Over the past month or so, I've updated you periodically about the ongoing one-up-you war of the two New York City mayoral candidates to court the city's Latino communities via the use of Spanish-language advertising and other tactics.
I was amused to read this morning, via HispanicTips, that the competition is heating up to levels in which nothing is sacred anymore. Not even salsa legend Willie Colón, who's come out in favor of Mayor Bloomberg, and has even composed a salsa tune in his honor.
According to the New York Sun:
New Yorkers eager to hear Willie Colón's latest single shouldn't bother trying to find it on the radio. A call to Mayor Bloomberg's Midtown campaign office will do the trick.
While callers to the offices of the Democratic mayoral candidates hear stark silence when they are put on hold, potential voters waiting to talk to someone at the Bloomberg campaign offices are treated to original lyrics set to a buoyant Latin beat composed by Mr. Colon, a local salsa legend.
Hardly a "local salsa legend", Willie Colón is a huge international star.
It seems the relationship is nothing new. According to Colón's web site, in 2001 " Willie Colón was also the first prominent Latino to endorse Michael Bloomberg for Mayor. He also composed and produced Bloomberg’s Spanish campaign jingle."
I'm not a New Yorker, and before the sparring between these two candidates became evident, I didn't keep up much with the NYC political scene. So maybe that's why it's surprising to me what a quick search reveals about Mayor Bloomberg's very blatant courting of the NYC Latino community. Hanging out with Willie Colón, tributes to Celia Cruz, appointing JLo to the entertainment commission.
I guess its equivalent here is our Mayor's courting of the LGBT community.
Will Bloomberg's friendships with Latino luminaries pay off this time? Is his salsa jingle any good? I didn't manage to find it, but if anyone has a copy, please do send it along. I can't fathom the lyrics...for some reason I imagine something very similar to Pedro Navaja but the hero is Bloomberg.
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