JUSIPER

Monday, November 28, 2005

Nevada caucuses in January?

Posted by Sini

An explosive shift, if it happens. This would force Democratic contenders to contend with Hispanic voters and grapple with the party's emerging but promising Southwestern strategy.

But the real news is what it would mean to the GOP. It would be a boon to Tom Tancredo and an utter disaster for the party. Republicans will raise the immigration issue far more harshly than they would in New Hampshire and Iowa.

2004 was without question the GOP's high water mark among Hispanics. Bush took great pains not to make immigration an issue and to appear Hispanic-friendly. It was a brilliant political move, but one that was at odds with the beliefs of the party's rank and file.

The hate engendered by the 2008 primary will lower Hispanic support for Republicans from the top of the ticket on down, and in every state. But if the primary season begins with a Southwestern caucus state, expect the hate to be ratcheted up a notch. And for the consequences on the Hispanic vote to be devastating.

3:47 PM |

Comments (3):

I think you nailed it right on.

The Repubs wanted to cruise through Iowa and NH before unloading the soft bigotry issue of immigration in South Carolina.

This is scheduled to be the next gay marriage issue for the repubs.

By mikevotes, at 3:55 PM

To which we should all say, "Bring it on!"

By Sini, at 12:27 AM

I think so. As distasteful af anti homosexual bigotry is to me, my experience is that it has enough tacit support to work as an issue.

I think immigration will be much harder for them to pull off, because people will be far less comfortable with discrimination based on skin color, which no matter how this is originally presented, this will become.

By mikevotes, at 3:41 PM