Panorama: on politics, Latinos, and conservatism – Détails, épisodes et analyse

 AEI's Campus Exchange and the Panorama Podcast (panoramapodcast.org) present this conversation from the Future of Hispanic Politics virtual conference just in time to register for our first in-person National Student Conference on Hispanic Politics! The American Enterprise Institute’s Academic Programs department is proud to partner with the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute and Florida International University for a program that is open to undergraduate students from all political and ethnic backgrounds. Learn more and apply here by September 12th: https://www.aei.org/national-student-hispanic-conference/

What does integrity in political leadership look like? How do we commit to truth in political and social life? Welcome to the new academic year and Season 2 of the Campus Exchange! Former Congressman Carlos Curbelo joins the Academic Programs team to share his insights from his time in public service. In the next decade Hispanic politicians, community activists, and business leaders are poised to influence the American political and social landscape. What sort of issues will this generation of leaders focus on? How might they shake up our current understanding of partisanship and polarization? And what lessons can they learn from leaders that came before them? All this and more in this special crossover episode.

In this bonus episode, Gil and Luis return to discuss recent developments and debates surrounding the establishment of a Smithsonian museum for Latino history. After presenting the conservative arguments for and against the museum, the conversation turns to the broader implications the museum has for Latino and American identity.

Relevant articles:

Sen. Mike Lee on his opposition to the establishment of a Smithsonian museum for Latino or women's history: https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/10/politics/mike-lee-smithsonian/index.html

Mike Gonzalez on why we don't need a national museum of Latino history: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/we-dont-need-a-national-latino-museum/2016/09/23/7f5a0308-7f59-11e6-9070-5c4905bf40dc_story.html

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen on why we should have a museum of Latino history: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/15/opinion/national-latino-museum.html

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Ana Quintana joins Luis and Gil to share her expertise on Latin American politics. They discuss the challenges facing Latin American studies, the direction of conservative foreign policy, and the different factors that have created a crisis in Venezuela. Ana also gives some advice to young conservatives on how to build friendships with their liberal peers. Afterwards, Gil and Luis talk about the difficult paths forward for Venezuela and Luis makes his pick for best Mexican film director.

About the guest: Ana Rosa Quintana leads The Heritage Foundation’s efforts on U.S. policy toward Latin America. She has authored numerous policy studies included but not limited to Mexico, Central America, Cuba, Colombia and Venezuela. She has written articles for a wide range of outlets including The Atlantic, Real Clear World, the National Interest, The Hill, and various publications.

She has presented at the State Department and other U.S. government agencies. Her work has been cited in media venues such as The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Business, The Guardian, and she has been a commentator on media outlets like Fox News, MSNBC, and Al Jazeera. She has also testified multiple times before the U.S. Congress.

Quintana holds a Master of Arts degree in global affairs and a bachelor’s degree in political science, both from Florida International University.

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Ryan Berg joins Panorama to explain how populism and crime are linked in many Latin American countries,including Mexico and Brazil. Ryan also touches on how political theory and governance tie into Latin American politics, the nature of populism, criminal charity, and the importance of not dismissing critics. Afterwards, Gil and Luis discuss whether Latinos are naturally drawn to either major party and Luis shares his film selections for Hispanic Heritage Month.

About the guest: Ryan C. Berg is a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he focuses on transnational organized crime, narco trafficking, and illicit networks. He also studies Latin American foreign policy and development issues.

Before joining AEI, Dr. Berg served as a research consultant at the World Bank, a Fulbright Scholar in Brazil, and a visiting doctoral fellow at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.

Dr. Berg obtained a PhD and an MPhil in political science and an MSc in global governance and diplomacy from the University of Oxford. Earlier, he obtained a BA in government and theology from Georgetown University.

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Montse Alvarado joins Panorama to talk with Gil and Luis about her career at the Becket Fund, the importance of religious liberty in a democratic society, and Becket's recent victories at the Supreme Court. After speaking with Montse, Gil and Luis answer their first audience question and decry the nutritional qualities of Mexican candy.

