Remember when the Oak Ridge Boys were the acme -- the bee's knees, the cat's pajamas -- of Republican entertainment? No longer. This year's convention replaced the grits with salsa: A small army of Latino musicians strode the boards in official capacities, including, significantly, at George W. Bush's arrival rally outside the Museum of Art.
Bush got one of his biggest roars when he introduced (in Spanish) his nephew George P., son of Jeb and Columba Bush and the reigning matinee idol among young Republicans. "The handsome man," W. called P., drawing oohs and aahs of agreement from Latinos and Anglos alike. Bush campaign staffers have given him a catchier nickname: Ricky Martin.
Republican "outreach" to Hispanics has often had a certain paint-by-numbers quality (think mariachi bands, sombreros with floppy elephant ears, "little brown ones," and so on). This felt different. The art museum event was put together by the veteran producer Emilio Estefan and featured a sea of signs proclaiming "Amigos de Bush," "Juntos Si Se Puede," and, of course, "Viva Bush," against a backdrop of three huge, colorful banners proclaiming "Un Nuevo Dia."
Carp all you want about "ethnic pandering" -- there's one significant benefit to infusing Republican events with Latino and Caribbean flavors: It's a lot more fun this way. As the crowd joined Latino singer Jon Secada in belting out an upbeat "Spanglish" version of "America the Beautiful," we found it hard to miss the Oak Ridge Boys. Or grits.