Gary Bauer, writing at The Washington Times, has an op-ed today on what Republicans can do to win the Hispanic vote. And it isn't an open border:

But as lawmakers consider various immigration reform measures, they should
take a hard look at the reams of polling data that show that standing strong on
conservative values, not giving in on amnesty, is the key to winning the hearts,
minds and votes of Hispanic Americans.

Int fact, amnesty-- even the one proposed by the Senate, could backfire:

Republican lawmakers must recognize that Hispanics are conservative in a fundamental way. In fact, it was on the strength of his conservative positions on values issues that George W. Bush doubled the Republican share of the Hispanic vote for president in just eight years. No small feat.

Clearly, reaching out to the burgeoning Hispanic electorate has become a matter of political necessity for Democrats and Republicans alike. Not only are Hispanics the fastest growing ethnic group in America, but they are, politically speaking, a relatively untapped resource — only 47 percent of eligible Hispanics voted in 2004, compared to 64 percent of the population at large.

But if, in attempting to capitalize on these powerful electoral realities, Republicans capitulate on amnesty, not only will they give their conservative base reason to stay home on Election Day, but they may alienate a growing constituency that shares those core conservative values of family, hard work, respect for the rule of law and patriotism.

Let's hope that somebody in the pro-illegal crowd realizes this.

Posted by Ryan S. on Thursday, June 01, 2006 at 8:50 AM | Permalink |