Time stamps:
00:16- Luis and Gil set context for their conversation with Montse
03:33- Interview with Montse begins with a conversation on the recent Supreme Court term
05:17- Montse shares how what led her to work at Becket and addresses misconceptions about religious liberty
09:24- Conversation on why religious liberty is important for everyone 
11:36- Discussion on religious liberty for groups like the Sikh community
13:37- Montse explains the process of taking a case to the Supreme Court
15:46- Explanation and discussion on California v. Little Sisters of the Poor 
23:53- Montse breaks down the question of ministerial exemptions in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru
27:11- Montse describes Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue and what these cases mean for freedom of religion
33:55- Montse details the appeal of pluralism and the importance of re-introducing love for your neighbor in society
38:21- Interview ends with some thoughts on conservative outreach to the Latino community
41:05- Gil and Luis share their thoughts and answer an audience question
50:05- Bonus outtake featuring Gil and Luis's nostalgia for Mexican candy

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In this inaugural episode of Panorama, Gil and Luis introduce the podcast and talk with former Rep. Carlos Curbelo about his early influences, bipartisanship, divides within the GOP, and conservative climate policy.

0:00- Introduction
7:34- Interview with Carlos begins with discussion on public service
12:18- Carlos talks about his roots in the Cuban-American community
15:21- Discussion on split-ticket voting among Hispanic voters
17:58- Analysis of the fundamental causes of polarization
21:06- Carlos describes to implications of being denied membership in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
25:45- Conversation on misconceptions about bipartisanship
29:36- Description of current divides within conservatism and within the Republican party
35:35- Carlos makes the conservative case for carbon pricing and answers common objections
41:26- Carlos gives closing advice for the upcoming generation of Latino conservatives
44:08- Gil and Luis reflect on their conversation with Carlos and preview next week's episode

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In the season finale of Panorama, Gil and Luis talk with Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the first Latina elected to Congress. They discuss her nickname for Carlos Curbelo, why she is a conservative, stories from her congressional career, recent GOP gains with women and Latinos, what sort of messaging the GOP can employ going forward to continue improving with Latinos, the importance of a Smithsonian Museum for American Latinos, and why polarization has worsened as well as how to maintain friendships across the aisle. Afterwards, Gil and Luis reflect on the season and discuss their takeaways.

About the guest: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen served in the U.S. House of Representatives for thirty years as the member from Florida's 27th district. Her tenure marked many firsts: She was the first Latina elected to Congress, the first Cuban American, and the first Republican woman to represent Florida in the House. During her career she served as the  Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and led on issues like the environment, LGBT rights, and foreign policy. She is currently a Senior Advisor at Akin Gump LLP.

Ileana's op-eds mentioned in this episode:
"Where Is the Smithsonian Museum for American Latinos?"- New York Times
"The key to winning the Cuban American vote."- Boston Globe

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Linda Chavez joins Luis and Gil to talk about assimilation, immigration policy, and the growth of Latino conservatism in the United States. Linda discusses her autobiography and the experiences that made her a conservative, the divisions over immigration policy within the GOP, anxieties over assimilation, what identity politics gets wrong, why Donald Trump improved among Latino voters, and how young people can work to overcome polarization. Afterwards, Gil and Luis discuss the difficulty of defining Latino identity and talk about the possible electoral shift happening in American politics.

About the guest: Linda Chavez is a commentator and syndicated columnist who has served in two presidential administrations. Chavez has also authored several books, including Out of the Barrio: Toward a New Politics of Hispanic Assimilation and An Unlikely Conservative: The Transformation of an Ex-Liberal . In 2000, Chavez was honored by the Library of Congress as a "Living Legend" for her contributions to America's cultural and historical legacy. In January 2001, Chavez was President George W. Bush's nominee for Secretary of Labor until she withdrew her name from consideration.

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In this episode, Cecilia Joy-Pérez joins Luis and Gil to talk about the trajectory of U.S.-China relations, how the Belt and Road Initiative has shaped Chinese influence abroad, why Chinese outbound investment has dropped, the ramifications of the One Child policy, and how to reach across the aisle on foreign policy issues.

 Cecilia Joy-Pérez is an analyst with the research and advisory firm Pointe Bello. Her research focuses on the PRC’s global construction and investment projects. She was recently named as a 2020 Latino National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leader by New America.

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Regardless of the outcome, one of the narratives out of the 2020 election will be Donald Trump’s significant over-performance with Hispanic voters. Luis and Gil talk about their reactions to this development and answer audience questions. Was the surge in Latino support for Trump an affirmation of his candidacy, or a rejection of Joe Biden? What specific demographic groups within the Latino vote swung most heavily towards him in 2020? What regional differences account for disparities in party support among Latinos in Florida, Texas, Arizona, California, and beyond? What sorts of lessons can the GOP take from this improvement for future elections? We answer all of this and more in this special post-election episode. 

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