Graham: GOP 'getting creamed with non-white voters'

The Hill ^ | 05/08/2015 | Mark Hensch

[GIdget2004]

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) predicted Thursday Republicans will lose the 2016 presidential election without major immigration reform, saying the party is struggling to win minority voters.

“The only way we lose this election is if we beat ourselves and that is very possible, but we are getting creamed with non-white voters,” Graham, a likely 2016 presidential contender, told host Susan Page on USA Today’s “Capital Download.”

“We’ll lose,” he said, if the party doesn't improve its prospects with minorities.

“I mean, we’ve got a big hole we’ve dug with Hispanics,” he added. “We’ve gone from 44 percent of the Hispanic vote [in the 2004 presidential election] to 27 percent [in 2012]. “You’ll never convince me ... it’s not because of the immigration debate,” said Graham.

Graham said he was “98.6 percent sure” he would seek the Oval Office next year. If he does, the South Carolina lawmaker has made up his mind on immigration reform.

“If I were the president of the United States, I would veto any bill that did not have a pathway to citizenship,” Graham said.

“You would have a long, hard path to citizenship... but I want to create that path because I don’t like the idea of millions of people living in America for the rest of their lives being the hired help,” he added. “That’s not who we are.”

Graham also lashed out at Republicans who believe a secure border is necessary before tackling citizenship for illegal immigrants.

“That’s not practical,” Graham said of addressing the border before amnesty.

“No Democratic Congress is going to give the Republican Party everything we want on border security until you tell them what happens to the 11 million,” he added, referring to the estimated number of illegal immigrants.

[navyguy]

“The GOP establishment is quick to point out problems, but never have a solution. They need to develop a message that shows how conservatism works for everyone.”

The GOP leadership hasn’t been able to articulate a clear message since Reagan. It’s stupid as hell.

[PoloSec]

I suggest you go to Baltimore and Ferguson; show everybody how easy it is to get “non white” votes.

Keep in mind a democrat only needs to make promises with no expectation of delivery, that strategy will not work for a Republican, then again you are not a Republican are you.

[clintonh8r]

Lindsey Graham and “getting creamed”......I just don’t want to see that in the same paragraph.

[skeeter]

Gads these RINOs are stupid.

Or they think we really are.

Pandering ain't the answer, Linda. Listen to a dozen or so Reagan campaign speeches from 1979-80 to see how getting AMERICANS to vote for you is done.

[Will88]

“We’ve gone from 44 percent of the Hispanic vote [in the 2004 presidential election] to 27 percent [in 2012]. “You’ll never convince me ... it’s not because of the immigration debate,” said Graham.

That 44% Bush supposedly got is based on exit polls and is disputed. And Reagan got around 40% of the Hispanic vote.

What's happened is, after several million were amnestied in 1986, and almost 30 years averaging near a million legal immigrants and refugees per year, immigrants have become a larger and larger percentage of the population. Recent immigrants vote 70% plus for the Democrats and there is no way Republicans can out vote-buy the Democrats.

Lindsey and those who think like him are the problem, not the solution.

And, of course, he and his kind never consider how many conservative votes their open borders, lawless immigration policies cost Republican candidates.

[tanknetter]

There was a good analysis article posted here recently, last couple weeks or so, showing pretty conclusively that Hispanic voters who might be inclined to vote GOP place immigration as a much lower consideration to the economy and jobs.

Graham and other pro-Amnesty politicians are going after phantom/fantasy Hispanic voters that don’t exist. The ones who WILL vote based on immigration will never vote GOP anyways. The ones who might vote GOP are open to doing so based on other factors.

It makes me wonder who the heck people like Graham are listening to for this nonsense - I mean they’re basically setting up (or at this point possibly solidifying) the destruction of their own political party.

[okie01]

The GOP leadership hasn’t been able to articulate a clear message since Reagan. It’s stupid as hell.

Could it be that the GOP leadership actually isn't conservative...???

[EQAndyBuzz]

“Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) predicted Thursday Republicans will lose the 2016 presidential election without major immigration reform, saying the party is struggling to win minority voters.”

No Lindsey, the GOPe is struggling to win minority voters. Conservatives are doing pretty well.

[jjsheridan5]

The only modern Republican to do well in the modern political era with hispanics was the only "ultra-conservative" (as you would call them) candidate that has been nominated by the stupid party -- Ronald Reagan. He won nomination even though the self-proclaimed smart people, who recited such nonsense as what you posted, declared him "unelectable". No point in flaming you. But just know that the reason the stupid party is stupid is because of stupid Republican voters who believe in the kind of tripe you posted.

[kabar]

Dems getting creamed by non-Hispanic white voters.

[jwalsh07]

Fuch him.

[navyguy]

Correct!

[RedHeeler]

A bagel has a sense of being.

[Will88]

Here's a good article from 2007 about the Latino vote. It disputes the 44% claimed by W and says Reagan received 37% in 1984. I've seen higher figures for Reagan, but these Hispanic vote percentages tend to jump around since most are based on exit polls.

The myth of the Latino voting bloc

[mquinn]

Doesn’t Limpy Graham have a salon appointment to get swishing to?

[Nea Wood]

1. “Hey, let’s let in tens of millions of people who will never vote for us!”

2. “Oooops! They’re here. Better kiss up to them so they’ll vote for us!”

Stupid Party strikes again.

[Unmarked Package]

This mental midget has no idea that Hispanic families are predominantly Catholic, have family problems like everyone else, and the Citizens among them are some of the first to lose their jobs to illegal immigrants. They fear crime, need to have the middle class expand not shrink, and are waiting for a man who will shoot straight with them.

Your description fits the majority of legal Hispanic voters in Texas judging by the results in the 2014 statewide election for Lt. Governor and Governor. Texas is a majority non-white state, so I wouldn't think our legal Hispanic population is unique in their viewpoints.

Dan Patrick was the Republican winner for Lt. Governor who was most vocal about border security and removing benefits to illegal aliens. Patrick received 53% of votes from Hispanic men according to NBC exit polls. Gov. Abbott held similar positions on illegal immigration and received votes of 49% of Hispanic men. Patrick and Abbott didn't fare as well among Hispanic women, getting 40% and 39% of the vote, respectively, but still a respectable number.

Lindsey Graham is approaching this entirely wrong if he believes legal Hispanic voters are open to rewarding lawbreakers that take advantage of taxpayers and take jobs away from hardworking American citizens.

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks for the mention. Now expect that to be ignored from here on out, as it has been for decades elsewhere.

[itsahoot]

we are getting creamed with non-white existent voters,”

[conservativejoy]

Next Lindsey will be campaigning in black face. Does he seriously think he can appeal to black voters? Most of them don’t like his orientation.