As to your point, the GOP has been forced to expand the “base” beyond the traditional red meat conservatives precisely because of that contingent’s historic penchant for staying at home or voting 3rd party in every presidential election since 1992. It would be irresponsible for the GOP to continue to try to lure them back into the fold when doing that would lose more center right and independent votes than it would gain. Just like all extremists the extreme right always overplays its hand. The Democrats are now where the GOP was in 1992, they have let their far left “base” become the driving force behind their policies and it is diving a lot of democrats into the “independent” column.
Good theory, but I doubt whether enough centre right and independent votes will be picked up (via the amnesty initiative) to replace the red meaters lost. Cheers, PTDW Byron