Will Obama shift on Latino and Latin American strategies?

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Polls indicate that Barack Obama has a lead over John McCain among Latino voters, perhaps a substantial one.

But the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is still formulating his positions on a number of key issues of particular interest to Latinos and Latin Americans, writes Miami Herald columnist Andres Oppenheimer, who is anticipating a ‘shift to the center’ in the coming weeks in Barack Obama’s ‘Latin American rhetoric, including a less strident opposition to the Mexico and Colombia free trade agreements, and a more persistent criticism of Cuba and Venezuela’s authoritarian regimes.’

Oppenheimer writes: ‘There is a fierce behind-the-scenes battle for influence over presumptive Democratic candidate Barack Obama’s Hispanic and Latin American agenda, and some Democratic strategists say that its outcome could determine the result of the November elections.’

‘Some Obama backers in South Florida, in particular, are especially miffed at what they see as excessive power by labor-union-tied, left-leaning Mexican-American leaders at Obama’s Chicago headquarters over the campaign’s nationwide Hispanic and Latin American policy strategies.’

Oppenheimer further notes: ‘Obama’s stands against NAFTA and the free-trade deal with Colombia have been applauded in some Midwestern industrialized states that have lost factories to Mexico, but are supported by Florida’s business community and many of the state’s Hispanics.’

‘Similarly, Obama’s support for farm subsidies has been welcomed in U.S. farm states but is decried as unfair by virtually all Latin American countries and many U.S. Latinos.’

-- Reed Johnson in Mexico City

[Updated: 7:40, 10:04 p.m.]