(Note: This post is mostly geared to AP Government, but AP World History students are welcome to respond to it too.)
Immigration reform is a major topic of conversation and concern for Americans these days. Due to the reluctance of Congress and the Obama administration to tackle this difficult issue, Arizona has passed a state law designed to cut down on illegal immigration that has provoked controversy not only in Arizona but across the country as well. Critics argue that it allows law enforcement officials to use racial profiling to identify illegal immigrants, while advocates of the law deny this and stress the need to take action to stem the flow of illegal immigrants into the U.S.
A new NBC/MSNBC/Telemundo public opinion poll offers insight into the political implications of this issue.
First, what is a public opinion poll? Find out by clicking here. (You might want to bookmark the political dictionary homepage for future use.)
Then, click here to read an article that analyzes the results of the poll. (On a personal note, one reason I chose this article is because in my former life working in professional politics, I worked closely with Bill McInturff, one of the pollsters interviewed for this article.)
Finally, address one or more of the writing prompts that follow. A word of advice: many of us have strong opinions on the topic of immigration. Please be respectful and appropriate in your comments in order to preserve the spirit of healthy public discourse that is the intent of this blog...and in order to get credit for your posts. In this particular instance, I am more interested in your ability to provide objective political commentary on this topic than in your personal opinion on the immigration issue.
Here are the prompts:
In light of the poll results, what might the "short-term gains" Republicans could make look like, given the upcoming elections for Congress, governors and other offices this fall?
The article provides an example of how information from public opinion polls can be used by political parties and campaigns to make decisions about how to spend their money to elect candidates to office. What do you think it means when the article says, "If he were a GOP political strategist, Hart says, 'I know where I’m putting my mail money and targeting money.'"?
Why do both Hart and McInturff think Republicans may have long-term problems, based on the poll results? What might be the consequences for Republicans?
If you were a Republican political worker, what course of action would you be inclined to take to help your party, based on the short and long-term consequences of the poll results?
1 comment:
As far as short term gains go, the Republicans would get a political boost, because this law makes it look like they’re trying to take a strong stand and come up with a solution to immigration, whereas the Democratic Party isn’t trying anything new. However, a long term consequence of this is, it will drive even more Latinos toward the Democratic Party. It would be a huge disadvantage for the Republican Party because the Latino Group is the fastest growing minority group and they would lose their votes. If I was a Republican Political worker I would continue with this course of action because what the U.S. is doing now towards immigration is not working. So why not give this law a shot? Worse case scenario, it doesn’t work and it just causes more trouble that it’s worth. If it does work, then try it in other states and keep the process going. In the long run the Republican Party might lose Latino voters, but it could gain others as well.
Post a Comment