Texas Blue Mailbag: Week of 10/28/2007

This week's mailbag includes some action on illegal immigration, how the GOP has changed in the past few years, a recent judicial appointment, and something on Prop 15. George also makes a Fenway Park reference, which is always good.

If the democrats don't change their tune about illegal immigration, they are going to lose alot of votes.

Josh and George both wonder aloud:

From where?

SL says:

Besides the Iraq Situation, how doe the Republican party of 2004 differ from the Republican Party of 2008? Is it significant?

George says:

Well, there are a few differences that will very likely have a marked effect in the '08 elections. The most discussed (and very possibly the most significant) has been the diaspora of religious evangelicals from the party, who appear to be discontent with the lack of teeth behind Republican appeals to moral values. They made up a large, loyal, and vocal part of the Republican party base in '04, and the rumors that many leaders would seriously consider endorsing a third party candidate rather than siding with the Republican party would make for one of the biggest shifts in party base demographics since the Moral Majority and Christian Coalition movements first started reshaping the right into the New Right around 1980.

Jay asks:

Regarding the nomination of Judge Leslie H. Southwick to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit: What motivation could U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein have for supporting this poor choice for a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit?

Josh ponders:

If I had to guess, I would say that Feinstein is saving this bullet for a more important nomination, like Mukasey for AG. The vote on the Judiciary committee was really close — 10-9 in favor — and she could have flipped it if she wanted to. The Fifth Circuit is an incredibly important appointment, but I can see how someone might say that the AG nomination has more of an impact. It is impossible to know the direct reasoning, but I would guess that's it. This isn't Feinstein's first rodeo, and I would bet she's waiting for a bigger arena.

RC asks:

Is there any chance Prop 15 won't pass?

George asserts:

Well, as Josh likes to say, "no lead is safe in Fenway Park." That being said, Lance Armstrong's push has gotten a lot of media attention and the message in favor of Prop 15 has been very visible and positive. And even if that weren't the case, call me a starry-eyed idealist, but I would have trouble believing that a majority of people would look at a proposition helping cancer research and think to themselves, "no, that's not worth the time and money." The issue has just affected too many people's lives.