Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) warned Tuesday that if Republicans block immigration reform they’ll lose the presidency in 2016 no matter who they nominate.
“I agree with Mr. [Tom] Donohue, the head of the Chamber of Commerce. It doesn’t matter who we nominate. We’ll [lose],” the party’s 2008 presidential nominee told a few reporters in the Capitol, in response to a question from TPM.
Donohue told a crowd last month that “if the Republicans don’t do it they shouldn’t bother to run a candidate in 2016. I mean, think about that. Think about who the voters are.”
McCain, despite co-authoring the immigration reform bill in the 2006-2007 push, lost two-thirds of Hispanic voters to Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential contest. After turning sharply against reform ahead of his 2010 reelection bid, he went on to become a leading author of the sweeping immigration legislation that passed the Senate in June 2013. House Republicans have vowed not to bring it up.
So… Hillary then?
He’s not entirely wrong this time. Personally I think even if republicans passed the Senate bill at this late date wouldn’t give them much of an edge, but it would probably at least keep them in the game for the next few decades.
As it is, they are clearing the way for Hilary to pass viable IR in her first term and locking down the growing Hispanic vote for the rest of anyone reading this’s life.
P.S. - It’s not just immigration, or any one thing. Until your party regains its sanity it’ll be Democrats as far as the eye can see.
Democrats need to learn to vote in off year elections too. Or we will continue to see this crazy vote swing every two years.
While I agree with McCain that the GOP does not stand a chance if it continues to block immigration reform,
Most people think the GOP will lose in 2016 even if it does pass immigration reform.
So the question most in the GOP are asking is not how will it affect the presidential race but how will it affect my race. If immigration is a settled issue, how would the voters who currently vote on that issue vote in the future. Will resolving the immigration issue result in a net gain or loss to the GOP.
I think the GOP in the congress and senate would say, and I think they would be right, that resolving immigration will cost the GOP votes. That is it will turn many of its own voter off from voting, cause the to vote for fringe parties, or worst of all turn them into economic or DEM voters.
That is for every Hispanic vote the GOP might gain by resolving immigration it will lose at least three votes most of which will become Dem voters.
Which brings up the real problem for the GOP. To win a national election the GOP has got to moderate its economic policy.