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May 28, 2007

THEIMMIGRATIONDEBATE:IT’SABOUTTHEFUTUREOFPOLITICSfromDrTedandPORTSIDE.ORG

I,DrTed,believethattheRepubswilltrytomakeimmigrationTHEPOLITICALwedgeissueof08.Immigrationreformispotentiallythemostexplosiveandtrickypoliticalissueofmylifetime.Myblogpostsonimmigrationgetthemostheatedcommentsfromreaders.

Idoseebothsideofthisissue.PeopleshouldbeabletoimmigratetoAmericaforabetterlife.Mygrandparentsdidthat.However,immigrationcanmeanjoblossesfornative-bornAmericans.Ihaveseenthat.IusuallyrootfortheNBAteamswiththefewestforeignplayers—jokepeople.Orisit?

ThearticlebelowfromPortside.orgdoesawonderfuljobofdelineatingthechangingAmericanpoliticaldemographics. Rethesedemographics,LarryClarkin2002convincedtheKentuckyDemocraticPartytogoaftertheburgeoningHispanicvoteinthecommonwealth.Forwhateverreason,theKentuckyDemocraticPartyandtheJeffersonCountyDemocraticPartyhasdonenothingaboutthatsince.

FacingSouth-May18,2007

http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2007/05/immigration-debate-its-all-about-future.asp

U.S.News&WorldReportobservestoday
<http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_070518.htm>
thatthemediais“reveling”inthebi-partisanimmigrationreformbillbeingpushedbyunlikelyallieslikeSens.TedKennedy(D-MA)andSaxbyChambliss(R-GA),withsupportfromPresidentBush.

OutsideWashington,thelionsandlambsaren’tgettingtoocozyyet.Whilebeltwaypunditsareapplaudingthe“rareCapitolHilldemonstrationofbipartisanship,” advocacygroupsontheleftandrightarefiringuptheiremaillistsandfaxmachinesinopposition—immigrantrightsgroups,becausethebillcreatesagroupofsecond-class“guestworkers”whowillbekickedoutoncebusinessesdon’twantthemanymore;anti-immigrantgroups,becauseit“rewardsillegalbehavior”andincasesamountstodreaded“amnesty.”

Whichbegsthequestion:whywouldBushandleadingDemocratspushanissuethatseemsdestinedtoalienatekeyelementsoftheirbase,with2008justaroundthecorner?AsmallpieceintheNewYorkTimesthisweekofferssomeusefulbackground:ithasalottodowith
thefutureofpolitics.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/17/us/17census.html>

TheTimesnotesthat,ashasoftenhappenedinthiscountry,there’salargegapbetweenyoungandoldvoters.ButtheTimesalsopointsoutthatnow,there’sanewlayertothe“generationgap”—it’salsoaracegap.Oldervoterstendtobewhiter,whilethefuturevotersofthecountryaremoreLatino,African-AmericanandAsian-American:

Morethan20percentofchildrenintheUnitedStateseitherareforeign-bornorhaveaparentwho wasbornabroad.Nearlyhalfthechildrenunderage5areHispanic,blackorAsian.[...]

Accordingtothelatestfigures,80percentofAmericansoverage60arenon-Hispanicwhites,comparedwithonly60percentamongthoseintheir20sand30s,and58percentamongpeopleyoungerthan20.

We’vewrittenalotatFacingSouthabouttheSouth’sfast-changingdemographicsandwhatitmeansforSouthernpolitics(andbyextensionnationalpolitics,sinceitwilldramaticallyincreasetheSouth’salready-significantclout).
<http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2006/05/latino-south.asp>
<http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2006/11/latino-voters-more-evidence-south-is.asp>
TheTimesdrivesthesepointshomeagain:

  Thechangeshavepotentialimplicationsfor   nationalpolitics...Arkansas,Georgiaand
  Tennesseehaverecordedthegreatestpercentage   gainsintheirHispanicpopulationsince2000,withthebiggestnumericalgains,predictably,  registeredbyCalifornia,TexasandFlorida...

May 28, 2007 |

Comments

FacingSouth-May18,2007

http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2007/05/immigration-debate-its-all-about-future.asp

U.S.News&WorldReportobservestoday
<http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_070518.htm>
thatthemediais“reveling”inthebi-partisanimmigrationreformbillbeingpushedbyunlikelyallieslikeSens.TedKennedy(D-MA)andSaxbyChambliss(R-GA),withsupportfromPresidentBush.

OutsideWashington,thelionsandlambsaren’tgettingtoocozyyet.Whilebeltwaypunditsareapplaudingthe“rareCapitolHilldemonstrationofbipartisanship,” advocacygroupsontheleftandrightarefiringuptheiremaillistsandfaxmachinesinopposition—immigrantrightsgroups,becausethebillcreatesagroupofsecond-class“guestworkers”whowillbekickedoutoncebusinessesdon’twantthemanymore;anti-immigrantgroups,becauseit“rewardsillegalbehavior”andincasesamountstodreaded“amnesty.”

Whichbegsthequestion:whywouldBushandleadingDemocratspushanissuethatseemsdestinedtoalienatekeyelementsoftheirbase,with2008justaroundthecorner?AsmallpieceintheNewYorkTimesthisweekofferssomeusefulbackground:ithasalottodowith
thefutureofpolitics.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/17/us/17census.html>

TheTimesnotesthat,ashasoftenhappenedinthiscountry,there’salargegapbetweenyoungandoldvoters.ButtheTimesalsopointsoutthatnow,there’sanewlayertothe“generationgap”—it’salsoaracegap.Oldervoterstendtobewhiter,whilethefuturevotersofthecountryaremoreLatino,African-AmericanandAsian-American:

Morethan20percentofchildrenintheUnitedStateseitherareforeign-bornorhaveaparentwho wasbornabroad.Nearlyhalfthechildrenunderage5areHispanic,blackorAsian.[...]

Accordingtothelatestfigures,80percentofAmericansoverage60arenon-Hispanicwhites,comparedwithonly60percentamongthoseintheir20sand30s,and58percentamongpeopleyoungerthan20.

We’vewrittenalotatFacingSouthabouttheSouth’sfast-changingdemographicsandwhatitmeansforSouthernpolitics(andbyextensionnationalpolitics,sinceitwilldramaticallyincreasetheSouth’salready-significantclout).
<http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2006/05/latino-south.asp>
<http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2006/11/latino-voters-more-evidence-south-is.asp>
TheTimesdrivesthesepointshomeagain:

  Thechangeshavepotentialimplicationsfor   nationalpolitics...Arkansas,Georgiaand
  Tennesseehaverecordedthegreatestpercentage   gainsintheirHispanicpopulationsince2000,withthebiggestnumericalgains,predictably,  registeredbyCalifornia,TexasandFlorida...