re: #268 palomino

But on the larger question of “the Hispanic vote”, the GOP is only making things worse for themselves. Mexican-Americans are by far the largest Hispanic group and the gop’s nativism has alienated them for the foreseeable future. Cuban-Americans have always been an isolated exception. And a party that continues to emphasize a return to a mythical past (when Hispanics were second class citizens) isn’t on its way to gaining any ground. Rove knew that this was dangerous for the gop because of the quickly growing Hispanic population, and the fact they are disproportionately young. Both Harry Reid and Obama illustrate the power of the Hispanic vote as it moves towards being overwhelmingly Democrat.

The thing is that being a socon wouldn’t hurt too muchl among Mexicans. What the GOP needs is a social conservative who is not anti-immigrant (they can still be anti-illegal immigration). Someone who can make the case that alienating Mexicans is politically deadly.