By Doug Porter
A self-loathing Hispanic surrogate for Donald Trump took to the airwaves yesterday to warn about “Taco Trucks on Every Corner” unless immigration was stopped.
Marco Gutierrez, the founder of Latinos for Trump went on MSNBC yesterday and said the following:
“My culture is a very dominant culture. And it is imposing, and it is causing problems. If you don’t do something about it you are going to have taco trucks on every corner.”
Given that taco trucks a much higher approval rating than just about any politician running for office, the internet has gone nuts.
Once the Labor Day weekend is over, it’s time for me to write about state and local candidates and ballot measures, so I’m trying to get Trump out of my system today. His candidacy, scary as it is, is the gift that keeps giving for writers.
Sometimes things happen on the air that are just inexplicable. #inners https://t.co/f2htXzotE4
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) September 2, 2016
The Washington Post even went so far as to run an article about the economic implications of a taco truck on every corner. Writer Phillip Bump says that, even if it’s just one taco truck per intersection, this adds up to 3.2 million locations:
But it’s where we’re headed, apparently, if Trump loses. That’s good news for the economy in one way. If you assume that three people work in each truck, that’s 9.6 million new jobs created. The labor force in August was 159.4 million, with 144.6 million employed.
Adding 9.6 million taco truck workers would help America reach nearly full employment — and that’s just the staffing in the trucks. Think about all of the ancillary job creation: mechanics, gas station workers, Mexican food truck management executives. We’d likely need to increase immigration levels just to meet the demand.
Over at the conservative Reason blog, Nick Gillespie says like his candidate, Latino Donald Trump spokesman just doesn’t get America, food, or entrepreneurship.
Clinton went back in time to endorse the idea…
Precisely who, other than direct competitors with bricks-and-mortar restaurants, doesn’t like food trucks? That’s not simply because, as we’ve documented endlessly here at Reason over the years, they are bringing tasty and delightful food to underserved areas from Los Angeles to downtown Washington, D.C. It’s because the food-truck revolution, every bit as much as Uber or Airbnb or Tesla or any other hipper and more cutting-edge business, exemplifies something primal in America’s cultural DNA. They are small businesses first and foremost, typically run on shoestring budgets, sweat equity, and family-based micro-loans. They experiment and mongrelize and are desperate to please customers. They are mobile and fast-changing, they take risks and they live with booms or busts. Forget the Okies driving pickup trucks across the barren plains in the Dust Bowl era or even the garlic-and-bagel eaters disembarking at Ellis Island in the late 19th- and early-20th centuries. These days, if you want to see not just the American Dream made flesh, but the American future incarnated, head down to wherever food trucks congregate and take a bite of the best this goddamn country has to offer. Typically on some sort of once-weird bread or pasta or pastry—pizza dough, pita, tortilla, bao, whatever—and crammed with odd-ball meats, vegetables, and sauces.
At New York City’s’s Gothamist, Gaby Del Vale looked up from her pastrami on rye long enough to observe:
Is… that a bad thing? Gutierrez is making this sound like a bad thing, but taco trucks on every corner is a platform most people can get behind. Who looks at a taco truck and feels threatened? Who looks at a taco truck and feels anything but joy?
At Wonkette, Evan Hurst served his analysis with an extra helping of sarcasm:
On a week that has been full of turmoil as regard’s Trump’s “outreach” to the Latino community — Hispanic advisers quitting, a hilariously bad photo-op trip to Mexico, where we learned Trump is incapable of standing up to the president of Mexico when they’re face to face, and then a positively evil immigration speech that sounded more like Hitler than anything we’ve heard from him so far — this should be the final straw for any “undecided” voters out there.
If Trump becomes president, you get a racist, thin-skinned loser, and you get No Tacos. If Hillary Clinton becomes president, you get an extremely qualified politician who’s ready on day one, and you get tacos, OMG TACOS SO MANY TACOS, THERE IS A TRUCK ON EVERY CORNER! How is this even a contest anymore?
It’s official, Election Day 2016 is now Super Taco Tuesday! Taco trucks will be at every voting precinct! #TacoTrucksOnEveryCorner
— Robert Stinnett (@robertstinnett) September 2, 2016
PS-I’m taking Monday off.
Weekly Progressive Calendar: Upcoming in San Diego
Get your event listed: I try to list the next 10 days or so of mostly non-commercial events I think our readers might find of interest. I source my material from social media listings and press releases. In cases where there are competing but similar events or campaigns of the progressive persuasion, I do my best to list everything.
