GOP: Latino Vote v. Minute Men/"Real America" Racist Rhetoric - Which Way?

[Median Democrat]

This is the one debate I am interested to see the GOP try to finesse. During the 2008 campaign, the GOP strongly pandered to the right wing with appeals to "real America," and McCain distancing himself from votes supporting immigration reform in order to appeal to the right wing. Now, you have Rush Limbaugh and friends saying that the GOP has to be even more militant while some folks are saying that the GOP needs to appeal to the middle, and reach out to Hispanics. It should be interesting to see how the GOP tries to finesse this conflict, particularly since the GOP platform preposes to limit the census to citizens and legal residents for purposes of determining representation in the House. Heck, even slaves were counted as a portion of a person hundreds of years ago while children, who can't vote, are also counted.

[Drunken Irishman]

1. If they want any future in this country, they better not piss off the Hispanics.

I mean, why should Hispanics vote for racist fearmongering?

They won't.

If the Republicans embrace the racist Minutemen, they are embracing their death, because the future of the presidency goes right through the western United States.

[ej510]

3. Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs, Michelle Malkin, and the rest of hate radio will keep

people of color in the democratic party. Brilliance and intelligence will keep young people with us.

[Median Democrat]

5. Rush Limbaugh: Mexicans are "a renegade, potential[ly] criminal element that is unwilling to work."

I just wonder how the GOP is going to reconcile getting Hispanic Americans to vote for them when Congressional Republicans are generally left to following the whims of Rush Limbaugh who has disparaged immigrants. Palin is the most notable two-faced example of a politician who talks about a "real America" to her base, but then decries partisanship in front of the cameras.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200603280009

/snip

On the March 27 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh stated that Mexican immigrants who illegally enter the United States are "a renegade, potential criminal element" that is "unwilling to work." Limbaugh made the remarks during a conversation with a caller about the recent Los Angeles protests against a federal immigration bill that would criminalize the provision of aid to undocumented immigrants and make it a felony to cross the border illegally. The bill itself contradicts Limbaugh's contention that illegal immigrants are "unwilling to work" as it prescribes stiff penalties for U.S. employers who hire them.

From the March 27 edition of The Rush Limbaugh Show:

LIMBAUGH: One of the puzzling things about this to me, since President Bush has been in office, is his -- you know, he had a very close relationship with Vicente Fox, and I don't --

CALLER: Right.

LIMBAUGH: I don't -- I -- I think the opposite of what you suggest is actually what's been happening. But look at it from Vicente Fox's point of view. I mean if -- if you had a -- a -- a renegade, potential criminal element that was poor and unwilling to work, and you had a chance to get rid of 500,000 every year, would you do it?

CALLER: Right.

LIMBAUGH: Yeah.

/snip

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

2. The crazies will win the immediate fight for the Repuke party

Look at their KKKonvention: old, white fundies as far as the eye could see, with a smattering of economic royalists/feudalists. They made their deal with the reichwing crazies and in doing so signed their own demographic death warrant. There is no common ground between the discredited economic royalists and neocon empire builders and the deeply racist, nationalist fascist/theocon asshats that make up the core of the party's voter base. The Republican party as it is currently constituted is as dead as Dillinger. It just hasn't blown itself apart and fallen over yet. Stay tuned, as it will happen as surely as eggs is eggs.

[DrToast]

4. This is what happens when you build a coalition around people that think "change" is bad.

Seriously, how do the Republicans get out of this mess they're in?

Not that I care, but they're screwed.

[Joe the Liberal]

6. I read that Hispanics are the fastest growing demographic.....

here in the US, so what do republicans decide to do? Make enemies of these people, repukes hate change and it will cost them dearly in the future.

[elkston]

7. I hope blacks come out in force in Georgia for Martin. Then *they* will be taken seriously

...by the GOP. I'm tired of my folks being an afterthought. The GOP doesn't even TRY to talk to black people. But if we beat them TWICE, they will reconsider.

That's why we need to start coming out not just for Obama, but for ANY politician who is on the right side of issues.