Why would the Obama administration take on not only the state of Arizona but the majority of Americans? Perhaps increasing Hispanic voter turnout is one possible explanation. Consider this from the Washington Post yesterday:
One senior strategist, speaking candidly about his concerns on the condition of anonymity, noted that white voters made up 79 percent of the 2006 midterm electorate, while they made up 74 percent of the 2008 vote. If the white percentage returns to its 2006 level, that means there will be 3 million more white voters than if it stayed at its 2008 levels. That scenario, said the source, “would generate massive losses” for House and Senate Democrats in November because of Obama’s standing with that demographic.
To avoid such losses, the Democratic National Committee has committed to spending tens of millions of dollars to re-create (or come somewhere near re-creating) the 2008 election model, in which Democrats relied heavily on higher-than-normal turnout from young people and strong support from African American and Hispanic voters.
Of course, re-creating the 2008 election model in a midterm election where Obama himself is not on the ballot will likely prove impossible. And tolerating illegal immigration is not a good way to turn out black voters. But it might give you a window into Democratic thinking on this issue.
