The problem is that the Hispanic community did not appreciate the extreme manner in which many Republicans approached the issue. People like JD Hayworth are not what the Hispanic community approves of at large, from what I've read. They seem to prefer amnesty or at least a much more humane plan and an approach that does not use terms like "invasion" and "crisis."
Strange. I've read how a predominat amout of Legal Hispanic citizens support immigration reform, including tougher enforcement and
no amnesty. In fact, I'm confident that Bush's push for amnesty was a deal breaker for both core conservatives & loyal legal immigrants. And before you ask what that's supposed to mean, it's in reference to the multitude of immigrants that went thru our system legally, and support the need to control our borders
The truth is that Bush did well with Hispanics and Spanish-speaking Hispanics, and the Republican Party destroyed those gains in 2005 and 2006.
And what changed? Oh yea, the push for amnesty. The House finally figured it out, but much too late in the game
And you live with the repercussions that if you send soldiers to die in an unpopular war your party stands to suffer long-term losses. Reagan's people tried to warn Bush.
That's 1 viewpoint. Another is of you continue in failing to stick to the principals that put you in power in the 1st place, you live with the repercussions of that endeavor, including being voted out of power. Whether it's long term or not, depends on if you learned from your mistakes