inspiration from the community organizer from Chicago? It is a good point.
Or perhaps your point is that the community organizer took some inspiration and even words not only from the preacher from Atlanta, but also from the great labor organizer and leader who emerged from the labor camps of California. That too is a good point.
Is your point that you resent our borrowings from Cesar Chavez, and that these borrowings have not been instantly appreciated by the Spanish-speakers of the west? The latter phrase is a good point; the first deserves, I suspect, some explanation.
I understand and respect the decisions of Dolores Huerta and the leadership of the UFW to endorse and support Hillary Clinton. As President, she would represent a vast improvement over what has come since there was last a Democrat in the White House. I might argue that Clinton, like that previous Democratic President, and like the Democratic Party in general, may have a bit of a tendency to take the Latino vote for granted, but a Gringo like me is perhaps not authoritative on that point.
As an aging California Democrat (alas, the "yuppie" tag fits me rather poorly)who lives in the Central Valley, I can hardly ignore the importance of the Latino vote; we win here when there is a strong alliance between "my peeps" and "your peeps", and lose otherwise. One of the most visible and popular democrats in my county is Sheriff Prieto; the mayor of our largest municipality, Chris Cabaldon, will easily be elected to the State Assembly if he beats the equally attractive Marika Yamada in the primary.
Texas will, one of these years, go Democratic, and when it does it will be the fruit of an alliance between the Latino population (spread across the state, but with particular strength in the Rio Grande Valley and San Antonio), the African American population (especially Houston and the rest of East Texas), and "my peeps" in the Peoples Republic of Austin. When that happens I predict a Governor whose last name ends in a "z." This event will happen when the members of the coalition turn out to vote in great numbers.
I support Obama because I think he has formed the kernel of a movement that is bringing our alliance to fruition.
Perhaps my judgement is faulty -- early-onset senility is always a danger, or perhaps I suffer from flashbacks of an overly-idealistic youth. But am I wrong to detect, and be puzzled by, your hostility to hands that reach out in memory of past battles, in friendship, and in hopes of approaching victories?
Marcus,
Ethnic opportunism my friend, and how many fall for it. I find this video opportunistic because because Obama's made a central feature of his strategy to run away from black and brown issues. Remember HRC telling Obama "this is a black and brown debate so let's discuss the issues"? Obama, petrified of becoming the "racial" candidate, ran away over and over. I wonder if MLK would have done that? But when it comes to putting the sombrero, hell, he looks so cool, even cooler than Bush trying to speak Spanish.
Latinos haven't fallen for Obama's co-opting of our si se puede, but other groups have, that's the irony, and the point of my previous post. That and to point out that the editor of the video is an idiot who can't write Spanish...
Israel,
I'm afraid I don't remember (nor to I particularly understand) the "black and brown debate" quote.
I for one was angry at Bill Clinton for trying to paint Obama as a racial candidate. Personally, I think that communalist policies (that is, based on the identity of communities within the larger polity) are often harmful and generally self-defeating, but maybe that's just me.
Finally, I think that we have improved the old Farmworker slogan by taking it out of the passive voice.
Si Podemos,
but excuse me if I get it wrong.
Marcus,
The Nevada debate. Read the transcript here.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/jan/15/debate-transcript/
Also, we're on the same page on this. I'm not less idealistic than you are. Just pointing out something that seems obvious to me. Obama's a savvy pol, not the messiah many make him out to be. HRC would be a much more effective president because she's willing to get dirty for the stuff that I care about. Prince Obama's above the fray, or so he tells me. So my idealism has to subside a bit and logic tells me HRC would be better for me, my family, and the country, starting with health care and education. Have a good weekend.
Israel,
I am certain that if we look hard enough we can find plenty of details to disagree about. Like, for example, who will be a more effective president in getting things done that are good for ourselves, our families, our communities, and our country. And probably we won't agree on every detail of what *is* good for each of us (on one particular detail, I lean toward Hillary on the question of health-care mandates, but really think the whole private-insurance paradigm is dumb and think single-payer ends up a superior system).
But disagreement on the policy details, or on the identity of the flag-bearer, need not interfere with the success of the campaign.
Peace, friend. Let's enjoy 2008, run these crooks and charlatans out of office, and push some policies that help, rather than hurting, our people.
You have a good weekend too!
While I am hijacking the thread...
Israel had two particular policy issue areas: health care and education.
On the latter point, I wonder what the positions of Senators Obama and Clinton have been on the DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act). I would like to see that a priority in a filibuster-proof Senate. In general, we surely want the population that is living here to be as highly skilled and educated as possible, with a stake in the Dream.
I like that Obama is pledging a tax credit for tuition expenditures, and is talking about it in his speeches.
There is another part of the puzzle which must be addressed at the state level: if we can bring college education within financial reach of more young people, the (public) university system must be able to serve them.
In California, of all places, this is a problem. Yes, there is new brick-and-mortar at UC Merced, but throughout the public system (community colleges, CSU, and UC) there are shortages of classrooms and teachers, which make it difficult for students to maintain ordinary progress. Will the additional financial support, passed from the Federal government through the tax credits to the universities, be sufficient and adequately timed to relieve these constraints? Or must the states act too?
