McCain has a strategy????
Posted on 02/20/2008 10:17:53 AM PST by jdm
The Washington Post reports that John McCain's unexpected rise from the politically dead has created a big problem for the Democrats. They saw an opportunity to win the presidency by turning the interior West into a blue zone, using the Hispanic vote to overwhelm the GOP in one of its traditional strongholds. McCain has thrown a wrench into those plans, and Barack Obama may also present a problem:
For Democrats, 2008 was supposed to be the year of the Mountain West, when three years of relentless Republican attacks on undocumented immigrants would fuel a backlash among Hispanics that would change the playing field in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico, and perhaps alter the landscape of presidential politics for a generation.
But the emergence of Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) as the likely standard-bearer for the GOP may have scrambled the equation, cooling a potential political revolt among Hispanics and sending Democrats in search of a new playbook. ...
Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), whose Tucson district is heavily Hispanic, said Democrats should change their tack toward Latinos and emphasize the economy, education and health care before even raising the immigration issue. Perhaps Democrats seeking the Latino vote would be best served challenging McCain on the Iraq war, suggested Guillermo Nicacio, Arizona state coordinator for Mi Familia Vota, an effort to encourage Latinos to apply for citizenship, register and vote.
Even as McCain moves to heal intraparty wounds on the immigration issue, Democratic community organizers in the West say his past battles with other Republicans over a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants left an imprint on the Latino community that will not quickly fade.
The Democrats thought they had the GOP on the ropes. They selected Denver for their convention, much as the GOP chose St Paul, to attempt to turn a battleground state into a solid backer for their ticket. They moved up the Nevada caucus to make the region more important to the nominating process. All of this effort and attention will likely come to naught as the Republicans nominate the candidate that most appeals to that constituency, and the Democrats nominate the one who appeals least.
That's not to say that McCain will win the Latino vote. He doesn't have to win it as much as he needs to keep Obama's margin small. Given his continued outreach to the Hispanic community at the expense of his standing within his party, that appears to be a realistic goal. George Bush won the 2004 election with a Hispanic vote somewhere in the mid-30s. If McCain can get within 5 points of Obama, he can easily beat him throughout the Southwest.
Nevertheless, both parties have plenty of time to re-strategize for November. At the moment, though, the interior West looks a lot less friendly for Democrats than they imagined.
“The Washington Post reports that John McCain’s unexpected rise from the politically dead has created a big problem for the Democrats.”
That makes NO sense. No matter who wins in November there will be a Democrat in the WH.
Given their stated mission, you'd think they could have an English name.
Democratic community organizers in the West say his past battles with other Republicans over a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants left an imprint on the Latino community that will not quickly fade.
Yeah. It left an imprint on REAL Americans as well.
The Demon-rats are not taking Colorado. Any movement they make this year will be cancelled out in 2010...
He won't. But as president he'll try to make citizens of tens of millions of additional Latinos so that no future Republican can ever be elected.
The Latino vote is not megalithic. Many are social conservatives who now find themselves under assault by gangs originating south of the border.
Law and order always works. No one wants to be a victim, especially of one’s own ethnic group.
I then went the other route and left the wildest, most uncontrollable kid in charge. When I came back...the classroom was quiet, all the kids were working on their assignments and no list. McCain will be kind of like leaving the bully in charge. It might be a stretch, but maybe not. I am definitely not a McCain fan, but trying to find a redeeming quality. This is the best I can do.......sigh
Excellent news, McLame is far better than the Marxist alternatives.
If the silver lining in the shamnesty debacle is that we don’t turn tail and run in the WOT, retain our tax breaks, and get a few goood SC judges out of it, that is much more acceptable than OsamaObama and Hitlery.
This is Primary Season. at the end of the day, Sen. Obama is a political neophyte, who will be crushed by Reality.
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Remember Dukakis - led nationally by 18 points.
Routed in the end.
Bump for moroe comments.
At what price to the loss of the GOP base who will just stay home if he continues his pandering? Such a strategy will hurt other Reps running on down the ticket.
I’m with you. I see McCain’s um, temperment, as a bit of a plus....
But there’s a dark lining around your silver lining. If McCain succeeds in getting amnesty for millions of illegals, and if they import all their relatives via chain migration, he’ll be the last Republican president we ever have. So a four year reprieve won’t help much.
The truth is, the Republicans lost the demographic battle for the United States in 1965 when they backed Kennedy’s immigration debacle. Want to see what Texas will look like politically in 2016? Look at California today.
What happened in 06?
Satin, how I wish these worthless campaign hacks would heed your words....
Not amongst Black voters. They're more than happy to keep voting for pro-criminal rodents. :-\
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