[mrsmel]

And this is why I cannot understand Republican politicians who support amnesty. I can only figure that they think it won’t happen fast enough to affect them, but still, why support it? My cynicism tells me that they are political opportunists who are pandering for the potential vote in the short term and d*mn the consequences to the party, conservatism, and America. But even if they are mere opportunists only considering the short term, what would it cost them to oppose amnesty, when most Americans oppose it? What is behind their intransigence on this, what’s in it for them, short term? They must know the ‘rats are going to get the immediate benefit of votes, as the party of “entitlements”. And I’ll never believe the Republicans who suport this are standing on principle-I mean, Lindsay Graham and John McCain? McCain, who gets whiplash, he jerks to the right so fast during elections?

[kabar]

Motivated by parochial self-interest, the pro-mass immigration, open borders, amnesty advocates have formed a powerful coalition including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, labor union leaders, the Catholic Church, ethnic and racial groups, “moderate” Republicans, and the Democrat Party. The common thread that unites these groups is power, money, and the prospect of increased constituencies, even at the expense of our long-term national interests and survival.

The Republican strategy on immigration should be based on the core principles of the party, i.e., national security, limited government, the rule of law and the Constitution, and individual responsibility. Immigration is an issue that cuts across partisan lines. There are plenty of independents and Reagan Democrats who are affected adversely by immigration and hold far different views than the Democrat political leadership, union bosses, religious leaders, etc. Republicans need to articulate their message better to tap into those constituencies. That said, pandering and outreach to minorities don’t work. Republicans lose when they try to play identity politics against the Democrats and it just reinforces their framing of the issue. Republicans must appeal to the interests of the individual voter with a universal message regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender.

The Democrats have used the rapidly changing demographics of this country, the product of immigration, to stampede many Republican politicians and elites to conclude that the party must “adapt or die” as Michael Barone stated on the issue of immigration. The leaders of extremist Hispanic ethnic groups trumpet their growing political power and cite the Bureau of Census projections that by 2050, one in 3 residents of this country will be Hispanic. The problem is that if the Republican Party does adapt to become more like the Democrat Party, it will die.