Susana Martinez RNC Speech Never Happened as Far as ABC is Concerned

The nation's first Latina governor, Susana Martinez of New Mexico, delivered a great speech to the Republican National Convention Wednesday night. But if you were watching ABC, you got to watch Martinez moving silently in the background while Univision news anchor Jorge Ramos got interviewed by George Stephanopoulos at length about how Latinos won't vote Republican.

If that's true, why not show Susana Martinez' speech?

George could have asked Jorge to translate some of the Spanish phrases Martinez used, like:

Y, en America todo es posible.

And, in America, everything is possible.

El sueno Americanos es tener exito.

The American Dream is success.

I'm sure all Latinos and Latinas strongly appreciate hearing from Ramos, with the help of Stephanopoulos, that there is nothing they would be interested in hearing from Martinez.  

As a fifth-generation Southern Californian, I did appreciate hearing from Martinez. I appreciated her message of self-reliance, a solid, hard-working and responsible family, and protection and care for those in need. I loved hearing about how she stood up to her boss for corruption, he fired her, and she came back and ran against him, winning election as district attorney in a landslide. I loved how she and her husband went to lunch to politely listen to some Republicans, and they talked about ideas and policies, and came away saying, "I'll be damned! We're Republicans!"

I smiled when she talked about her first job working for her father guarding a church parking lot, and carrying a .357 magnum, a gun she said that was bigger than her. I felt how deeply she cared about the cases that she prosecuted, of crimes against children, up to and including murder. 

I understood when she spoke of working in a bi-partisan way with New Mexico's Democratic legislature because that is the way it must be.

And I especially smiled and felt a little teary-eyed when she mentioned the little girls who came up to her in the supermarket or the mall and said, "You're Susana!" 

Jorge Ramos has hours and hours of airtime to talk on Univision. He can take up the airwaves on ABC, too. But the world is a better place because of you, Susana. You paved the way, not him. You are the heroine to the little girls in the supermarket and mall. You are the heroine to the children who were victimized, and you sought justice for them, not Ramos, and not Stephanopoulos.

They are just talking heads on TV. You are la verdadera — the real deal.