Dem
47
GOP
53
For those who don't speak the language, that literally means "Hopefully you'll dare to." The English phrase that probably comes closest to the intended meaning, however, is "Dare to dream." Oh, and "Ojalá Y Te Animes" is also the title of a popular song by Tejano-musician-turned-politician Bobby Pulido.
Pulido, as we have written several times, is in the middle of a pitched battle with Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX) for the right to represent the R+7 TX-15 in the next Congress. R+7 is a tall hill for any Democrat to climb, but with Pulido's celebrity, and with the current political climate, it's certainly within the realm of possibility.
Now, let us imagine a scenario. The year is 1964, and you are a young lady who was born in 1948, and are therefore planning your Sweet Sixteen party. Wouldn't it be quite the feat to somehow get Paul McCartney to drop in on the party and perform a few songs? Dare to dream, right? For a young Latina who was born in 2011, a pretty comparable equivalent would bt planning your quinceañera, and getting Pulido to drop in and perform a few of his hits. ¿Ojalá y te animes, verdad?
Well, for a few lucky young Latinas, the dream has become reality. In a sign that she is at least somewhat nervous, De La Cruz has made more than a few snotty remarks at Pulido's expense. And one of those was an observation that the election "isn't about who you want performing at your niece's quinceañera." Pulido decided to take those particular limones and make limonada. So, he's been showing up to quinceañera parties in his would-be district, and performing for the honorees and their friends. Thus far, he's done about a dozen of them.
Pulido makes sure to perform the guest of honor's favorites, and he also arrives armed with swag, like autographed pink hats that read "Make Quinceañeras Great Again." It's obviously a very nice gesture, and makes for a very memorable day for the honoree and her guests. It's also very politically shrewd. If Pulido shows up to YOUR quinceañera, you're likely going to wallpaper your social media with pictures and videos of his appearance. Those videos and pictures are going to reach a lot of voters who are not otherwise paying attention to politics, and will send the message that Pulido's deeply embedded in Latino culture, that he's not your average politician, and that he's a down-to-earth regular guy.
Pulido's got no shortage of opportunities to do as many of these appearances as he wants to do. When his campaign put out the call for invitations, they got 1,000 of them in the first 24 hours, and now the total is approaching 3,000. And it's not just quinceañera invitations, but also regular birthdays, graduations and even Bar Mitzvahs. We did not know there were enough Latino Jews in Texas to form a minyan, but apparently there are. Keep an eye on social media, maybe one day soon you can see videos of "Hava Nagila" performed in Spanish.
Have a good weekend, all! (Z)