Friday Must-Reads: The Gringo GOP

With conservative leaders hardly hesitating in attacking the “identity politics” of the Sotomayor nomination, is there a way for the GOP to abandon the Latino vote and still win? Nate Silver and the team at FiveThirtyEight examine the electoral map possibilities, which suggest that it’s possible, but certainly difficult. But, given that Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada are unlikely Republican pick-ups anyway, the Latino vote may not be much of a battleground demographic anyway. Despite Democratic gains with Latinos, their votes were not decisive in Obama’s victory. Another campaign implication of a potential SCOTUS Justice Sotomayor: She very clearly supports limits on campaign finance. Obama’s approval ratings compare favorably with other recent presidents, and Obama’s popularity may be just one reason why the press corps and Robert Gibbs seem to be having so much fun and laughter together. But one person is unfazed by that popularity: Rep. Joe Sestak says he’ll run against Sen. Arlen Specter even if Obama personally asked him not to.