>> and by contributions from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ there is an argument to be made that no single ethnic group will have more influence on the future of american politics than hispanics. with midterm elections around the corner the hispanic vote may be the key to winning both p houses of congress into the future. taking a dive into thej1 territy is how america's most dynamic population is poised to transform the politics of the nation cowritten by gary marteto and gary segeurra, chair of latino studies at stanford. glad to have you here. >> i'm glad to be here. >> i have had these conversations many times over the years. the word that jumps out in the subtitle is poised. how america's most dynamic population is poised to transform the politics of the nation. they have been poised for quite some time. poised to do it. when do you think we'll start to see the impact and maybe we have already to your mind of the influence. >> i think we have already started to see it. in 2012, latinos provided the margin of victorier for barack obama. if first time in the history of latino voting. if latinos voted 50/50 or 60/40 obama would not have won the popular vote. it's the first time in history latinos could have been pivotal. that said they have been pivotal in new mexico, california and other places in the united states for some time.6a and are becoming pivotal in places we wouldn't think of in the past. they could be outside the margin of victory in kansas. or north carolina. latinos are having influence in places we don't normally think of them. >> given the deportations and the delay on meaningful immigration reform do you think the hispanic community is regretting the vote for barack obama. >> i don't think regretting. i would say the administration has been a source of frustration for latino leaders and voters alike. of course latinos don't see they have a lot in the way of options. the republican party's rhetoric with respect to anti-immigration, sometimes anti-latino rhetoric is quite di vie si and off putting. the obama administration has done a number of things that the latino population liked. the affordable care act j popular. deportations are a problem. this represents a string in the broken promises. >> this is going back many years. we have been at it for a lot of years mow. consistently in my lifetime at least the democratic party takes black voters for granted and the republican party ignores us. that's starting to be applicable to the hispanic community. >> that's a fear. i think there are three possible futures for latinos. one of which is awful. the awful future is the one we have now. where it is a 70% to 75% democratic constituency, it ises under mobilized because neither party is investing in it. there are two possible futures. one is 70-30 or 75/25 hi mobilized and the party is invested in. the other alternative is a constituency that's 60/40. where the republican party toned back rhetoric and appealed to the portion of the latino electorate that's winnable for them. >> the mind goes back to jesse jackson's campaign. he went in 84 and 88. i remember the question being asked a thousand times. as a matter of fact, it was news week or time magazine. one of the magazines put it on the cover of the magazine. the question was what does jesse want? couldn't be that he was running to be elected but what does he want. i posedhç the question to the hispanic community. what does the hispanic community want? >> at the last meeting -- >> yeah. >> exactly. >> it's actually not a particularly radical set of requests. what latinos want is what americans want. they want a decent job. they want their kids to go to quality schools that are if he can nif teaching. safe streets, affordable health care. that's really the base needs of a community that's still heavily blue collar and heavily working class. not unlike other working class communities of color and among whites. these basic necessities are still the central demand of politics that latinos are focused on. >> what does it mean then that those demands on the part of the hispanic communityyé are the sa demands that the rest of america has? >> that means two things. the first is those engaged in the fear mongering that latinos are somehow or another different from other americans and are culturally not suited to fit into american society, that's just cultural racism. it plays no real connection to reality. these folk have the same concerns as other americans. it makes possible coalition politics. the latinos can work within the structure of both political parties provided they reach out to include them. >> i'm not naive but what do you think dew make of the fact that the republican party clearly as has if they were to choose it, like "mission impossible," your mission should you choose to accept it is to put forth a platform and policies of the republican party that the hispanic community would find of interest. given how disappointed they have been in the democratic party, not really stepping up as they thought they would it's like a good running back. you see a hole and run through j it. why do republicans not run through the hole? >> there are a couple different reasons for it. first american political parties aren't top down. no one is in charge. george w. bush, love him orik he him, really understood that latino growth was an opportunity for the gop. but the rest of the team really wasn't on board. even though george w. bush got 40% of the latino vote in 2004 by the end of 2005 the house of representatives had authored a draconian anti-immigration bill which set into motion the 2006 immigration marches and widespread latino mobilization on behalf of the democrats in 2006. there is not a unified party. you have talked about this before that the gop has made a little bit of a deal with the devil dating back to richard nixon's southern strategy. knowing it's not majoritarian. part of that's been race. going back to in this case sob's strategy. the entire segregationist wing moved into the gop. during barack obama's two elections, between 85 and 90% of white voters in mississippi, alabama, louisiana voted for the republican nominee, not because they