I remember waaaaaaaay back in the Bush-Gore presidential race when the Republicans were making a real play for the small-but-growing Muslim-American vote. The basic idea was that the Muslim community was socially conservative and had a lot of small business-people and thus would be a good fit with the GOP. Then 9/11 happened and ever since then, the GOP has gotten more and more hostile to Muslim-Americans, especially since the Bush presidency ended.
A parallel dynamic has happened with the Hispanic community. For years, the GOP viewed the fast-growing minority (which is quickly becoming a plurality in some key states) as socially conservative and thus fertile ground for growth. But the underlying hostility to minorities that runs through the party keeps getting in the way.
On the other hand, Democrats have had some difficulty capitalizing on the GOP's ongoing efforts to piss all over their potential areas of growth. The Muslim vote is so small greater turnout would not affect a presidential campaign that much (although it could make a difference in down-ballot races in some states, especially Michigan and maybe Minnesota). But the Hispanic vote is a really big deal. It has the potential of completely changing the politics of big important states like Texas and Arizona. If only Democrats could find a way to increase the turnout of those groups, it would be a really big deal.
So, as a Democrat, I say thanks Donald!
A parallel dynamic has happened with the Hispanic community. For years, the GOP viewed the fast-growing minority (which is quickly becoming a plurality in some key states) as socially conservative and thus fertile ground for growth. But the underlying hostility to minorities that runs through the party keeps getting in the way.
On the other hand, Democrats have had some difficulty capitalizing on the GOP's ongoing efforts to piss all over their potential areas of growth. The Muslim vote is so small greater turnout would not affect a presidential campaign that much (although it could make a difference in down-ballot races in some states, especially Michigan and maybe Minnesota). But the Hispanic vote is a really big deal. It has the potential of completely changing the politics of big important states like Texas and Arizona. If only Democrats could find a way to increase the turnout of those groups, it would be a really big deal.
So, as a Democrat, I say thanks Donald!
