But let me ask you. How is McCain then going to back off his shameless pandering to Mexico and the illegal Mexicans when the planned Amnesty Bill hits the Senate floor?
He has been selling open borders and amnesty for illegals for 10 years. When he is front of a Republican audience and needs the votes, he talks strong borders. The rest of the time, he's carrying Mexican water.
Hayworth has killed his chances with his rhetoric about immigration. At least McCain is careful not to antagonize the Hispanic vote.
Jon, your take on the demographics is accurate. But it is true in every state in the SouthWest, or soon enough will be. Again, if McC panders to the Latinos, how is he going to backtrack! No way these people are voting Republican, anyway, unless you are talking about the minority of the Mexican-Americans who are descended from the original settlers, and who are in my experience, just as against illegal immigration as the rest of us.
I say he backs the legislators who are going to carry out their strong state laws against illegals and let the chips fall where they may.
And, if Hayworth wins, you can forget Arizona having a Republican senator.
If we can keep illegals off the voting rolls, IMHO, Hayworth has a good shot in the general. McCain has so overplayed this "Maverick, Bi-Partisan" hosshiite so badly in the past, that he has proven to be of less use to a conservative agenda than a good, anti-abortion blue dog Democrat. IMHO, you can't even trust McC on SCOTUS nominations.
I agree that it ain't gonna be easy, but I think Hayworth can (a) beat him, and (b) beat the Democrat. And, I still cannot understand exactly what the hell Sarah Palin is doing in Arizona.
It is not going to work unless you gain the trust of the Hispanic electorate in Arizona. So far, McCain has not hurt himself with his stand on immigration reform. If you would look closely at what he is saying, it is not a bad approach. And the Hispanic electorate wants him to pursue and fix it in the Senate. They want a pathway to this country as a refuge from the political storm that has going on in their country for years.
It is not all about Yankee money. These people are on the edge of disaster and it is not getting any better.