[jordan8]

Mr. Bush managed to attract 35 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2000, while Al Gore drew 62 percent

A landslide starts at 55%. Does anyone believe that the Republicans will ever capture this voting bloc? Even if Bush manages to plugs the dike this time the long term effects are clear. Yet they continue to support immigration policies that mean their eventual extermination as a political party. Why? How does democracy really work in the age of television?

The percentage of Hispanic voters in the United States who were foreign-born and spoke mostly Spanish was about 18 percent in 1988. Today, that percentage has exploded to 51 percent.

If you don't get the results you want, and you have power, just import enough votes until you get those results. And the beauty part is the resulting dictatorship can still be called democracy. The people will blame themselves for their own destruction and servitude.

[SunkenCiv]

they continue to support immigration policies that mean their eventual extermination as a political party

That's assuming that Latinos will only vote for the so-called Democrats, which is like saying that people of African descent will only vote for them.

GWB began his reelection campaign in 2001 when he met with Fox in Mexico. His predecessors had generally met with the leader of Canada.

The immigration proposal did several things.

Number one, it drew the line in the SWern sand, which his opponents (all of them) promptly stepped over, thus defining their position, and "outing" them among their supposed constituents in the rust belt. This strengthened Bush among those in labor who would disproportionately vote for Bush, and weakened potential turnout among those who wouldn't.

Number two, it strengthened Bush in the SW, but particularly in California, and even in Texas and Florida which he will win with little effort.

[JohnnyZ]

Does anyone believe that the Republicans will ever capture this voting bloc?

Yes. Considering the successes Republicans have had in places where we've been as aggressive in wooing Hispanics as we have in wooing whites, it's not much of a stretch to think that we could be winning the Hispanic vote nationally soon -- as long as we don't pander to the xenophobes.