Colorado Progressive

I see a little bit of buzz on Facebook this morning about Obama’s recent cameo with George Lopez in a promo for Lopez’s new show. Not everyone I’m reading in the FB comments is impressed.

A couple quick reactions:

1. First, that’s funny. That’s very funny. I’d check the show out if I had cable.
2. Lopez must have endorsed Obama, right? Right.
3. Take the clip in the larger context of Lopez reaching out to make Latino culture and humor mainstream in the United States (clearly emphasized in the talk time on The View). Now take Barack Obama as the candidate who took 67% of the Latino vote in 2008, according to exit polls–see here and especially here–which included a 14% jump in Latino votes for the Democratic party. A mere 4 years earlier, Latinos went 53% for Kerry, 44% for Bush. We remember how that election turned out, right?
4. Now consider a more current context: “Obama, the GOP, and the Latino vote.” Also consider Does a Vote Against Sotomayor = a Vote Against Latinos?. And finally, consider Sotomayor Fight Eroding What’s Left of Latino Support for GOP? Notice any trends?
5. To go back to “Obama, the GOP, and the Latino vote,” Mark Murray invokes Tom Edsall: Obama’s numbers are down significantly with among Americans, but not among Hispanics or African Americans. The GOP can erode white approval for Obama–disapproval of the incumbent is built into our election machine–but they’ll also have to really get out the vote among disgruntled whites in 2012. Recently, that strategy hasn’t worked for the GOP. Obama already has an epic GOTV effort in place, and every now and again it doesn’t hurt to keep the pump primed.

Obviously, the President of the United States has more pressing items on his agenda than to shill for a late night comedian. I haven’t found any info on when the promo was shot, but it’s not as if the president skipped out on the health care debate in order to go make a commercial. If you’re worried about priorities, relax. The president seems to be working pretty hard and not shying away from tough fights.

If Lopez isn’t your cup of tea, that’s another issue, and I have no bones with it. I haven’t seen his show. But we can all recognize that he appeals to an influential population of American voters.

All of us who enjoyed seeing Obama ride to victory in a watershed election have to take a step back and create a little room for the president, to, well, keep campaigning. In 2-3 years (or less) when a reelection campaign is already underway, we’ll think little of appearances like this. I’m not advocating for the president to go campaign already. Just think of his appearance with Lopez as something of a 2008 campaign promise kept, and a downpayment on the next big election.