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CNN Saturday Morning News
Bush to Deliver Radio Address in Spanish, English
Aired May 05, 2001 - 09:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush plans to give the nation a lesson in Spanish today as Mexicans and many Spanish- Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
CNN White House correspondent Kelly Wallace joining us with details on that.
Good morning, Kelly.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
Well, it will be a first for a U.S. president, President Bush, to deliver his weekly radio address in Spanish as well as in English. Not to be outdone, however, the Democrats plan to deliver their weekly response to the president also in Spanish and English. So you might ask, what is driving these bilingual radio responses?
Well, the numbers. The nation's Hispanic population grew by about 60 percent over the last decade, and that means that Hispanics now rival African-Americans as the nation's largest minority group. And so the Democrats and the Republicans are trying to reach out.
For his part, as you mentioned, Miles, Mr. Bush hosted the first- ever Cinco de Mayo celebration at the White House yesterday, complete with mariachi bands and Mexican food. Also on hand, the president's nephew, George P. Bush, whose mother is Mexican-American, and who, during the presidential campaign, tried to court Hispanic voters for his uncle.
The president spoke of the relationship he is cultivating with Mexican President Vicente Fox, and he also spoke about the strong ties between the two countries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States and Mexico now share ties of history, familia, values, commerce, and culture. We are more united in friendship and common purpose than ever before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: Now, Mr. Bush fared much better with Hispanic voters than previous Republican presidential candidates. He captured about 31 to 35 percent of the Latino vote. Those results, combined with the president's effort to reach out to Hispanic voters during his presidency, have gotten the attention of the Democratic Party. And that is why the Democrats are taking this rather unprecedented step, launching some television ads so far in advance of next year's elections.
Take a listen to a portion of this ad, which is now going to be appearing on Spanish television stations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE AD)
ANNOUNCER: George W. Bush...
ANNOUNCER: (speaks in Spanish)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And the Democrats charge that the president's reaching out to Hispanics is hollow. They believe that it's more about symbolism than substance. And so basically the courting of the Hispanic voters has begun, as we mentioned, a year and a half before the midterm elections, and, Miles, three and a half years before the next presidential election.
Back to you.
O'BRIEN: All right, hasta la vista, Kelly Wallace.
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