How To Doom GOP In ’16: Strong Executive Action On Immigration Would Clinch Dems-Latinos Relationshi

[WillyT]

How to doom GOP in ’16: Strong executive action on immigration would clinch Dems-Latinos relationship
Conventional wisdom says it's too perilous to act on immigration after the midterm debacle. The opposite is true
GABRIEL ARANA - Salon
THURSDAY, NOV 6, 2014 08:06 AM PST

Latino voters were not decisive in this week’s election. Like many of the groups that comprise the Democratic base, their turnout in the midterms was poor. One could make the argument that higher turnout among this demographic could have made a difference in Colorado, where Democratic incumbent Mark Udall lost to Republican challenger Cory Gardner. But in the other states where Democrats faced an uphill battle for re-election, the Latino population was small.

Where Latinos matter most — and matter a lot — is in the presidential election. While they tend to vote at lower levels than any other ethnic minority group, by dint of their sheer numbers Latinos were credited with handing Obama the presidency in 2008 and 2012. With Latinos projected to make up 29 percent of the U.S. population by 2050, the chances of winning the White House without the support of this demographic will become increasingly remote.

An announcement from President Obama giving undocumented immigrants an administrative reprieve from deportation would set the newly installed Republican majority in Congress aflame. But this redounds to his — and the Democrats’ — benefit. The more extreme Republicans’ rhetoric on immigration in the lead up to 2016, the more likely these voters will stay in the Democratic camp, spelling doom for the GOP’s presidential prospects.

The immigration debate of the last few years has given a platform to xenophobes like Iowa Representative Steve King, who said that for every child of an undocumented immigrant who becomes valedictorian, “there’s another hundred out there who weigh 130 pounds — and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.” But it hasn’t just been the stray extremist tarnishing the GOP brand. House Republicans passed a bill calling for the deportation of all undocumented immigrants, as well as children brought to the U.S. as minors.

Despite significant differences between the various national-origin groups — born citizens, Puerto Ricans arguably have no stake in the immigration fight — Latinos tend to see Republicans’ position on immigration as dispositive; broad-based attacks on immigrants tend to reinforce Latino pan-ethnic identity. While George W. Bush won 44 percent of the Latino vote in 2004, since then the GOP’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and failure to move immigration reform forward have strengthened Latinos’ alignment with the Democratic Party. Mitt Romney’s “self-deportation” stance led him to secure a mere 27 percent of Latino voters in 2012.

In 2006, only 49 percent of Latino voters identified or leaned Democrat. Now, in part on account of the immigration debate, 63 percent do. Even Cubans, who have traditionally voted Republican, are now more likely to register as Democrats than Republicans.

Strong executive action from President Obama on immigration, and the resulting Republican freakout, will only cement Democrats’ standing with Latino voters. Progressives may be downtrodden after yesterday’s defeat at the ballot box, but if the president plays the long game, the future looks bright.

Link: http://www.salon.com/2014/11/06/how_to_doom_gop_in_16_strong_executive_action_on_immigration_would_clinch_dems_latinos_relationship/

[JEB]

1. Not only would this win for Dems a huge number of votes,

it is the right thing to do. Long overdue.

[WillyT]

2. I Agree !!!

[JEB]

3. I saw on Rachael's show that the GOP is going nuts

over the prospect of any Immigration related executive order. This is the fight to take to them. I really really really hope Obama puts it to them.

[WillyT]

4. Yep... This Is Their Fuse... I Say... Light 'Em Up !!!

[JEB]

5. I'm not that good at political strategy, but

I would have done it before the election. Bring the GOP ugliness out for voters to see. And mostly help a lot of desperate families.

[JEB]

6. I am surprised at how little attention this post is getting.

It seems to be central to giving Dems a leg to stand on. If Obama announces next week as per rumor some sort of executive order concerning immigration, then everyone will take notice. Of course it is of extreme importance if your family is being torn apart. Anyhow, thanks, WillyT, for posting on this important topic.

[JonLP24]

7. I wouldn't oversell it

It is a secondary issue to legal Hispanics, like most voters, economy is the primary concern. Don't get me wrong, the system is broken and needs to be fixed -- http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2010-08-12/news/seized-inside-the-brutal-world-of-america-s-kidnapping-capital/

Other than DREAMers, the path to citizenship is a long way away under immigration reform & the first thing on immigration reform is beefing up the deportation side of things.

I think Republicans have a better chance of hurting themselves than Democrats helping themselves. Republicans, if they continue to promote policies that lead to racial profiling of legal Hispanics, they lose.