The Centrist Speaks: American Truths: 5 Reasons Why What You Know about Latino Voters is All Wrong #Trump

PHOTO: blogsouthwest.com

I am here to enlighten some folks, mainly those running for president, about the Latino voter. This year, the year of the GOP circus and the march of the white-haired Dem Boomers, there has been a lot said about Latinos in our country. From anchor babies to welfare recipients to Clinton's condescending comparison to my abuela, it is easy to see that almost every presidential candidate has about zero knowledge about the Latino voter.

1. Latinos are not monolithic voters

What this means is that we don't all vote D or R on election day. (Oh, and yes we are voting legally for those who still think that Latino means illegal). The Mexican block usually votes Democrat and the Cubanos usually vote Republican, but the rest are a toss-up, and even those voting blocks are not secure.

2. We are listening and we are watching

Not meaning to be creepy, but Latino voters are sometimes obsessed with politics. When you grow up in a home of a Cuban exile or someone that has escape political persecution in Central America, you are going to care about who is running the country. And we are listening to your talk about anchor babies and illegals and about big walls. We are also watching as this Democratic president talks about equality while beating out any other president for the number of deportations.

PHOTO: huffpost.com

3. No one represents us

This is true, even with GOP candidates running two top-notch Latino Republican candidates and one defacto one (Jeb Bush) whose Latino ties in Florida are personal. And the Democrats are about to make a big mistake, assuming that throwing in a Latino VP will make up for the poor choices Dems had this year (or no choice really) as Queen Hillary gets ready for her coronation. Latino voters won't vote for a Latino candidate just because they are Latino any more than women did not vote GOP because Palin was out there smiling next to McCain.

4. We are passionate and angry

Yep. Add Latinos to the list of fed-up voters. No matter which side of the aisle, Latinos are tired of being ignored. Immigration has left our friends and families in limbo in the legal immigration system, nothing to say of the terrible mess that is illegal immigration. We also don't appreciate the vitriolic talk about illegals, lumping violent drug lords with child refugees. We can tell the difference between the two, and you should, too, even if they are all brown in your eyes.

5. We will matter in 2016

Latinos are going to matter in this election like they have in the past two elections. So while Trumpmania has taken over the mainstream media, the reality is that the Latino vote is younger and more diverse, and very active. So when you applaud hateful rhetoric about my hermanos and hermanas, even if don't like the politics, I won't like you. And I won't vote for you.

So I hope that each presidential candidate really, really listens to what is happening out there in the Latino vote, and the female vote, and the Millennial vote, and the senior citizen vote, and the poor vote, and the African-American vote...because we are fabric of the USA and we are watching.