By Juan Montoya
There she was in all her splendor: Politiquera sans pareil Herminia Becerra styling the latest in political garb down the middle aisle of the Cameron County Courthouse on Harrison Street.
Across the street, the fringes of the courthouse parking lot is fringed with the sundry political signs of just about every candidate running for the various positions up for grabs in county, state and federal primary elections to be held May 29 barring some glitch from the federal courts.
Pure white letters in a sharp font in a field of cotton-polyester blue, octogenarian Herminia's top bears a message for the season: Tu Voto Es Tu Voz (Your Voice is Your Vote, for our monolingual friends).
On the flip side, the message reads (also white on a field of blue): Si No Votas No Te Quejes (roughly "If You Don't Vote, Don't Bitch, or something close). There is also a silhouette of the Statue of Liberty adorning the message on both front and back.
We don't know what kind of influence Ms. Becerra might carry with the voters who will hopefully flock to the polls this May 29 and in the inevitable runoffs that will follow. The impact of these "political activists" has been debated for years. If you ask them, they will tell you (as Herminia does) that they can sway hundreds of voters just on the weight on their conocencia with the people in the barrios.
Others say that their impact has diminished commensurate with the increase of new (and younger) voters that come into the formula. Whatever the truth may be, some candidates such as Ruben Peña, who ran against recognized politiquera user Ernie Hernandez, now a commissioner for Precinct 2, went as far as to organize a group to counter
their influence on the outcome, to no avail.
Herminia will tell you that she has been dragged into court, questioned by investigators from the Texas Secretary of State, and even stalked by the Peña minions as she went about her rounds gathering support for her candidates.
Through it all, she has maintained that she is breaking no laws, and that her work in the barrios on behalf of the residents has earned her their gratitude and that they return the favors when an election comes around and she asks for support for her choices.
Others are not as kind to her motives and methods. They charge – as did Peña that her seeking votes for her candidates amounted to nothing more than a "harvesting" of votes from elderly voters who didn't even know who they were voting for, especially those mail-in votes that sometimes decide the outcome of elections.
"Eso dicen los que no saben perder," she counters happily. "Yo hable con el lloron (crybaby) Peña y le dije que me investigue todo lo que quiera. Ya llevo mas de 50 años de trabajar con la gente y nunca he perdido. Tengo mas de 200 votos."
Well, not quite. We remember that there were some candidates who didn't quite make it, but who can blame her for trumpeting her political prowess? Doesn't everybody?
And who can argue with the logic on the message on her moda de la primaria de 2012? It is true. Your voice is you vote, and if you don't bring out the vote to counter her, how can you complain about people like her?
12 comments:
These folks are part of the corrupt "votes for sale" machine down here. In the old days they handed out knoted strings. I don't think they are folks to admired, lauded, or honored.
El Pinche Gringo.
have known Mrs. Becerra all my life. It gives me great pride to see her out there still doing her part to help "la jente pobre". In recollections from my childhood, way back to the early 1970's, when she started her "service" to the poor, it was quite different. Back in the day she would visit, along with the political candidates, many neighborhoods, going door to door to introduce the politician to the constituent. Her motive was to have a face to face introduction between politician and constituent so that on the part of the politicians,they could see who the persons voting for them were and so that when elected the politicians would not forget how they how they got into office.. On the part of the constituents, she wanted the constituent to have some interaction, although, brief with the person soliciting the vote and to have an opportunity to ask questions and/or voice their comments, questions and concerns. I can remember that prior to ending the visit she would in her matronly but polite manner tell the politician, “Estos son tus votos. Y quiero que no se te olvide que estos votos tienen cara y tienen vos”. Then she would, in a like manner, tell the constituent that it was up to them to cast a vote in order for them to have a voice and to create change in a political system by saying the same words that today she proudly wears on her person, “Tu voto es tu vos, Ni no Votas no te Quejes.” I know this because throughout my entire life she has been a public servant. I know this because I have lived to see her serve thousands of poor and indigent people. I know this because this truly wonderful woman is my Mother. May the Lord grant her many, many more years to continue her journey of being a servant to the poor and the needy.
this is done for money and nothing else, all this is just plain bullshit that they do it for the people or becasue they want to help out the community, or because its in my heart. hey its for my wallet or purse. Puro pedo its for the Ben franklins and nothing else no la brincan sin hurache brother, i dealt with these peolpe before its all about the cash and nothing else no mamen
Hey if you dealt with these people before, and you say it is all about the cash, then you are exactly what CAVA is looking for. Orale dale gas, they are offering a 5K reward for information such as you claim. or are you just Puro Pedo too?
Ask Herminia how much did she charged Camarillo, Ernie, Gilbert, Armando, Norma, and all the rest she holds signs from.
where do i make contact with CAVA? and who is CAVA and what does it stand for? puro pedo
Citizens against voter abuse. 956-371-9177
CAVA is Citizens Against Voter Abuse, and no Ernie is not puro pedo because people like you will soon get caught.
please do away with this practice, they are the ones that keep the corrupt officials in office
Do away with this practice. What a laugh. This county is corrupt, the officials are corrupt and what supports corruption........ CORRUPT PEOPLE. So which practice do you want to do away with?
CAVA is run by Mary Helen Flores. This only derails any credibilty the organization might of had.
CAVA AND MARY HELEN HAVE MORE AGUACATES THAN ALL THE CORRUPT CABRITOS TOGETHER!
YES, THAT INCLUDES YOU POLITICAL SOB!!!
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