Today is a travel day for me, but I will be back to my regular routine tomorrow. I want to drop a quick note on this POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground poll on people’s attitudes about immigration reform. The overall numbers are encouraging, but let me point out that only 49% of Republicans support a path to citizenship, while 45% oppose it. And guess which half of the Republican Party has all the energy on the issue?
Therein lies the rub. In many Republican districts, voting for a path to citizenship is a very risky move. In fact, I’d like to see a poll of just Republican opinion within Republican House districts. After all, it doesn’t matter what a Republican in Minneapolis thinks.
The president appears ready to make a full-court press for immigration reform. The timing appears to be good. He just won reelection thanks to the heavy support of Latinos in key states like Nevada, Colorado, and Florida. The GOP knows that they can’t win the next presidential election unless they repair their relationship with the Latino community. The stars would seem to be aligned.
Yet, the GOP is tearing itself apart on the issue. Can they be divided and conquered, or will their racist base prevail?
I know what side of that fight I want to be on.
