United Liberty
GOP Losing Hispanic Support Since Passage Of Arizona Law
Wed, 05/26/2010 - 12:23pm | posted by Doug Mataconis
Well, this isn’t at all surprising:
There’s no doubt that the new Arizona immigration law is popular nationally, but that still doesn’t mean the issue’s going to work to the GOP’s advantage this fall.
Hispanics in the Mountain West are leaning much more strongly toward the Democrats since the Arizona law was passed. The big question then becomes whether there are white voters who are going to go Republican this fall who wouldn’t have if that bill hadn’t been passed. We don’t see any evidence of that happening yet- Bennet and Glassman are both doing better with white voters than they were before as well, although not to the same degree that they’ve improved with Hispanics.
A majority of Americans may support the bill but it could still end up working to Democrats’ benefit this fall if most of the voters who care enough about it for it be a determining factor in how they vote- or whether they vote- go in their direction.
Proposition 187 set Republicans in California back for more than a decade. This Arizona law could do the same thing in other parts of the Southwest.
It’s pretty sad considering how much support George W. Bush worked to build in that community. (I know we’re not Bush fans generally here but he did more than any modern president to engage Hispanic voters.) It goes to show that it’s much easier to destroy something than to build something.
The Democrats would be wise to try to pick up from where the GOP has failed and bring back the guest worker program. It would be far more beneficial to our economy, and the dignity of immigrants, than the bailouts we’ve been doing so far.
“Philosophy, despite the best obfuscatory intentions of philosophers, occasionally seeps out of the ivory towers and informs our lives.”
I’m an professional Asian male, borne to second generation Asian American parents, and although I’m mad as hell. I will just say this much. The GOP is losing support of the Asian community as well. I’m highly insulted by the attitude of conservative media. The GOP only want white people in charge. They will have a rude awakening. After all we happen to be brown as well.