Six Months: Hispanics

Democrats’ strategy for holding onto Congress in the upcoming midterm elections: bring back the folks who elected Obama, but usually don’t vote. They are the young plus minorities, i.e.—blacks and Hispanics.

Democrats are activating “Organizing for America,” the current name for the Obama political organization that works with his 13 million-strong email list of 2008 campaign supporters. If just some marginal voters who backed Obama in 2008 also come out for the midterms, Democrats reason, Democrats can win elections they might otherwise lose.

Hispanics are a key part of Democrats’ targeting effort. That’s why Obama has made such a big noise about Arizona’s law that requires police 1) to determine the immigration status of people they stop while enforcing state and local laws, then 2) to report illegals to the Feds. Obama wants Hispanics mad enough about Arizona’s Republican-backed law to go out and vote Democratic.

One clue the Democrats’ attempt to woo Hispanics may not work comes from a recent Gallup poll. Gallup found that while approval for Obama’s job performance among white voters holds steady at 40-41% and among blacks at 91%, among Hispanics Obama's job approval this year is down 12%, from 69% to 57%. Gallup traces the drop to Obama’s backing away from the comprehensive immigration reform--including amnesty for illegal immigrants--that won him Hispanic votes in 2008.

We’ve said Obama’s agenda is limited by the six months remaining before midterms take away his big Congressional majorities. Credit Hispanics for catching on to where they rank on Obama’s priority list—out of the money.