re: #877 Deseeded

Anti-hispanic? That seems a bit harsh. “Crotchedy” and “out of touch” fits well with the GOP right now, but it’s not an anti-hispanic outfit.

Mickey Kaus (a Democrat, who endorsed 0bama even though he is now quite critical) memorably spoke of “Operation Hispander” by the GOP and the Dems alike.

It’s simple numbers: what are the big ethnic minority groups in the USA and who will they vote for?
* Blacks: automatically in the D column. The GOP tries (Bush 43 appointing blacks to his two most senior cabinet posts, Michael Steele becoming RNC chair) but it’s basically a lost cause.
* Hispanics: the fastest-growing demographic, and not automatically in either column. The Dems can pander by “multiculturalism”, “open borders”, “affirmative action”, and their historical record as “the party of the little guy” (old news). This rhetoric will attract a large part of the Hispanic electorate.
On the other hand, Hispanics tend to be socially conservative; leaving a few neo-marxists aside, are generally churchgoing Catholics or converts to evangelical churches; and those who are business owners probably have little if any time for “tax and spend” policies. As Bush 43 showed, the GOP can get at least a large minority of their vote.

So both parties have an incentive to woo this demographic and not to alienate it. So a “close the borders” candidate will be doomed: be he a union-backed Democrat (union members are probably the only D constituency that grumbles at “open borders” rhetoric) or a culturally conservative Republican.