Note to my colleague Matt Lewis: Before you conclude that Obama was smart to decree a DREAM mini-amnesty “for political purposes”–and that Republicans would be foolish not to emulate him–read this Sean Trende piece. It turns out that Latino “swing state” voting strength is overrated–maybe 15 electoral votes are at stake, says Trende–while the potential backlash is underrated, in states that comprise a much bigger Electoral College bloc: “Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Michigan” (80 votes). … Lessons: 1) Republicans may or may not face “doom” in the long run if they don’t win over more Latinos, given the future growth of that ethnic group. But they aren’t necessarily doomed in 2012; 2) It’s not so much that GOPs pursue amnesty because Latino voters are so powerful, but that those who favor amnesty–including most of the MSM–exaggerate Latino voting power in order to push it. …
P.S.: I am sending Munro over to ask a few questions.