Are Latino voters punishing the GOP for failing to pass immigration reform? Perhaps, but there's a much more obvious reason they so often support liberal politicians:
The reason is straightforward: Latinos are more liberal than the median voter. According to the most recent Pew poll on these questions (released last year), 75 percent of Hispanics say they support bigger government with more services, compared to 41 percent of the general population. Fifty-one percent say abortion should be legal, and 59 percent say âhomosexuality should be accepted by society.â There just isnât much appetite among Latinos for the traditional small government approach of the GOP. Comprehensive immigration reform may reduce hostility towards the Republican Party, but it wonât increase vote share.
I'm opposed to the immigration reform package for a variety of reasons, principally because it enters "la-la-la I can't hear you" land by focusing on border enforcement instead of employer based measures like E-Verify. And why are conservatives flocking to support a horribly flawed bill placing millions more on the path to citizenship that are all but certain voters for the other party? Call me cynical, but that's some Grade A naivete.
