Immigration Reform 2016: Spanish Radio Host Don Cheto Interviews Democratic VP Candidate Tim Kaine Live on 'El Show de Don Cheto' [VIDEO]
The legendary Don Cheto, host of a hugely popular Spanish morning radio show in the United States recently invited Hillary Clinton's vice presidential running mate Tim Kaine to participate in a live, on-air interview to discuss issues of the utmost importance to Latino voters in regards to Clinton campaign plans.
The interview, conducted entirely in Spanish, focused on pressing issues affecting the Latino community living in the U.S. It begged the question of what Clinton would bring to the table for the increasingly influential Hispanic demographic, should they opt to vote Democratic come election day this November.
When speaking with Kaine, Cheto posed a number of important questions on hot button issues such as immigration reform, Clinton's core values as a presidential candidate, and why she would be a better choice for president over Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Cheto kicked off the morning show with a brief introduction on Kaine for his viewers, and explained why he chose to honor the Democratic vice presidential candidate with the chance to participate in this unprecedented Spanish language radio interview during this 2016 election cycle (according to Cheto, it was a decision he made at his wife's insistence).
The following is a loose translation of what the two men discussed:
Cheto: "Today we're going to speak with Tim Kaine, as I promised [listeners] yesterday. He is the vice president for [presidential] candidate Hillary Clinton...a conservative, Catholic man who values family and is very active in the Latino community. Tim Kaine, former governor of Virginia, is a democratic Senator and partner of Hillary Clinton. Hello, Tim! How are you?"
Kaine: "I'm well and very happy to be here speaking with you, Don Cheto..."
Kaine then explained that he is a big part of Clinton's presidential campaign team. He went on to say that the team is working very hard toward their goal of taking the Nov. 8 election, in a bid to win the White House and by doing so, help the community.
Kaine then spoke about recent campaigning that Team Hillary hosted in various parts of Texas, working with volunteers and others who wanted to see a White House win for Clinton.
After that brief discussion, Cheto noted that he, his staff, and many of his fans worldwide were surprised to hear that Kaine could speak Spanish so well. He asked Kaine where he learned the language, wondering if he had many Latino friends.
Kaine: "I learned Spanish in Honduras on a missionary trip I took when I was 23. I worked there at a vocational carpentry school as a teacher. Now I work in Richmond, VA., where there are many people from Mexico, Honduras, Salvador, Colombia, and other places...so now I have an opportunity each day to practice my [castellano]. It's not perfect, of course, I'm not Cervantes, but I can listen in two different languages, which is a very important thing."
One of Cheto's radio show co-hosts then asked Kaine to clarify the role of a vice president in American politics, saying "for those of us that don't know, what is a vice president?"
Kaine explained that the role of vice president can be different for different administrations, but that he plans to work with Clinton on a number of various issues, including working closely with Congress, as he is already an established Senator with relationships among members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Kaine: "[We're] going to work especially on issues like economy and immigration reform...Hillary has said many times that in her first days [as president] she will be addressing [these issues]...[also] because I spent time in Honduras and have friends there, I want to work with Latin American countries and the Latinos that live there. I [plan] to work on immigration and especially on our relationship with the people of Latin America."
Cheto then went on to ask Kaine, in a very straight-forward manner, his opinion of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Kaine: "Well, Trump is a different man, he's a very different candidate...in terms of immigration reform, Hillary has been working toward that [issue] since she was a Senator in 2006. Trump is not only against reform, but he speaks negatively about Mexicans and other [immigrants] from around the world."
Kaine then went on to elaborate on his experience in Honduras, explaining that while he was there he felt a very strong sense of community. He told Cheto that he felt the values of his friends in Honduras were the same values of the people he works with now, in the U.S., particularly the values of faith, family and work.
Kaine: "...And these are the same values Hillary Clinton has...in her history, when she was a teenager she learned lessons about the world...and has a desire to help the world because of her great feeling of faith. She is also a woman who has always worked hard for the people and for family. Family and children have been her most important themes throughout her whole life. I think Hillary Clinton is a person who shares the values of faith and family and work with the Latino community."
Cheto's co-host then chimed in to ask, for the people who have yet to decide who to vote for, why they should go Democratic in November.
Kaine responded by saying that the answer to this question is a two-parter. The first being that there is a big difference between Clinton and Trump as candidates. Hillary, he argued, is a civil servant in favor of helping children, of immigration reform, and that she shares the values of the Latino community. Trump, Kaine countered, is not only anti-immigration reform, but speaks very negatively about the Latino population.
Kaine: "The second thing is that it's not only the difference between the candidates, it's that Latinos can be the difference in this election. In the state of Virginia, for example, in every previous election before this one, the difference [between parties] has been the difference of five or 10 or 20 thousand voters. But in Virginia now, there are 300,000 adult Latinos [eligible] to vote and because of this, in this election, they can be the difference...but not only in Virginia. In many other places as well, like Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas - especially...even Georgia now has a big Latino population..."
Cheto rounded down the interview after that final question, thanked Kaine for being a guest on his show and signed off by telling Kaine: "When you're in the White House, don't forget us!"
For a video of the full interview, you can click here or watch it below:
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