Two quotes caught my eye...

...while reading the Times this morning. The first was from the front-page story, "Zimmerman Is Acquitted in Killing of Trayvon Martin":

Manslaughter, which under Florida law is typically added as a lesser charge if either side requests it, was a lower bar. Jurors needed to decide only that Mr. Zimmerman put himself in a situation that culminated in Mr. Martin’s death.

If that's the definition of manslaughter in Florida, how on earth could Zimmerman not be found guilty? Didn't he follow Martin in his car -- after being told by police not to -- get out of his car with a loaded gun and then "put himself in a situation that culminated in Mr. Martin’s death"?
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The second was from an article on Kris W. Kobach, Kansas’ "staunchly conservative secretary of state," "Kansas Official Holds Line Against Moderation in Debate on Immigration":

Moderation on immigration, some Republicans say, is vital to the future of the party if it hopes to remain relevant in a country of shifting demographics. But even if public sentiment and electoral math on immigration might be bending away from his principles, Mr. Kobach is not budging.

“Any politician who thinks, ‘Oh, we just cast one vote, and then all of a sudden this demographic group comes flocking to us,’ they’re being superficial Washington idiots,” Mr. Kobach said.

And he's right; Hispanics won't necessarily flock to the Republican Party just because immigration reform passes. 

But if the Republican House blocks reform, which seems likely, then the GOP will have an extremely difficult time getting Latinos to even give them a hearing.

More and more, the Republican Party is gaining the reputation -- rightly, I think -- of the racist, white people's party. (And that's going to hurt it with college-educated, suburban whites too.)