are all well to do but because they had another motive. >> right. >> if the republicans were to reach out across racial lines, would it cost them some of those working class whites? >> let me use your phrase, like or loathe. whether one likes or loathes it -- and i have done both from time to time. it is the case in the african-american community we are wed to charismatic9 personalities. i wonder whether or not one of the ways to usher in the latino transformation, to move from being poiseded to being really about the business of affecting our politics is for the right personalitieses to show up. is that the way in? if it is, are the personalities on the scene? i could throw names at you. you know them better than i do. i want to get to what extent and joaquin and julian castro are names that are kicked around a lot. likely because they are from texas. what's the next job? statewide offices are a ways away. >> as i look at the subtitle. how this community is poised to transform the politics of the nation, that's what some folks are scared of. that the politics of the nation will be transformed when this community comes into its fullness. when you say transform the politics of the nation, what do you mean by that? >> what i mean is while demography isn't destiny, it can constrain the realm of the possible. latinos went from >> should the country be scared of the transformation. >> maybe i'm the wrong person to ask. /ciçy/çó=ó[7 i don't think so. everything i know about latinos which is a lot. i have devoted my life to it. >> you have been latino your whole life. >> i have been. more importantly i have been studying them for some time. this is an incredibly dedicated, hardworking population whose children come first who want more than anything to find a way into the middle class, home ownership, a job that has good benefits and a comfortable lifestyle. they want their kids to go to school. even the undocumented aliens we hear about are really people who came to look for a job. >> it's a book you may want to consider reading america, how the most dynamic population is poised to transform the politics of the nation." cowritten by matt moretto and gary m. segeurra. good to have you here. congrats on the text. coming up, multiple grammy winner marty stuart with "saturday night, sunday morning." got to love that. stay with us. five-time grammy winner marty stuart began by backing up country legends like johnny cash and lester flat. he's a multiple platinum recording artist and country music or vooifist who honors traditional music. his latest is a double album called "saturday night, sunday morning." it pays tribute to the sacred and the secular. i did it in reverse orderment the secular and the sacred. first a look at maerty stuart, 05"e:tñtour. ♪2ciywi]çd >> marty stuart, good to have you on the program. it's an honor to see you. >> trying. >> the jacket. i want you to see this. i like those buckles, man. look at that. >> walmart. [ laughter ] >> i have to go to walmart. that's sharp. one of the things i love about your style and this actually harkens back to r & b artists and the motown era and the blues guys. there was a time in american music when everybody -- even frank sinatra. people hit the stage. they dressed the part. >> i will never forget we were out here to do an event. the limousine pulls up. by dark. the gentle mass dst man gets up and goes around. you knew somebody would come out. all of the sudden the door opens up. the lights come on and little richard steps out. he didn't disappoint. you know, it's show business, the last time i checked. when i was a kid growing up, people's sound was one thing. the image that went with it was another thing, too. people hear with their eyes. i did. i was a fan. i wanted to see a star walk out. >> you have so much product, i want to get it all in. this new project i mentioneded, i love it. "saturday night, sunday morning." if there were a concept album, this is it. where did the concept come from to do this project? >> country88 music has share au neek relationship with gospel. everywhere at every turn along the way, rogue profits hank williams, johnny cash. at some point there was a gospel song. the audience was in on it, they were a part of it. we were all pretty much raise maryland in church. the first song nine years ago took me to build this record with the band. the first song we did was "uncloudy day" with ma vis staples and your show with her was great. >> it took us nine years to put it together. i released records, books, 156 records in the tv show while the record came into focus. "uncloudy days" was the song that got us started. side one was about hard hitting, traditional country music. many times after saturday night you know what we have to do. >> repent. >> yes. >> tell me why this song "uncloudy day" is special for you. >> i love it because of the original messengers. i originally heard the staples singer. mavis, pervis, family to me. >> times were hard in mississippi. the summer of '64 was awful. but the song was played so much down there. it was a healing balm. you could hear it coming from people's homes. follows me this minute. it was the message in the song. the messengers, thetb staples sing singers, they set me on fire with the song. >> i will come back to your career in a second. it's a part of your life and legacy and history. for you it's no big deal. you went past where you grew up. philadelphia, mississippi. i have to back up. you know why. >> we had a tribute some weeks ago. to the 50th anniversary of the murders of goodman and shwarner and cheney, murdered in philadelphia, mississippi. >> correct. >> how did that change, that era 50 years ago. >> as a little boy, everything changed. confusion was in the air. the eyes of the world drew down on my hometown. it felt to me like the entire town was judged by a handful of racists and radicals. that wasn't the philadelphia i knew. my mother felt love there. my dad taught love. all of the sudden going to church even was a chore. people were taking guns, knifes, baseball bats. churches were bombed. the first time i ever felt the true power of music was on saturday afternoon. it was my time with my dad. he was