Thread: Why Immigration Is the Sleeper Issue for 2012

Why Immigration Is the Sleeper Issue for 2012
By Joshua Green

Jun 9 2011, 7:00 AM ET 106

If you follow the national debate in Washington -- or, worse, on cable television -- it is easy to suppose that voters base their political decisions on anger over the deficit or the prospect of Medicare privatization or some idiot congressman's proclivity for texting racy pictures of himself to women. But that isn't necessarily so. Those decisions and the factors underlying them often have deeper causes.

A good illustration comes via the latest Allstate-National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll [pdf], which examined how people of different races view the country's rapidly changing demographics and how these views shape their outlook on the economy. It strongly suggests that, while Washington may be ignoring it, illegal immigration has become a central and divisive force in American politics, and could have major implications for the next election.

First, some background. The 2010 US Census showed large increases in the minority population relative to the one before. Whites accounted for only 8 percent of the population growth. Today, minorities comprise more than 36 percent of the entire nation, and nearly half of all Americans under 18. The United States is on track to become "majority-minority'' around 2040.

For a country undergoing such sweeping changes, the poll contains plenty of encouraging news. Attitudes among different racial groups are converging: White and minority Americans largely agree on the benefits of a free-market society, on the importance of education and individual effort in getting ahead, and on the idea that we are making real progress toward equal opportunities for all.

Remarkably, only 2 percent of respondents said racial or ethnic background was the most important determinant of economic success. One of the most pernicious divisions in American history, that between whites and blacks, appears to be dissolving.

And yet Americans are troubled by the growing number of minorities. For many Americans, the old division between blacks and whites has been replaced by a new division between native-born citizens and immigrants. This is most apparent in the stark difference in economic outlook between whites and minorities (particularly Asians and Hispanics). Whites are far more pessimistic about their prospects and their children's prospects -- and many mistakenly believe that illegal immigrants are the primary culprit.

Asked what they thought was causing the minority boom, 53 percent of whites said illegal immigration, 29 percent said higher birth rates, and 11 percent said legal immigration. "That has it almost exactly backward,'' said Jeffrey Passel, a senior demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center. Since 2000, Passel says, there have been 19.3 million minority births, 8.4 million legal immigrants, and 5.6 million undocumented immigrants.

This widespread misconception stems from a lack of information that's largely due to both the Democratic and Republican parties' unwillingness to pursue immigration reform, after years of failed attempts.

These numbers appear to be driven by two things, said Brent McGoldrick of Financial Dynamics, which conducted the poll. The aftershocks of the immigration debate, which was never really resolved, but still permeates how people look at the economy and the future of the country; and the bad economy, which has made whites feel particularly pessimistic and sharpened these attitudes.

The political effects of these aftershocks show up in the differing attitudes toward government. Minorities, especially African-Americans, have a positive view of government and prefer that it play an active role in the economy. Whites are more critical of government activism and tend to favor the private sector. These views correlate strongly with party preference. They suggest that minorities will tend to vote Democratic (the party of government), while whites are likely to vote Republican (the party of free markets). The upcoming presidential election seems tailor-made to highlight these differences.

As the country still struggles to emerge from recession, the poll indicates, rather ominously, that ideas about how best to do so break down by race. The shame of it all is that while economic growth is the surefire way to mitigate these tensions -- a rising tide lifts all boats -- agreeing on how best to bring it about will be hard, and harder still because a major source of the dispute is neither being acknowledged nor addressed in Washington.

Joshua Green writes a weekly column for the Boston Globe.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc ... nt/240163/

I don't know why they call this the sleeper issue. It is the most important issue there is to the American people. The media just doesn't want it to be. If anyone of these canidates wanted to do something important for this country it would be the first issue on their agenda and the people would turn out in record numbers to vote to stop this invasion by South America. Of course they wouldn't be very popular with the globalists but it would certainly get them elected.[/b]

So "immigrant" births are fueling our minority population growth and not illegal immigration? I guess they forgot to factor in how many of these "immigrant" births are from illegal alien parents.

the coming minority majority is what bertha lewis CEO ACORN cackled about in her online video you can still find it online.

she said in the vid that something was coming even bigger than the health care reform..she whispered like it was a secret IMMIGRATION!


I truly believe a MAJOR factor in loss of jobs for US Citizens is the

1) illegals
2) legal workers on HB visas, employers are not following the law.

How can we make this a bigger issue for 2012?

In 2010 many republicans mentioned getting a grip on illegals during their campaign but i haven't heard a word from them since.

Is our country too far gone on the New World Order to get rid of these illegals...i'm starting to wish they would put a 10 year moratorium on ALL immigration just stop it all until they get a grip on the border, until all the illegals are out and the HB visa abuses are dealt with. This is an issue i've not read much about but in hearing about people who lost their job it seems to be a real problem

i notice ALIPAC's funds are low...

Whatever numbskull decides to secure our borders and send illegals home will win the election. Do you think there is one among them with the guts?[/b]

Sorry...but i'm not inclined to believe any article or writer that refers to illegal invaders as "undocumented immigrants" and relies on the Pew Hispanic Center for statistics! The use of both destroys any credibility one might have on this topic almost immediately, given the Pew is about as pro-illegal as you can get!

Of course they have NO idea how many illegal aliens we have in the country as the government refuses to try and make real determinations or do anything to try and count how many. They also don't want to count how many children we have who's parents are illegal aliens.

I honestly believe we have something between 25-30 million illegal aliens and children of illegal aliens in the US. And until I see a real study that looks like it was actually done properly and not just a guesstimate done for political reasons I won't believe otherwise.

But seriously IF I'm right and many others who will probably agree just think the difference 15 million illegal votes could make in the elections both in state and national elections if they all start voting and the government keeps tying to stop attempts to curb illegal voting. Now add in just another 5 million legal immigrants who start voting because.

So now we're talking realistically 20 million voters voting illegally, thats what 8% of the US population. But is that really only an 8% lead in the polls??? Or is it really more like 16% that 8% of the population dilutes the legal voters votes by 8% while also adding in their 8% for whoever they support.

No wonder they don't want anyone knowing how many illegal aliens there are and don't want illegal voters (both illegal aliens and legal immigrants) caught voting as Americans would more easily realize just how screwed our elections are.

Originally Posted by Cujo47

I don't know why they call this the sleeper issue. It is the most important issue there is to the American people. The media just doesn't want it to be. If anyone of these canidates wanted to do something important for this country it would be the first issue on their agenda and the people would turn out in record numbers to vote to stop this invasion by South America. Of course they wouldn't be very popular with the globalists but it would certainly get them elected.[/b]

Everyone is afraid to be called racist,or whatever is the newest "dirty" word for someone who thinks we should defend this country against invasion! Our President of mexico is not doing his duty! he and nappy are traitors!