Demonizing immigration didn't do the trick
by kos
Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 02:01:10 PM PDT
Republicans are pinning their 2008 hopes on the same thing they pinned their 2007 hopes -- demonizing scary brown people. But as I noted yesterday (despite some disagreement), and as noted by Roll Call's Morton Kondracke (subscription only) the issue simply didn't prove electoral gold for the GOP.
For the umpteenth time, American voters this year have rejected a nativist approach to illegal immigration. It ought to be a warning to Republicans: Don’t make this your 2008 wedge issue.
Election results on Tuesday, especially in Virginia and New York state, also should encourage nervous Democrats that they can support comprehensive immigration reform — stronger enforcement plus earned legalization — and prevail.
To temper legitimate concern in the country about the local burdens resulting from failure of the U.S. government to control its borders, both parties in Congress should extend federal “impact aid” to communities whose schools and health facilities are especially affected.
Polling on immigration consistently shows that large majorities of Americans — two-thirds, in a September ABC survey — believe the U.S. is not doing enough to curb illegal immigration, but that almost as many, 58 percent in that poll, support allowing illegal immigrants to earn their way to legal status.
However, a fervent minority — figured at a third of Republicans in one private poll — opposes “amnesty” and has had its views amplified by right-wing radio talk-show hosts. Republicans in Congress have bowed to the pressure, and GOP presidential candidates increasingly are pandering, as well.
Even though past election results overwhelmingly indicate that enforcement-only campaigns don’t succeed — indeed, by offending Hispanics, pose a long-term threat to the GOP — Republicans seem bent on making illegal immigration a centerpiece of their 2008 campaigns.
Demonizing New Englanders, gays, blacks, and women -- and losing their long-term support -- isn't enough for those guys. The GOP is about to shoot themselves in the foot with the Latino community (and other immigrant groups) in the long term for a strategy that doesn't even work in the short term.
Democrats shouldn't follow them there. Here's another issue in which doing the right thing also happens to be good short- and long-term politics.
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