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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDid Republicans just give away the 2016 election by raising birthright citizenship?
Did Republicans just give away the 2016 election by raising birthright citizenship?by Paul Waldman at the Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2015/08/18/did-republicans-just-give-away-the-2016-election-by-raising-birthright-citizenship/?hpid=z2
"SNIP..............
But the political impact is going to be very real, whether or not the idea goes anywhere in practical terms. The simple fact is that if Republicans dont improve their performance among Hispanic voters, they cannot win the White House. Period.
This discussion about birthright citizenship sends an incredibly clear message to Hispanic voters, a message of naked hostility to them and people like them. Its possible to argue that youre pro-immigrant while simultaneously saying we should build more walls and double the size of the Border Patrol. Indeed, many Republicans do, and while their argument may not be particularly persuasive, its not completely crazy. But you cant say youre pro-immigrant and advocate ending birthright citizenship. You just cant.
I promise you that next fall, there are going to be ads like this running all over the country, and especially on Spanish-language media:
My name is Lisa Hernandez. I was born in California, grew up there. I was valedictorian of my high school class, graduated from Yale, and now Im in medical school; Im going to be a pediatrician. But now Scott Walker and the Republicans say that because my mom is undocumented, that Im not a real American and I shouldnt be a citizen. Im living the American Dream, but they want to take it away from me and people like me. Well Ive got a message for you, Governor Walker. Im every bit as American as your children. This country isnt about who your parents were, its about everybody having a chance to work hard, achieve, and contribute to our future. It seems like some people forgot that.
...............SNIP"
Gothmog
(145,321 posts)Fred Sanders
(23,946 posts)Shandris
(3,447 posts)...the answer is always 'no'."
Forget where I heard it, but it's one of those things that always pops in mind when I see a ? in a headline. Pretty accurate for the most part, too.
PatrickforO
(14,577 posts)Because, heck, everyone knows that ALL of our problems can be traced straight back to illegal aliens.
We could, though, bring up the slippery slope argument here. Because if we take away birthright citizenship, then everyone who is born here starts out as an undocumented alien...
uponit7771
(90,347 posts)... be anyone who challenges him
Response to applegrove (Original post)
Post removed
lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)applegrove
(118,696 posts)all that intergenerational evil. Reginald Denny was also a story of black people risking their lives to save him when they saw it on the TV. How you remember things in the past matters. And republicans cannot wave the Confederate flag and 'whitewash' what it means often enough it has seemed in the past.
davidn3600
(6,342 posts)Hispanics who are voting are already citizens. It's not necessarily going to effect them all that much.
The rhetoric is toxic, but I doubt that keeps up past the primaries unless Trump wins the nomination. Anyone else is going to move to the center on this.
And how important is immigration debate to these voters? The way it's being discussed is that this is the ONLY issue hispanic voters want to talk about. I doubt that it is. They care about schools and budgets and healthcare and foreign policy just as much as any other American.
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)For several years, it seems that a majority of likely voters have been in favor of some restrictions on birthright citizenship.