POLITICAL SUICIDE, ANYONE? (IT WAS NOT THE HISPANIC VOTE THAT DEFEATED ROMNEY)

Powerline ^ | 11/24/2012 | PAUL MIRENGOFF

[SeekAndFind]

In an article referenced by Scott earlier today, Byron York shows that Mitt Romney did not lose the election because of his failure to win the Hispanic vote. Romnwy would have lost in Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin, Iowa, and New Hampshire even if he had gained a large portion of the Hispanic votes in these key battleground states.

York also demonstrates that, as we have argued, Hispanics are not a natural Republican constituency. If anything, they are natural Democrats for reasons unrelated to the immigration issue. Exit poll information suggests that Hispanics based their votes on a number of issues beyond illegal immigration, and those issues favored Democrats. A majority of Hispanics who voted this Election Day favored keeping Obamacare, higher taxes for higher earners, and (by 2 to 1) keeping abortion legal.

This brings me to the question of immigration reform. Such legislation is best evaluated on its merits, rather than on its politics. However, to the extent Republican legislators undertake a political analysis, it should weigh heavily against a vote for any package that provides a path to citizenship for illegal aliens, including the children of those who are here illegally.

The Hispanic vote wasn’t decisive in states like Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin, Iowa and New Hampshire because, although it favored Obama big-time, it wasn’t a large portion of the vote. The kind of immigration reform pushed by Democrats would tend to change this.

Moreover, because Hispanics favor Democratic positions on a wide range of big issues having nothing to do with immigration, supporting liberal immigration reform will not win many Hispanic votes. Given these realities, I see no political case, from a Republican point of view, for supporting a path to citizenship for illegal aliens. To contrary, supporting such reform looks something like an act of political suicide.

[JCBreckenridge]

Disagree. Supporting amnesty doesn’t help the republican party with Hispanic people. Many of them have been here in America, longer than anybody else.

[Silver Sabre]

WHITE VOTE IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

2012: 72% of electorate, Romney 59, Obama 39

2008: 74% of electorate, McCain 55, Obama 43

2004: 77% of electorate, Bush 58, Kerry 41

2000: 81% of electorate, Bush 55, Gore 42

1996: 83% of electorate, Dole 46, Clinton 44 (Perot 9)

1992: 87% of electorate, Bush 41, Clinton 39 (Perot 21)

1988: 85% of electorate, Bush 60, Dukakis 40

1984: 86% of electorate, Reagan 66, Mondale 34

1980: 88% of electorate, Reagan 56, Carter 36 (Anderson 8)

1976: 89% of electorate, Ford 52, Carter 48

AVERAGE DEMOCRATIC WHITE VOTE SHARE: 40.6%

[knarf]

I know they’re still counting, but what’s the actual vote count/difference as of today ?

[stylin19a]

good place to keep up on it

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AjYj9mXElO_QdHpla01oWE1jOFZRbnhJZkZpVFNKeVE&toomany=true

[Theodore R.]

Apparently one Saxbe Chambliss who says he’s from GA but was not born there is self-appointed head of ther GOP Suicide Brigade and proud of it!

[stylin19a]

thanks for this. It shoots down some of my assumptions.

[Gaffer]

I for one am not about to cede the sovereignty of this country, even to Americans of Hispanic origin simply because they have some connection to their illegal invader brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts, etc. and wish to bypass all established immigration law and put these people first, because they are Mexican - whatever.

I’m not going to kiss their butt, pander to them, or plead with them so they can see what they are doing to this country. If they persist, I’ll shun them too, not hire them, not support their businesses, nor offer any friendship. They will be as any Democrat to me - nonexistent.

[Gaffer]

I for one am not about to cede the sovereignty of this country, even to Americans of Hispanic origin simply because they have some connection to their illegal invader brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts, etc. and wish to bypass all established immigration law and put these people first, because they are Mexican - whatever.

I’m not going to kiss their butt, pander to them, or plead with them so they can see what they are doing to this country. If they persist, I’ll shun them too, not hire them, not support their businesses, nor offer any friendship. They will be as any Democrat to me - nonexistent.

[stanne]

Isn’t that what Byron said?

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

Face it: The unconstitutionally elected admitted foreign born Kenyan unconstitutionally won a 2nd term because of voter fraud. I find it curious that months before the election, even right before the election, just about all the reader comments on every single newspaper website in this country were in favor of Romney. Do liberals ignore news websites? I don’t thinks so, not with their fat mouths. Even the liberal New York Daily news here in liberal New York endorsed Romney, but still the admitted foreign born Kenyan unconstitutionally won a 2nd term. So we are just all suppose to believe that this POTUS that even liberals were fed up with, who is probably the worst POTUS in American history, won the election over a guy whose business is creating jobs? Cha right.

[Andrei Bulba]

It would be nice if anyone cared what is best for America.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: I know they’re still counting, but what’s the actual vote count/difference as of today ?

Maybe this site will help:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2012-election-results

[adorno]

Here’s my take on what really stopped Romney from winning.

Romney had Obama on the ropes, ready for the knockout, after the firs debate. Romney and his campaign team thought that, that would be enough to carry him the last remaining weeks until the election.

Romney failed to go for the knockout in the next two debates, figuring that, the last 2 debates weren’t as crucial, and that he could coast to the election with a lead given to him by that first debate. Fatal error. Once the enemy is down, you don’t give him a chance to get up again and recuperate. Obama needed the break he got and went right back to attacking Romney with the same lies and commercials which had him in the lead towards the beginning of the presidential campaign. People have very short memories and the results of the first debate were more than a month in the past, and since Obama was able to survive the last 2 debates, his original supporters came back to thinking he wasn’t such a loser after all.

It’s too late now, but, next time a republican has somebody like Obama ready for the knockout, the republican should put him away. No more dancing around and hoping for the best. Nice guys always finish last in politics and wars.

[JCBreckenridge]

Not every state has that luxury. We do not, and have never had that luxury here in Texas. There are plenty of hispanic citizens who have never left the state, and who’s parents have always been here as well.

Why assume that they are a monolith? They are not, and neither are we. They have a vested interest, just as much as we do - to see the preservation of law and order here in Texas, for which the current president cares little.

What are these people going to think when they see us pandering? They are going to see us as weak and untrustworthy.

[txrefugee]

There is no law keeping Mexicans, Blacks, or Hottentots from voting Republican. The problem, so aptly put by Bill O’Reilly the night of the election, is that Democrats buy votes with promises of free stuff, and that’s what minorities and fornicating single women vote for.

No self-respecting conservative would run on a platform like that, so we will have to see them break the country.....but we can fight like hell to keep them from getting our tax money to keep the gravy train rolling.

[JCBreckenridge]

There is zero evidence to support your assertion that Romney was ahead after the first debate. His performance demonstrated that it was actually a contested election. But he was never ahead.

[ex-snook]

Hispanics are just an excuse for losing rather than face the real reason. Romney and the GOP have lost the working democrats [aka Reagan Republicans]. Putting up a ticket of Rubio and West is a mirage if the GOP thinks mongering solves their problem.

[headstamp 2]

I’m thinking absentee and early voting killed Romney. It was made to order for the Democrat fraud machine.

[JCBreckenridge]

I’d have to look it up. I really don’t see what Republicans have to gain by demonizing the folks who are the descendents of folks who have been in Texas since God knows when. This is their home as it is our home, and we should work together.