Posted on December 24, 2015

Hillary Clinton Is ‘Not My Abuela,’ Critics Say

Katie Rogers, New York Times, December 24, 2015

Hillary Clinton’s campaign for president has been savvy about talking to young voters in the parlance of the social web, using emojis, sleek graphics and other formats. But the list “7 things Hillary Clinton has in common with your abuela” seemed to backfire this week.

After Mrs. Clinton shared news of her daughter’s second pregnancy, a “content strategist” for her campaign posted the list, an effort to appeal to young Hispanic voters by pointing out how she was just like their abuelas, or grandmothers: She cares for all children. She reads to her grandchild before bedtime. She doesn’t tolerate disrespect.

Her critics were not impressed. Soon, the hashtag #NotMyAbuela was circulating as a critique of what some saw as a tone-deaf move to pander to a powerful but marginalized bloc of voters. Her critics pointed out that Mrs. Clinton did not grow up poor like their relatives, and was not separated from loved ones by country borders. {snip}

Mrs. Clinton is not the only politician who has attempted playful acknowledgment of Latino culture: Jeb Bush, a Republican contender whose wife is Mexican-American, sold a “guaca bowle” on his website, and supporters of Mrs. Clinton’s main challenger, Bernie Sanders, have long referred to him as #TioBernie on Twitter. (On Wednesday, Mr. Sanders’s campaign took steps to distance him from the hashtag.)

In Mrs. Clinton’s case, the Internet soon gave new currency to the word “Hispandering.”

{snip}