Gallup shows only 37 percent support path to citizenship for illegal immigrants
By Kerry Picket - The Washington Times
November 15, 2012, 07:45AM
Despite calls from a number of GOP leaders and conservative pundits to compromise on illegal immigration reform, Gallup's post election poll is showing that 62 percent want to see illegal immigration into the United States halted and only 37 percent support a proposal that will provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants that are already living in the U.S.
Gallup explains:
The poll also finds a significant partisan gap in ratings of immigration priorities. By 82% to 48%, Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to say that stopping illegal immigration should be a top priority. However, by a smaller 49% to 25% margin, Democrats are more likely to say providing a path to citizenship for illegal U.S. immigrants should be a top priority.
Here's a breakdown by party:
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The popularly cited NRO piece by Heather MacDonald appears to parallel these recent numbers:
If Republicans want to change their stance on immigration, they should do so on the merits, not out of a belief that only immigration policy stands between them and a Republican Hispanic majority. It is not immigration policy that creates the strong bond between Hispanics and the Democratic party, but the core Democratic principles of a more generous safety net, strong government intervention in the economy, and progressive taxation. Hispanics will prove to be even more decisive in the victory of Governor Jerry Brown’s Proposition 30, which raised upper-income taxes and the sales tax, than in the Obama election.
And California is the wave of the future. A March 2011 poll by Moore Information found that Republican economic policies were a stronger turn-off for Hispanic voters in California than Republican positions on illegal immigration. Twenty-nine percent of Hispanic voters were suspicious of the Republican party on class-warfare grounds — “it favors only the rich”; “Republicans are selfish and out for themselves”; “Republicans don’t represent the average person”– compared with 7 percent who objected to Republican immigration stances.
Gallup is also showing that only 47 percent support President Barack Obama's proposal to increase taxes on those households with incomes of $250,000 or more.
Interestingly, an overwhelmng 70 percent want to see the tax code simplified to lower rates and an elimination of deductions and loopholes. 88 percent supports saving the biggest entitlement programs, while 72 percent says there needs to be spending cuts.
It should be noted, that as the fiscal cliff looms, where sequestration means massive cuts to the nation's military, only 29 percent of Americans support making major cuts to the military.
In a written statement, Speaker of the House John Boehner, Ohio Republican, said of the numbers coming from Gallup, “if there was a mandate in this election, it was a mandate to work together to do what’s in the best interest of our country” – not to raise tax rates. “And right now what’s best is getting our economy moving again and keeping it moving, so we can begin to restore our children’s future.”
PICKET: Gallup shows only 37 percent support path to citizenship for illegal immigrants - Washington Times