I used to be an Obama supporter, but since 9/11, I'm outraged by typos.
Well, since it takes either inserting a symbol or using an alt code to get a letter with an accent on it typed (using a standard English keyboard), I don't think it was accidental. Also, looks to me like the "Voté Marzo 4 por Barack Obama" was added after the video was produced, like the city names which pop up over the guy's face. So amigosdeobama.com may not be responsible for that typo. However, there were also words in the subtitles missing accents. I really don't think it's a big deal. I've known native speakers who make more errors with accents than I do.
Since I feel like it: Here's a (rough) line by line translation. Spanish line first, translation beneath.
Al candidato quien es Barack Obama
To the candidate Barack Obama
Este corrido le canto con el alma
I sing to you this corrido with my soul
Humilde fue nacido, tambien sin pretención
Humble he was born, also without pretension
Empezó por las calles de Chicago
He started in the streets of Chicago
Trabajando pa' lograr una visión
Working to achieve a vision
Pa' proteger la gente trabajadora
To protect the working people
Y traernos todos juntos
And to bring us all together
En esta gran nación
In this great nation
Viva Obama! Viva! Viva Obama! Viva!
Familias unidas, seguras y hasta con plan de salud
Families united, safe, and with a healthcare plan
Viva Obama! Viva! Viva Obama! Viva!
Un candidato luchando por nuestra nación
A candidate fighting for our nation
Nada importa si eres de San Antonio
It doesn't matter if you're from San Antonio
Nada importa si eres de Corpus Christi
It doesn't matter if you're from Corpus Christi
De Dallas o Del Valle
From Dallas or El Valle
De Houston o Del Paso
From Houston or El Paso
Lo que importa es que votemos por Obama
What is important is that we vote for Obama
Porque su lucha tambien es nuestra lucha
Because his fight is also our fight
Y hoy que tenemos la urgencia
And today we have the urgency (or we have the feeling of urgency)
Para un cambio, vamos todos unidos
For a change, let's go all of us united
Con nuestro gran amigo
With our great friend
[Coro]
Chorus
I'm not a native speaker myself, so there could be some errors or overly literal interpretations in the translation. Be nice to it, please.
Well, since it takes either inserting a symbol or using an alt code to get a letter with an accent on it typed (using a standard English keyboard), I don't think it was accidental. Also, looks to me like the "Voté Marzo 4 por Barack Obama" was added after the video was produced, like the city names which pop up over the guy's face. So amigosdeobama.com may not be responsible for that typo. However, there were also words in the subtitles missing accents. I really don't think it's a big deal. I've known native speakers who make more errors with accents than I do.
Since I feel like it: Here's a (rough) line by line translation. Spanish line first, translation beneath.
Al candidato quien es Barack Obama
To the candidate Barack Obama
Este corrido le canto con el alma
I sing to you this corrido with my soul
Humilde fue nacido, tambien sin pretención
Humble he was born, also without pretension
Empezó por las calles de Chicago
He started in the streets of Chicago
Trabajando pa' lograr una visión
Working to achieve a vision
Pa' proteger la gente trabajadora
To protect the working people
Y traernos todos juntos
And to bring us all together
En esta gran nación
In this great nation
Viva Obama! Viva! Viva Obama! Viva!
Familias unidas, seguras y hasta con plan de salud
Families united, safe, and with a healthcare plan
Viva Obama! Viva! Viva Obama! Viva!
Un candidato luchando por nuestra nación
A candidate fighting for our nation
Nada importa si eres de San Antonio
It doesn't matter if you're from San Antonio
Nada importa si eres de Corpus Christi
It doesn't matter if you're from Corpus Christi
De Dallas o Del Valle
From Dallas or El Valle
De Houston o Del Paso
From Houston or El Paso
Lo que importa es que votemos por Obama
What is important is that we vote for Obama
Porque su lucha tambien es nuestra lucha
Because his fight is also our fight
Y hoy que tenemos la urgencia
And today we have the urgency (or we have the feeling of urgency)
Para un cambio, vamos todos unidos
For a change, let's go all of us united
Con nuestro gran amigo
With our great friend
[Coro]
Chorus
I'm not a native speaker myself, so there could be some errors or overly literal interpretations in the translation. Be nice to it, please.
Awesome!
This illustrates what a lot of the old (and young) fogies just don't get about Obama: he's actually fun. Is it such a crime to enjoy going to a political rally for once? I know, I know, these KIDS with their funny haircuts and weird music! What will they think of next!
and check out the Date Farmers' poster for Obama, currently going up in Tejas!
http://www.laobserved.com/echopark/2008/02/obama_for_texas.php
It's nice that a constituency that has been scapegoated so much lately can get a voice out there and not get tarred and feathered.
I would just like to point out, in case it hasn't been mentioned, this was NOT put out by the Obama campaign. It was made independently.
So, not so much with the BHO and opportunism, I'm afraid.
Please take a look at the video I made.
It's called "Viva Obama - The Ohio Remix":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YPdjGvsJSI
Comments closed March 07, 2008.
| 
Heads in the Sand
Obama is your Margarita! With Salt!
Obama is your Chile Relleno!
Obama es no Tex Mex! Obama es Mex Tex!
Posted by Davebo | February 22, 2008 12:46 PM