Unfortunately, my subscription to the psychic hotline has lapsed so if you don’t tell me or Facebook, etc., about your event it won’t get listed. See my email address at the end of this column.
Closing Day Protest at Del Mar Race Track
Monday, September 5, 11:30am
Del Mar Race Track
2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd
Info & Updates
Photo by John Nicksac via Facebook
This is the final day of racing here at Del Mar until opening day for the “special” season of an additional four more weeks of animal abuse November 11. Protest dates for then will be posted as that date gets closer.
Of course we can’t say what the final number of deaths will be this season at this time, just one death or injury of a horse is one too many.
It is time to end this barbaric tradition of killing horses.
‘Chunky’ Film Project Fundraiser
Friday, September 9, 6pm
Border X Brewing
2181 Logan Ave (Barrio Logan)
Info & Updates
Chunky and friends
Paul Espinosa documentary on the Chicano Music Icon, Chunky. Come out and help raise funds to finish this epic film project.
This film is a labor of love about a San Diego Icon. Please come out and support this very important piece of History and honor a Great Man, Musician and humanitarian Ramon “Chunky” Sanchez.
We will have food, Great award winning beer, Live music, Art for sale (all proceeds to benifit the Film Project) and more. Find out how the film is coming and see clips from the film and find out what you can do to help promote this important project!
Fundraiser for Families of Victims of Violence
Friday, September 9, 6pm
St Phillips Episcopal Church
2660 Hardy Dr, Lemon Grove
Info & Updates
Please join families of victims whose lives were brutally taken to raise funds to unite other families of victims from Texas and Arizona. The proceeds will be used to host the families while they are here November, 20, 21st, 2016 for a Candle Light Vigil at the San Ysidro/Tijuana U.S. International Border. Thank you for your support. ♥
Dan Navarro Concert
Saturday, September 10, 7:30
Grass Roots Oasis
3130 Moore St (Old Town)
Info & Updates (Admission)
The Grassroots Oasis is so pumped to have the storied singer-songwriter Dan Navarro coming to our stage in September! Dan performed at our original location in Sorrento Valley (Oasis House Concerts) several years ago, and it will be wonderful to have him on our new stage near Old Town.
Dan Navarro started his career as a songwriter, most often with Eric Lowen, for artists as diverse as Pat Benatar (the Grammy-nominated We Belong) , The Bangles, Jackson Browne, Keb Mo, Dave Edmunds, The Temptations, Dionne Warwick, Dutch superstar Marco Borsato, The Triplets, Austin outlaw legend Rusty Weir and many more…
Farm Hangout and Potluck Picnic
With Slow Food and Suzie’s Farm
Sunday, September 11, 10am-2pm
Suzie’s Farm
2570 Sunset Ave (Nr the Border)
Info & Updates
Join Slow Food Urban SD for our 2nd Annual Potluck Picnic – we’ll be on Suzie’s Farm this time! Bring a picnic and hang out with Slow Food friends on the picaresque Suzie’s Farm. Yoga, farm tour and harvest totes are optional!
10-11AM: Yoga with Maria – suggested donation, BYOYM (bring your own yoga mat)
11AM – 2PM Potluck Picnic – bring a picnic lunch and/or something to share and hang out with us.
12:30-2PM: Farm Tour & Harvest
$25 Harvest Tote Package available for purchase – includes tour admission, SFUSD tote bag and the produce to fill up your entire bag! Plus some Slow Food snacks.
Women of Substance Showcase
Friday, September 16, 7pm
Grass Roots Oasis
3130 Moore St (Old Town)
Info & Updates (Admission)
Women of Substance Radio presents their Showcase featuring San Diego’s Finest Women Singer-Songwriters: Randi Driscoll, Lisa Sanders, Sara Petite, M.E Law and Donna Larsen. $12.50 IN ADVANCE $15 at the Door
On This Day: 1666 – The Great Fire of London broke out. The fire burned for three days destroying 10,000 buildings including St. Paul’s Cathedral. Only 6 people were killed. 1921 – Mineowners bomb West Virginia strikers by plane, using homemade bombs filled with nails and metal fragments. The bombs missed their targets or failed to explode. 1963 – The integration of Tuskegee High School was prevented by state troopers assigned by Alabama Gov. George Wallace. Wallace had the building surrounded by state troopers.
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Doug Porter
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If the taco truck that will end up on my corner has dark mole sauce I will be doing quadruple back flips.
Thank You once more for sharing my Grassroots Oasis events, Doug! Really appreciate your support.