Immigration debate puts up a wall in the GOP

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By embracing immigration in Miami, McCain will be staking a claim to a key issue in an early primary state that Giuliani and Romney have made central to their strategies for winning the nomination. Romney and Giuliani have both hired aides to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. But the president’s younger brother, whose wife is Mexican American, has expressed dismay about the anti-immigration views held by some in his party.

Aides say McCain, like the president, understands the importance of building ties with Latinos.

“We’re getting close to the point where we will no longer be a national party if we try to define it as a white male, cul-de-sac, gated-community party,” said John Weaver, McCain’s chief strategist.

Some strategists think the GOP field is being pulled to the right in part by Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), who is not a top-tier candidate but is running as the most prominent anti-illegal immigration member of Congress.

In an interview, Tancredo accused Bush’s allies of risking the party’s future by ignoring the GOP base. Deflecting criticism that the immigration issue hurt Republican candidates last year, he argued that the party alienated Latinos in 2006 for the same reason it lost support of other voters: the Iraq war, scandals and other administration failings.

“We lost a lot of white males too,” he said.

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Immigration debate puts up a wall in the GOP
Los Angeles Times