Nathan Deal tests the ‘Roy Barnes Loves Mexicans’ strategy

GOP gubernatorial nominee Nathan Deal has a new ad knocking Democratic opponent Roy Barnes that will surely play well with the cherished xenophobe demographic:

Jim Galloway offers some much-needed clarity to the ad’s rehashing of Barnes’ comments, which were delivered during a trade mission the then-governor made to Mexico:

Barnes is quoted as saying that he encourages university presidents in Georgia to use their discretion — which they had at the time — to grant in-state tuition to some children of illegal immigrants.

That’s very much like the position currently held by Republican Mike Huckabee — though Barnes now says the children of illegal immigrants don’t have any place in state universities and colleges.

The Georgia governor is also quoted as saying that Republican efforts to reform immigration — led by President George W. Bush — should be given a chance to flower.

Deal gets bonus points for the stock image of the dastardly Mexican man who’s surely been out in Republican strongholds, stealing jobs.

UPDATE: The Barnes campaign quickly responded with a 12-page document responding to the ad’s claims. You can download the PDF here. In short: The campaign says more than 235,000 new jobs were created during Barnes’ single term in office, putting Georgia in the top five states for job creation during that period.