Bustamante Is a Reverse Role Model

Sometimes the best spokespersons are the least willing.

In a few weeks, Cruz Bustamante will become the first Latino speaker of the Assembly in the history of the California state Legislature. Bustamante, a barber’s son and former legislative aide who has represented a Fresno district since 1993, was an outspoken opponent of both the illegal immigration restrictions of Proposition 187 two years ago and Proposition 209’s elimination of racial preferences on last week’s ballot. Now his election by fellow Assembly Democrats makes the case for both ballot propositions far more eloquently than any of their supporters have been capable of doing. As a Latino American who won the speakership on his own personal and professional merits, Bustamante is living, breathing proof that the moral underpinnings that drove both ballot initiatives are entirely sound--whether he likes it or not.

Proposition 187 was based on the concept that any individual, regardless of race, ethnicity or national origin, is entitled to society’s support if he respects the laws of that society. Proposition 209 took the same argument a step further, supporting the premise that society should reward its citizens based on their capabilities as individuals, not on their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group.

Even in defeat, the initiatives’ opponents continue to argue their case solely on racial grounds, attempting to establish that these measures will make it impossible for minorities to survive in California’s professional, political and educational arenas. How richly ironic, then, that even as minority rights advocates prepared to argue in court that they were being barred from opportunities for success, the grandson of Mexican immigrants was achieving the second most powerful position in California government.

Although its opponents argued that Proposition 187 was targeted against Latinos, the overwhelming majority of Californians understood that 187’s distinctions were drawn solely on the basis of legal residency status. Bustamante’s achievement is a powerful point of substantiation for those who believe that this country rewards those who work hard and adhere to the rules, regardless of their racial or ethnic heritage. (Who could argue with a straight face that an illegal immigrant from, say, Britain could achieve the heights of power to which Bustamante, a legal resident and citizen of the United States, has risen?)

Similarly, Proposition 209 was attacked for closing doors of opportunity for qualified minorities and women. But Bustamante did not become Assembly speaker because the position had been set aside for a Latino. His colleagues chose him because the leadership abilities and acumen that he had displayed as a legislator had made him the most qualified candidate to hold the position. Bustamante, in other words, was selected not because of his membership in a particular ethnic group, but rather on the basis of his own individual merits, precisely the argument that Proposition 209’s supporters have been making all along.

Just as striking as Bustamante’s promotion to the speakership is the competition he faced. In the run-up to the post-election party caucus, the other two most likely contenders were Kevin Murray, an African American, and Sheila Kuehl, a white lesbian. Like Bustamante, they have risen in the Legislature because of their legislative skills and political talents, not because of openings for demographic diversity.

In his role as speaker and as a role model for young people hoping to blaze their own paths to success, Bustamante is in a unique position to deliver a powerful message to those most in need of hearing it. But it is up to him to decide what kind of message to send. What young Latinos and Asians and African Americans have been hearing from leaders in their communities is that they can’t hope to succeed unless they are fortunate enough to benefit from programs that give them advantages that aren’t available to others.

But actions are, as always, louder than words. So no matter how hard Bustamante tries to argue in defense of racial preferences and reverse discrimination and indiscriminate immigration, his own considerable achievements tell the next generation of California’s leaders that they can attain any goals they set for themselves as long as they are willing to put in the hard work to get there.