by Alicia Menendez

Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation is a tremendous victory for America. In the most challenging of times, Sotomayor’s story of well-merited ascension from the humblest of beginnings to the highest court in the land has reassured thousands of hardworking Americans that we still live in a country where those who work smart, try hard, and strive for success can do and become anything. For Latinos, America’s largest minority group - 45.4 million strong - it is a nod towards our growth and our contributions to this great country.

But let’s be honest: Sotomayor’s confirmation won’t ameliorate racial and gender inequalities overnight any more than Barack Obama’s election. And it certainly won’t change the dynamics of the Latino electorate. Like most minority communities, there is a sense amongst Latinos that we are always being asked to wait. We’ll appoint a Hispanic next time. We’ll reform immigration as soon as we have enough votes in the House. Just be patient. To that end, Sotomayor’s nomination was a message to the Latino electorate: we know you’re out there, and we want you to know that we know that you matter. While it is nice not to be invisible, it is not enough. In fact, this nomination and confirmation is a rather bourgeoisie token for families – Latinos or otherwise - who are struggling to put food on the table. For any Latino who voted for systemic change, it is the icing on an unbaked cake. It won’t bring down unemployment, fix our broken immigration system or provide health insurance to the 32.3% of Latinos in the U.S. who are currently without it.

Hispanic Voters, like most voters, are far too savvy to be wooed exclusively by this decision. Latinos showed up in the 2008 election as we’ve never shown up before. Moreover, we trended progressive: 67% of Hispanic voters voted for Barack Obama, and tipped the scales for progressive candidates across the country. If Democrats want to maintain their Hispanic vote margins in 2010 and 2012, or if Republicans hope to gain them, each party will need to deliver on economic and health care reforms. And as the latter becomes increasingly elusive, it will take the bigger enchilada - fixing our broken immigration system - to convince Latinos that the elected officials they turned out for can deliver. The outstanding political question for most American voters is one of efficacy, and Sotomayor’s confirmation, while historic, has not provided any answers.

Alicia Menendez has experienced politics from many angles since she graduated from Harvard in 2005: as a member of the research team on Jon Corzine’s successful 2005 gubernatorial race; a primary surrogate on her father’s successful 2006 bid for the US Senate; a cable television political reporter and producer during the 2008 presidential primary; and as the political outreach manager for Rock the Vote, a non-profit, non-partisan organization committed to registering young Americans to vote. As a freelance producer for BigThink.com she’s interviewed Senators Ted Kennedy and Harry Reid, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Menendez appears frequently on MSNBC and Fox News.

photo from Jay Tamboli’s Flickr photostream