My take is that racist or not one can't really expect the Republican Party to lead the cheerleading for allowing in more new voters that over time will tend to vote Democratic. It's suicidal for the Party. If Republicans could somehow bring in millions of reliably Republican voters, they'd be the ones talking about the need for amnesty while Democrats, angrily watching blue states turn purple, would have a different song to sing.
Their only option, minus total issue capitulation, would have to try to split the hispanic vote. Or more specifically, the Mexican/Latin American vote. Not as tout as they once were, but Cuban-Americans are still Republican-faithful.
If Dubya had somehow pulled off immigration reform and owned that issue, I truely believe the GOP could've at the very least created that permanent split. But alas his party's wise and tolerant base murdered it, and now they'll pay for it long term.
Reminds me of Stephen Ambrose's book on Richard Nixon, how while as Vice-President, Nixon saw an electoral opening for the GOP after
Brown V. Board of Education and did his damn best to try to convince the rank and file to embrace desegregation (even if at least only in public) and split the black vote from the Democrats. As much as FDR had taken them away from the party of Lincoln. (People forget that Eisenhower in '56 won 39% of the black vote.) Nixon was ignored, and thus the Democrats were allowed to own that issue, even though it was the racist useless Southern Democrats who pretty much held Jim Crow down for over a century. (Of course they became Republicans but nevermind.)
The panel also discussed how the traditional voting patterns of Republicans/Democrats have changed-mostly among whites. The Republicans win big among whites without a college education and/or working class while the Democrats do better among middle class and college educated whites.
Yeah I've noticed that reversal of support. Difference between then and now is that both bases now vote against their own political interests. Especially poor Republicans advocating tax cuts for the super wealthy.
2012 could be a high point election for Republicans as there is no guarantee that thanks to a changing electorate that by 2020 or even 2016 several previously "Red" states won't be in play. There's not an easy way to see how this plays itself out. But there are gonna be some serious fights over Social Security and school funding over the next 2-3 decades the likes of which we haven't seen before. But it still all comes down the economy for 2012.
The 2010 mid term showed that the Democrats have an Achilles Heel among whites, who were motivated by frustration by the economy. The overreach by Republicans on such things as public unions, contraceptives and Planned Parenthood may play well with some of their base but it turns off the white independents. Time will tell.
At the very least, you would agree that those targets at best only fire up the Democratic base. (Especially that retarded IVF ban meme which apparently will hit several state ballots next year, including Florida.)
Of course the big polling news I've got today will make this even more interesting.
