THE EARLY SHOW
06/11/2008
Interview: Jorge Ramos discusses his book, "The Gift of Time: Letters From a Father"

MAGGIE RODRIGUEZ, co-host:

Millions of viewers tune in every week night to watch news anchor Jorge Ramos on the Spanish language network Univision. Many of us watched him recently when he mediated one of the presidential debates.

Mr. JORGE RAMOS ("The Gift of Time..."): (Excerpt from presidential debate) Federal raids by immigration enforcement officials on homes and businesses have generated a great deal of fear and anxiety in the Hispanic community and have divided the family of some of the three million US-born children who have at least one undocumented parent. Would you consider stopping these raids once you take office until comprehensive immigration reform can be passed?

RODRIGUEZ: We know the Jorge who asked tough questions, but did you know that Jorge is also a father of two, and he's honoring his children with a book about how they've enriched his life. It's called "The Gift of Time: Letters From a Father." And Jorge's here to talk about it.

Good morning.

Mr. RAMOS: Nice to be here.

RODRIGUEZ: My old friend. Fifteen years we've known each other.

Mr. RAMOS: I know, I know. We worked together for a long, long time at Univision.

RODRIGUEZ: For a long time.

Mr. RAMOS: And it's great to see you here.

RODRIGUEZ: Thank you, Jorge. Those of us who know you, though, know that you are, in essence, a reserved and shy person.

Mr. RAMOS: Yeah.

RODRIGUEZ: So why share something so personal in this book?

Mr. RAMOS: There are--there are many reasons. First of all, I was about to turn 50, and I cannot call myself young anymore. But also, I almost had a terrible accident on a Florida highway going to the dentist. A van coming from the other side of the road crossed the median and almost hit me head-on. And, you know, I've been through five wars, I thought I was prepared for everything, but I certainly was not prepared, Maggie, to die on a sunny morning in Florida going to the dentist. And after that, I started writing these 15 letters to my kids, because my greatest fear was not only to die, but to die without telling them that I--that I loved them and without them getting to know me a little better.

RODRIGUEZ: There's Paola, whom I knew when she was a little girl. She's how old now?

Mr. RAMOS: She's 21 right now and studying--and studying in New York.

RODRIGUEZ: And Nicholas.

Mr. RAMOS: And Nicolas, who is--who's turning 10 this Saturday.

RODRIGUEZ: How did it feel when you let go of these letters, as you put it in the book, when they stopped being yours and became your children's?

Mr. RAMOS: One of--one of the most important thing is, for me for writing these letters, is for my kids to get to know me. I didn't get to know my father that well. There are many gaps sometimes in the relationship between a father and his children. My father died about 10 years ago, and there were many things about him that I didn't know. So I wanted my kids to get to know me a little better. Not only that when I was growing up I wanted to be a concertist and play the classical guitar and that I want to go to the Olympic Games, but also that there were difficult moments when Paola when she was about two, she left with her mom to Spain, and I wanted her to know that it was very difficult for me to be a father and to be a father is to be present, to be there. You know with Daniella.

RODRIGUEZ: Absolutely.

Mr. RAMOS: So that's one of the purposes for this book.

RODRIGUEZ: I also want to talk to you in the last seconds about--we saw you moderating the debate.

Mr. RAMOS: Yeah.

RODRIGUEZ: This presidential election, how prominently will Hispanic voters figure into it?

Mr. RAMOS: Latinos will decide this election, there's no question about it. Ten million Latinos will decide who the next president of the United States is going to be. Barack Obama and John McCain might have a Hispanic problem. They both voted for the fence, for a wall between the United States and Mexico. And without Latinos, nobody is going to get to the White House. The myth is that Latinos only care about immigration, the truth is that the three most important issues for Latinos are education, jobs and health care. So without Latinos, nobody's going to make it to the White House.

RODRIGUEZ: So they'll have to work hard.

Mr. RAMOS: Absolutely, very hard. And not only say just a few words in Spanish...

RODRIGUEZ: Right.

Mr. RAMOS: ...but truly address our issues.

RODRIGUEZ: Thank you, Jorge. Such a pleasure.

Mr. RAMOS: Thank you so much. Thank you, Maggie.

RODRIGUEZ: And don't miss the book. It's a great Father's Day idea. "The Gift of Time: Letters From a Father."