LAT: GOP Immigration Tactic: Blast Away, but Be Nice

[DeepModem Mom]

GOP Immigration Tactic: Blast Away, but Be Nice
Still split themselves, candidates hammer Democrats but try not to alienate Latino voters.
By Nicholas Riccardi and Mark Z. Barabak, Times Staff Writers
July 9, 2006

DENVER — Hoping to use the volatile issue of illegal immigration to avert a November election disaster, Republican candidates across the country increasingly are attacking their Democratic opponents on the subject.

But mindful of a possible voter backlash, they are attempting to do so without seeming intolerant or divisive.

In Pennsylvania, Sen. Rick Santorum has launched an ad accusing his challenger of favoring amnesty for people in the country illegally and giving them "preference over American workers." Rep. Bob Beauprez criticizes his Democratic opponent in the Colorado governor's race for supporting state benefits for illegal immigrants. In the Chicago suburbs, congressional hopeful David McSweeney is attacking Democratic incumbent Melissa Bean on immigration — even though she voted in favor of the crackdown bill that passed the House in December.

Immigration is a tricky issue for Republicans, and there are deep divisions in the party over what policy and strategy to pursue....

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Still, Republican strategists have "made a decision that, whatever the risk, this is simply a very bad year and the issue is too hot not to put it in the quiver," said Floyd Ciruli, a Denver-based independent pollster....

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-voters9jul09,0,561518.story?coll=la-home-nation