Activist Ayensa Millan Delivers the Democratic Hispanic Radio Address
February 22, 2008
Ayensa Millan, a 24 year old community activist and DNC State Party Partnership staffer in Arizona, will deliver the Democratic Hispanic Radio Address this Saturday. Millan will discuss her impressions from meeting with Hispanic voters in Arizona and their disappointment with Senator John McCain's betrayal on the issue of immigration and his promise of a third term of George W. Bush's failed policies.
Millan immigrated to the United States at age 17 to be reunited with her mother after years of separation, and succeeded academically finishing high school in the top 4% of her class and graduating Magna Cum Laude from Arizona State University with dual Bachelor's Degrees in Political Science and Psychology. Millan spent a year helping low income and middle class families facing foreclosure due to predatory lending schemes as part of community service for AmeriCorps. She Chairs the LULAC Social Justice Committee locally, is an Executive Member of the National Alumni Advisory Board for AmeriCorps, and is an active member of Somos America, a coalition for immigrant and human rights.
Millan's work through the DNC's State Partnership program focuses on Hispanic outreach and empowering the Hispanic community to participate in our democracy.
The audio of the address will be heard through local Univisión Radio, Latino Broadcasting Company, Radio Fórmula, Radiovisa, Radio Bilingüe, and CNN en Español Radio affiliates after 11:06 a.m. ET on Saturday.
The audio can be downloaded using the following link:
http://www.democrats.org/page/-/audio/radio_addresses/20080222%20Millan.mp3
Translated Text in English
Good morning, my name is Ayensa Millan, and I serve as a state party partnership staffer for the Democratic National Committee working with the Hispanic community in Arizona, and working in my free time on behalf of immigrant and human rights and social justice.
Interacting with Hispanic voters on a daily basis, I've seen first hand the shock and disappointment from voters who thought they knew their Senator, John McCain. But during this presidential campaign, they have seen who he really is: a candidate willing to do anything to win, even if it means compromising on his own principles. Senator McCain's betrayal on immigration reform is particularly notable. Pressured by the far right, McCain refused to sponsor comprehensive immigration reform, largely avoiding meetings on the issue in the Senate. At a recent debate he admitted he would vote against the bill he once sponsored, and as of August, Senator McCain put his name on another bill that includes no path to citizenship, and that would make undocumented immigrants criminals by changing the law to make it a misdemeanor.
The fact is John McCain is scrambling to pander to the far right of his party, and Hispanics have taken notice. Not trusted even by his own party's base, McCain made it clear to the Dallas Morning News this week that his campaign ahead of the Texas primary on March 4th is "more about unifying the GOP" than anything else. McCain told the newspaper that he was confident he would prove himself to "social conservatives."
From what I'm seeing, he has proven to be an agent of the far right already. Besides his betrayal on immigration reform, Senator McCain has embraced President Bush's failed policies on everything from the war in Iraq to the economy, and has turned his back on other issues he once argued for, like campaign finance reform. This week we got an ugly look at McCain's hypocrisy, when new details about his closeness to lobbyists emerged, raising memories of the Keating Five scandal, but leaving new questions unanswered about what he may or may not have done for that lobbyist's clients. Of course those questions may neve be answered given that McCain's closest advisers, those running his campaing, also happen to be lobbyists.
And McCain's promise of a third Bush term could not be more troubling for the Hispanic community. McCain's willingness to spend 100 years in Iraq, to continue the Bush Administration's failed economic policies that have led to record deficits, his opposition to universal health care and support for the president's veto of health insurance for children, and his failure to offer a plan for families at risk of losing their homes are all clear indicators that we cannot trust him with our votes.
Just this week we saw a very different scene when the two remaining Democratic candidates debated in Texas, and dealt honestly and openly with the real issues that most affect our families. As they've done throughout this campaign, the Democratic candidates addressed issues like health care, how to strengthen our economy so that it works for everyone, comprehensive immigration reform, and bringing our troops home from Iraq.
That's the kind of leadership we deseve, but it's up to us to get there. We're already seeing record turnout for the Democratic candidates in every state, and record participation from Hispanics on the Democratic side. We can make the difference, and change our country.
When it mattered most we couldn't count on John McCain. When it matters most, let's make our voices heard.
This is Ayensa Millan for the Democratic Party, thank you for listening.
