More on the Republicans’ Immigration Dilemma

Yesterday’s Washington Post contained another analysis — with new poll numbers — of the effect of the immigration debate on Republicans generally and Bush in particular.  The new numbers again highlight the dangers on the path that Republicans are treading.  Speaking in broad generalities, on the one hand, they risk alienating Latino constituencies, while on the other, they risk alienating their conservative, white base.

A survey of 800 registered Hispanic voters conducted May 11-15 by the nonpartisan Latino Coalition showed that Democrats were viewed as better able to handle immigration issues than Republicans, by nearly 3 to 1: 50 percent to 17 percent. Pitting the Democrats against Bush on immigration issues produced a 2 to 1 Democratic advantage, 45 percent to 22 percent.

Meanwhile:

A third study of all voters found that conservative white Republicans are the most adamantly opposed of all political and demographic groups to what Bush calls his “rational middle ground” policy toward allowing more undocumented workers to become legal and eventually to become citizens.

A link to the full article by Thomas B. Edsall and Zachary Goldfarb is here.

-jmc