Maybe there’s hope for liberals after all. They knew enough to be offended by Joseph P. Kennedy III’s decision to address the so-called Dreamers in Spanish at one point during his response to President Trump’s State of the Union address. Many felt the congressman was pandering. What’s more — and worse — is that his Spanish evidently stinks.
Via The Daily Caller’s Amber Athey:
Multiple people noted that it could be “condescending” to assume that DACA recipients do not speak English and need to be addressed in Spanish.
“News alert: dreamers speak more English than Spanish,” Father Jonathan Morris tweeted. “They came here as kids.”
https://twitter.com/fatherjonathan/status/958722071177068544
Several people pointed out an unwitting bias on Kennedy’s part:
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
Also, not all dreamers are from Spanish speaking countries. The one thing they have in common? No, they are not all soldier-hero-first responder-teachers. No, they are all just Americans in legal jeopardy because of a technicality. https://t.co/BERAkEr3vS
— Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) January 31, 2018
Really appreciated @joekennedy's response to #SOTU.
However, even though most DACA recipients are from Latin America, specifically Mexico, not everyone speaks Spanish. Let's not forget undocumented Black, Asian and White DACA recipients and DREAMers. Inclusivity means just that.
— Jose Antonio Vargas (@joseiswriting) January 31, 2018
You can imagine the reaction to a Republican having slipped in that manner.
Perhaps the unkindest cut of all for a panderer is to be told that his pandering is lame:
My mom whose first language was Spanish is rolling on the ground about Kennedy's Spanish. "His Spanish wasn't good."
— Kirsten Fleming (@KirFlem) January 31, 2018
