Do the President’s Immigration Proposals Help with Women Voters?
We have seen that the President’s approval rating among Hispanics has moved downward after 9/11 at a pace consistent with or exceeding general trends in public opinion. This downward movement was not halted by the January 2004 announcement of a major policy initiative on guestworkers. But one intriguing argument that has been voiced inside the Beltway is that the President is reaching women, liberals, and potential crossover voters by assuming a more generous posture toward illegal immigrants. According to this line of reasoning, the aim is not to attract Latino voters per se, but to attract crossovers who might value diversity and be sympathetic to the plight of hard-working illegal immigrants. The strategic calculation is that inclusiveness will pay political dividends well beyond the group targeted for the actual policy benefits. Cynical conservative commentators have dubbed this idea the “ricochet pander.” It is certainly a clever argument, but is it true? The January 2004 ABC News
