Mickey Kaus suggests that Senator Obama would be unwise to being his Presidency by making immigration policy an early priority. Kaus thinks that an amnesty program would give the post-McCain GOP an issue wherewith to unify itself. On the other hand, it might also expand the Democratic party base in large battleground states, and, by uniting the GOP against amnesty, secure all those new voters for the Democratic party well into the future.
by uniting the GOP against amnesty, secure all those new voters for the Democratic party well into the future.
I don't know how this crap became the conventional wisdom, but Hispanics don't care about amnesty.
Please look up the GOP's share of the Hispanic vote going back forty years. Pay particular attention to what happened to it after 1986, when Reagan signed what was supposed to be the last amnesty.
If the GOP wants the Hispanic vote it will need to get it the old fashioned way - by buying it with cold hard cash. Amnesty increases the size of the Hispanic pool of voters. Regardless of who passes it, it does NOTHING to alter who they vote for.
by uniting the GOP against amnesty, secure all those new voters for the Democratic party well into the future.
Spoken like a true Rockefeller. With "conservatives" like these, who needs liberals? ;)
Promoting amnesty might allow Democrats and their friends in the media establishment to demagogue the issue, and portray those who oppose amnesty as bigots. That effort should be enough at least to keep the percentage who suppor the Democrats at least constant. Adding more than 10 million voters, 2/3 of whom are Democrats to the voting rolls, is good politics for the Democrats. At the very least, it would not surprise me is some of the powers that be in the Democratic party see it that way, more or less. That's why the politics of the issue may not quite be what Kaus hopes.
Promoting amnesty might allow Democrats and their friends in the media establishment to demagogue the issue, and portray those who oppose amnesty as bigots.
The GOP has been paintng those who oppose amnesty and the granting of US citizenship to millions of illegals as bigots. That is to say, the GOP opposes the will of the majority of people of both parties. Which is fast becoming the parties MO on all issues.
A little more populism please.