Obama's executive amnesty benefits Democrats where it counts

That large majorities of Hispanic adults support Mr. Obama’s decision isn’t at all surprising. What is more telling is the extent to which Mr. Obama’s approval rating among Hispanic voters seems to have improved. Both Pew Research and Gallup show Mr. Obama’s approval rating rising into the mid-60s, up from around 50 percent earlier in November. The survey samples are not huge, but they are not small either — probably a combined 600 respondents — and they show a decisive, similar and appropriately timed movement toward Mr. Obama.

There may not be a better example of a domestic policy change leading to a double-digit increase in a president’s approval rating among the targeted demographic group. Killing Osama bin Laden didn’t boost Mr. Obama’s approval rating by even 10 points among the public at large.

To a certain extent, it was easy for Mr. Obama to make big gains among Hispanics. He had a lot of opportunities. The president won 71 percent of Hispanic voters in 2012, but since then his approval rating among them had sunk about 20 points, so there was room for improvement. These Democratic-leaning voters are presumably the easiest for Mr. Obama to win back.