DeadCanDance
Senior Member
- May 29, 2007
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Simplisitically lumping muslims together into an evil cabal of "Islamo-facism" probably does wonders for the ratings of Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. As do xenophobic statements about invasions from Mexico. The us against the evil doers narrative is a great marketing tool. But, it probably won't pay off at the ballot box.
Democrats Benefit From Shift in Muslim Voters Allegiance
By Charles Hoskinson, CQ Staff
Muslim Americans, many of whom gave President Bush enthusiastic support in his first election campaign in 2000, have largely fled the Republican Party and could help Democrats win key states this November.
In surveys over the past six years, Muslims have cited administration policies in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq as reasons why GOP candidates no longer appeal to them.
The surveys by the polling firm Zogby International and the Pew Research Center show how dramatic the shift has been: In the 2000 election, 42 percent of Muslim-American voters surveyed said they had voted for Bush, 31 percent for former Vice President Al Gore and 12 percent for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader. In 2004, just 14 percent voted for Bush, while 71 percent chose Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.
We can intuit that the Republican Party has lost a lot of goodwill among Muslims, said pollster John Zogby.
Muslims comprise less than 1 percent of the U.S. population, or about 3 million people, according to the most reliable estimates. But most Muslim registered voters are concentrated in key states that both parties need for electoral success in 2008: New York, New Jersey, Texas, California, Michigan, Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania.
For the Muslim community, the choice of voting Republican is becoming narrower by the minute, Hossain said.
The shift in voting patterns concerns Norquist, who sees the problem with Muslims as mirroring the partys loss of support among Hispanics over the contentious issue of illegal immigration.
He said Republicans have not adequately policed their ranks to discourage bigots and cool the heated rhetoric Muslims take as a lack of respect. Party leaders need to make sure policy proposals focus on real terrorism threats and do not smear an entire community, he said.
You dont do guilt by association, he said. There needs to be more discipline. The saving grace for Republicans is that Democrats pull that crap, too.
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000002676033