When George W. Bush's 2000 Convention Featured A Latino Theme And Vicente Fernandez

A lot has changed.

Talk to enough Latino Republicans and you'll hear about it. Whispered in reverent, nostalgia-tinged tones, the 2000 convention was a time when Latinos and the GOP were amigos.

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The message was clear: Latinos loved Bush, and he loved them back!

Bush talked about his Hispanic friends and they vouched for his character.

"I'm proud of the Latino blood that flows in the Bush family," he said, after his nephew George P. Bush made an appearance.

"Family values don't end at the Rio Grande valley," Bush said.

"Latinos and African Americans many times get the short end of the stick," Bush continued. "Sometimes the discrimination is obvious. Other times it's so subtle you could miss it if you're not watching, but my friends tell me this: If you're on the receiving end, you feel it."

As if that wasn't enough, then Vicente Fernandez sang "Cielito Lindo"!

The Texas delegation swayed.

And gringos sang.

We probably won't see something like this before Donald Trump speaks tonight.

Times have changed.


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