In the panhandle of Florida, Newt's message will resonate, but in the heavily hispanic

[mfcorey1]

areas of South Florida, he will find more opposition, especially with his views on immigration.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. And Newt will blunt that with

an appeal to the Cuban exiles by calling for a Cuban Spring (read, Coupe against the Castros) and a streamlined process of naturalizing Cuban refugees.

[JCMach1]

2. +1, Newt is a Florida type of Republican

the meaner and nastier, the better in Florida

[atreides1]

6. What Cuban exiles?

Exile means to be away from one's home (i.e. city, state or country), while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return. It can be a form of punishment and solitude.

Aren't the majority of Cubans in Florida now American citizens...which means the the United States is their home, not Cuba!

If their loyalty is to Cuba then let them renounce their US citizenship and become exiles in reality.

Just my opinion.

[Enrique]

3. but few hispanics who are strongly anti-immigration

will be voting in the GOP primary.

[mfcorey1]

4. The Hispanic elite always vote republican. nt

[Honeycombe8]

5. That's what I've read and seen. They're mainly Republican Cubans...Mark Rubio types.

They are conservative fiscally and socially. They fall in line and vote Republican. I guess they're not pro-illegal immigration. There isn't a big illegal immigration from Cuba. There are some, but not tens of millions. And I wonder if they're considered fugitives because they're fleeing from a dictatorship.

[UTUSN]

11. There are *hugh* gaps in economic classes in most Latin countries, so the same

spectrum in their politics: Plutocrats = wingnuts (think the KOCH Bros). The first generation-plus of Cuban emigrants were overthrown by the other end (back then) of the spectrum, so were a good fit for the CIA/B.F.E.E. Those were wingnuts before they ever came here. The later generations grew up here without the same economic resources for themselves and are either less politically active or Dem.

[Edweird]

7. Your analysis is ignorant.

[mfcorey1]

8. And you offer no intelligent rebuttal. nt

[quaker bill]

9. Fl Republicans nominated Rick Scott

Newt is not to the right of Rick. Anyone to the right of Rick Scott falls of the right edge of the flat world they still believe in. The only hope Mittens has is that buyers remorse flips votes to the center. There is some of that going on, but I am not sure it is enough to blunt Newt in a closed Republican primary.

[mfcorey1]

10. When Scott needs to launch a pgrogram or give a major speech, the majority of

that activity is not in South Florida. He flees to the panhandle.

[izquierdista]

12. What you both miss is that it is not a political spectrum question.

The question is, "Is Newt as greedy and self serving as Gov. Scott?" I would say yes, that they are in the same league, in which case, Newt will do just fine with Florida Republicans.

[quaker bill]

16. +1

[a la izquierda]

13. Non-Cubans may flee from Newt's (or any Republican's) views on immigration..

but you have to keep in mind that South Florida is home to Cubans, most of whom are Republican...no matter how long they've been here.
Newt will have issues in places like Texas, California, Arizona, etc., where the bulk of the Hispanic population is Mexican or Central American. In those places, most have little time for hate-spewing Republicans; keep in mind, though, that many who pay attention to politics are not pleased with the Obama administration, either (right or wrong).

[ecstatic]

14. All a PAC needs to do is show Romney's cruel response to the student

who asked him about the DREAM ACT.

[HockeyMom]

15. Transplant/Retiree Element

I read somewhere that 66% of Florida's population are not native to the state. I would guess that the majority are probably in South Florida, or Orlando, more so than the Panhandle.

The east coast is generally from the NE, while the gulf coast are mostly mid-west transplants and retirees. Perhaps this is why Florida is so much a swing state? Do people really change their political views when they move? Not much.