a factory guy. they had 30-minute episodes of country music television shows. porter wagner would come on and the heaviness would lift. sunday morning the music, the heaviness would lift. i love my hometown. i stand by it. :yuove the people down there. beyond those days. we have a black mayor down there. the choctaw, mississippi band of chak taus, the lady chief is there now. those times live on in memory. they are never to be forgotten. the town moved on. >> i have known for years and listened to him for years. there is a good old-school pentecostal preacher. i grew up in the church. clifton jones. >> sure. >> pastor of the church in ]d philadelphia,>i years ago, you started out singing in a pentecostal -- >> well, i was raised southern baptist. right down the street from my house was the church. brother cooksy was the man's name. he booked touring acts and8÷ southern gospel acts. i couldn't tell the difference in the church. >> i liked it. >> it was time to play music and felt good. >> right. >> you hung out with him a little bit. did touring with him. >> that's right. >> yeah. how foundational has that gospel church upbringing been for the rest -- for the balance of your career. >> everything. it's not just a career. it's life in general. as you know once that's in you and instilled in you in a balanced way, it's wonderful to have it at any point in your life to know the steadiness is there. the root, the foundation. i return to it time and time again. you know, god is an entity that never moves. that's themn solid part of my life. >> yeah. tell me about the rest of the play list. we talk about the gospel stuff. there is good stuff on here. tell me about the saturday night stuff. >> i love traditional country music. i explored every complete avenue of country music you could ever hope to do. i came out to california here a few years ago and scored a film with billy bob thornton called "all the pretty horses." it was the first film i had scored at that level. i thought if the picture and the music line up the scene goes by in no time. if the music is wrong it can last -- a 30-second scene seems like two hours. driving through the backwoods of missouri one day, i saw cows, horses, clotheses blowing on the line. farmland. it was beautiful. i was listening to contemporary country music and it didn't fit the scene to me. i put in hank williams and started listening to me rle haggard and i started to cry. my heart spoke. that's what you love the most. as a band we committed ourself to the preservation, further rans of traditional country music as an art form. it seemed to me the] genre was slipping away. it's been our mission alongside the arts, alongside jazz, ballet and classical. it's working. being accepted. i couldn't be happier. great mission. >> it's not just a mission of oh preserving the art form. traditional country music. you also are preserving the whole. >> we have to find the right word here. your collection. >> treasures. >> the pressutreasures. >> the collection of items and artifacts. >> could you help with the insurance bill? >> no. i could only imagine. take a minute and tell me about the collection of yours, man. >> in the early 1980s, thecp sonics, the look of nashville was changing as it was designed to do. country music was moving on. "urban cowboy" came along. the treasures of the master architects, fellows that raised me as a little kid were being disregarded. they were winding up in thrift shops. the first serious piece was patsy cline's train case. i paid $50 for it. i went this doesn't need to happen. it became my mission that it started in my bedroom. there was about 20,000 pieces. >> the sound track -- >> how are you going to house this stuff? >> p home state of mississippi. there is a museum trail taking place. mr. presley's birthplace represents rock and roll. >> b.b. king. >> >> the grammys are putting him in the state. country music would be represented in my hometown of philadelphia. the country music hall. it'sx in motion now. >> finally, there is much to talk about. let me get it in. as if you weren't a good enough musician and you do music scores. everything else you do. you're collecting treasures. you photograph it as well. >> my mother was a great shutter bug. i love photography from day one. first time i went to new york citiment 1974. lester flat. we played new york university. we went into a bookstore in the village. on the upper wall was beautiful black and white portraits by a jazz bassist named mr. milt hinton. he had total access to the family of jazz. ellasv fitzgerald playing dice behind-the-scenes recording with duke ellington. he could go everywhere. it struck me, i can do this for country music now. my mom sent me a kodak instamatic and i proceeded. >> talking about this picture. >> i don't know any cash, four days before he passed awayment he was my next door neighbor, my old chief. one of my old heroes. four days later he was gone. that's the last for portrait. >> i have a bunch of stuff. marty got stuff, y'all. marty got a new project called marty stuart and his fabulous superlatives. saturday night and sunday morning is the name of the project. that's lp form. krrvegs d as well and the book. all the photographs, called american ballads. that's marty's photo book. i love this. >> they are at the center for arts in nashville in november. >> go check it out. >> good to have-k you on. >> my pleasure. >> i'm going to walmart. >> you've got to go. >> thanks for watching. that's our show for tonight. as always, keep the faithment faith. >> for more information on today's show visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. >> i'm tavis smiley. join me next time for a conversation with senator patri next time. we'll see you then. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like youment thank you. >> welcome to "film school shorts," a showcase of the most exciting new talent from across the country. experience the future of film, next on "film school shorts." >> "film school shorts" is made possible by a grant from maurice kanbar, celebrating the vitality and power of the moving image, and by the members of kqed.

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