Hey, Guess What?
Published by BG on Thursday, June 07, 2007 at 8:01 PM.Orcinus
A new Pew Foundation report just out this morning tells us that 37% of American Hispanics now identify as Evangelical Protestants, making it the second-largest religion after Catholicism in that group.
Here's the thing that I think the GOP gets: American Hispanics aren't all pro-open borders, and many of them - perhaps even a significant majority in this Evangelical Protestant subset - are strong "values voters" who agree with the GOP platform on an almost plank-by-plank basis.
Here's the thing that I think the GOP doesn't get: American Hispanics do have some pride. If the GOP commits to creating a culture where illegal immigration is our top domestic priority, and if they stir up enough anti-immigrant resentment, American Hispanics are not going to forget who whipped it out and pissed all over their people when it was politically convenient to do so.
The GOP is exploiting latent racism through their prioritization of immigration this election cycle. As the population of American Hispanics continues to grow, it'll be interesting to see if both parties are smart enough to evolve to take advantage of the demographics of a new America*.
*Because, you know, that's what the GOP is trying like hell to avoid.
Powered by ScribeFire.
