The Latin Difference

There's evidence that the non-Cuban Hispanic vote -- that would be Mexicans, Salvadorans, Dominicans, Colombians and Puerto Ricans among others, many of whom voting for the first time -- will outflank the Cuban-American vote in Florida, making a huge difference for Kerry in places like Miami-Dade county.

Nick Confesore over at the Tapped notes that:

Republicans need to get up to 35 or 40 percent among Hispanics in order to remain competitive in a country that is become less and less white. And Bush was supposed to be the perfect ambassador to Hispanic voters: Bilingual (more or less), pro-immigration, from a border state, anti-nativist, and so forth. He's failed nonetheless.

By the way, for my money, in addition to Josh Marshall's Talking Points Memo, the American Prospect's Tapped and Washington Monthly's Kevin Drum blog entries are really hot these days.