Colorado part 4
To recapitulate:
In part one we noted that Colorado is a state that is swinging from red to blue or at least purple.
In part two we noted that the growing Hispanic population is a major reason for this.
In part three we discussed how the way to win Colorado is by an appeal to the pragmatic middle on both economic and social issues, since conservatives outnumber liberals in Colorado.
The final piece to the Colorado analysis ties parts three and four together. Hispanics are generally conservative on the wedge social issues. Their Catholic heritage strongly inclines them to be for traditional marriage and pro-life. They may not necessarily be absolutists, but they are very oriented to traditional families. The nativist base of the GOP has been driving Hispanics away from the GOP, but President Bush, who won Colorado twice, made inroads into the Hispanic votes because of his family values platform. The challenge to Democrats is to make Hispanic voters feel comfortable with the Democratic Party. That means connecting with Hispanic families on health care and the economy, while not driving them away on abortion and marriage issues. It is a tough challenge for Democrats, but if the party is pragmatic and moderate on the social issues, rather than left-wing and absolutist, it could swing a generation of Hispanic voters and several Southwestern states into the Democratic column.
Leo Brown | September 7, 2008 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) |
Your Name: Your Personal Note: | Your Email: Friends' Emails*: |
Comments
Ads by Google
(and yes, we know that sometimes they're very, very wrong. Other times, they're right on.)
