People always underestimate the importance of geography and demographics in developing their political ideas, understanding past events, or predicting probable outcomes. This is one of the reasons Michael Barone is one of the best talking heads on tv--he's a demographics expert.
I am absolutely terrified of the impact illegal immigration and unchecked voter registration/fraud are going to have on this election. What's wrong with proving you're a citizen before you register to vote? What's so threatening about showing an ID when you vote? After all, much more is required to fly in a plane.
BTW, the more someone understands about the age demographics and the perpetuation of the social security, the scarier it is for our children. We need more economics and geography in our schools--and fewer liberally-programmed soft subjects.
I have little patience for Barone. He, along with Ben Wattenberg and others, sees little difference between the illegals from Mexico and the Italian immigrants at the turn of the century. Forgetting that perhaps 40% of the Italian immigrants eventually returned to Italy, he ignore completely that the US shares a COMMON BORDER with Mexico, that these illegal immigrants have no incentive to assimilate and that these illegals, unlike all other earlier generations of immigrants, are not sucking away billions of dollars in welfare and healthcare.