Why Spanish is the favored new language of politics

Found this article from Bill Mahr's blog

If you could actually speak spanish well enough to give a complete speach in spanish, or to have a conversation in spanish, then more power to you, but if you think spanish-speakers will relate better to you because you can speak a prepared phrase in spanish, then you'll come accross as patronizing.

"For both parties, to grow the base of support is going to depend on their public policies," says Tatcho Mindiola, associate professor of sociology and director of the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Houston. "That is far more important than whether you can say a few phrases phonetically in Spanish."