POLITCO Headline: Arizona suit imperils Western Dems

[WI_DEM]

What do you think?

The Obama administration's lawsuit over the stringent Arizona border law might have just made the incline a little steeper for many Western Democrats, providing instant fodder to Republicans who are already optimistic about regaining ground lost over the last two election cycles.


The dust from the Department of Justice lawsuit filed Tuesday is just starting to settle, but the reflexive sense among strategists on both sides is that it will be a net negative for Democrats this fall.


The suit could, of course, help boost turnout among Hispanic voters in key areas across the West. And stridently anti-immigrant rhetoric could turn off independent voters. Yet many foresee a midterm electorate featuring an energized Republican base — for whom the immigration issue has emerged as a priority — prompting moderate white Western voters who are concerned about jobs to decamp to the GOP at least in the short term, political observers said.


“This is a tough issue for Democrats,” said former Colorado Gov. Dick Lamm, a Democrat who is co-director of the Institute for Public Policy Studies at the University of Denver. “Politically, I just can’t think of any place in the West where this is going to play well.”


"If you look like you're siding with illegal immigration, you're in trouble," said one national Republican strategist, adding that when it comes to the discussion of secured borders, "people think that's what should happen."



Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/39431.html#ixzz0t14kHVra

[DrToast]

1. Not sure I buy it

Republican enthusiasm is already off the chart. Their votes don't count more if they're even more enthusiastic.

[damntexdem]

2. Oh, sure. The Administration should all unconstitutional usurpation of federal functions ...

because of partisan politics.

[blogslut]

3. Typical Politico

They get a couple of people to make comments that support their premise, type an intro and an ending and boom - it's fact!

[RBInMaine]

4. The RePUK BASE is turning out ALREADY. But if Dems come out, latinos, and sane Indies, we'll be OK.

[Hansel]

6. Yep, I think that's about right.

Latinos seem to be more engaged in activism and the political process than the average American when they are feeling oppressed. They tend to take action rather than become demoralized.

I know this is a generalization, but it's hard not to make it when you see hundreds of thousands of Latinos take to the streets whenever the right goes after them.

[Mimosa]

5. Definitely. n/t

[Onlooker]

7. I hope those protgressives who criticize Obama recognize his courage on this issue

Obama deserves credit for pursuing this issue now. It's not only a Constitutional, it's a human rights issue, and it is one of the areas where Obama is free to show himself. In pursuing this, he does not have to negotiate and compromise with Congressional Democrats and Republicans. This is a good example of an issue that keeps me believing in Obama.