Posted on 06/11/2007 11:34:03 AM PDT by conservativecorner
Success in politics depends on the ability of a candidate or a party to forge and maintain coalitions. One of the most successful coalitions in modern political history has been the "Reagan Coalition", which brought together economic and social conservatives under the umbrella of the Republican Party. Preserving that coalition brought the Republicans great success, including occupancy of the White House and twelve years of control over the House of Representatives. The coalition that Reagan fashioned is fraying, however, and is on the verge of unraveling. The causes are many, but the coup de grace is likely to be the current controversy over immigration.
At first blush, the union of economic and social conservatives seems an odd one. The most influential among the economic conservatives are the "blue bloods". They are fiscally conservative, but often socially liberal. They enjoy the trappings of money and power and see politics as a means of increasing both. Consequently, they invest in political campaigns as a "cost of doing business", expecting that if they ride the right horse across the finish line, they will get a "return on investment" which usually comes in the form of tax breaks, financial subsidies, or limited accountability for their misconduct. Cash is the currency of the rich and powerful, and they do not hesitate to invest it in political campaigns. Financial concerns are at the top of their list.
By contrast, social conservatives are animated into political engagement out of concern about the direction in which the country is moving. They are often both socially and theologically conservative. They believe the country is on the wrong track and are disturbed by what they regard as the unraveling of the social fabric and the breakdown of the social order. The prevalence of abortions, the decline of marriage, the secularization of the culture—all are indications to social conservatives of a society on a downhill trajectory. They engage in politics in an attempt to bring about a "course correction" for the country. Lacking the financial means to make significant monetary contributions to political campaigns, they invest sweat and shoe leather. They are the sign-planting, precinct-walking, phone-banking "worker bees" of the party. They are best known as the Republican "base", but are derisively referred to as "blue collars" by many of the Republican elites who tolerate their social agenda with sniffing disdain.
Despite obvious differences between the two camps, Ronald Reagan forged a coalition of economic and social conservatives by reaching out to both. Under his leadership, the Republican Party crafted an agenda that appealed to both groups. Lower taxes, less government, and freer markets coupled with a commitment to the sanctity of life and the primacy of the family produced a winning combination in the political arena. A strong defense and a strong commitment to traditional values helped provide the glue that kept the coalition together. Mr. Reagan's dignity and essential decency appealed to all. He made the CEO and the factory worker feel equally comfortable in his presence.
But that was then and this is now. Ronald Reagan has passed from the scene and while many claim to be heirs of the Reagan legacy, neither the Republican Party nor the current crop of Republican leaders have demonstrated that they have the DNA that authenticates their claims.
Evidence of the unraveling of the coalition that Reagan built became manifest in the Congressional elections of 2006. Republicans, firmly in control of the White House and both houses of Congress, had spent money like drunken sailors. Under Mr. Bush, government began to occupy an ever expanding role. "No child left behind" provided a bigger platform than ever for the federal Department of Education. The prescription drug bill leveraged government spending so much that Democrats were envious that it was a Republican sponsored program. Big drug companies were huge beneficiaries of the boondoggle. The Patriot Act provided an unprecedented level of government intrusion into the lives of Americans. Mr. Bush sought to dismantle the civil justice system by reducing accountability for negligent and reckless conduct by business interests. Decrying affirmative action for racial groups as a legitimate policy goal on one hand, he, nevertheless, embraced affirmative action for corporate wrongdoers with the other. Meanwhile, Republican leaders became so entwined with business interests that their lifestyles (funded by lobbyists with the largesse of blue bloods) began to rival that of European royalty. And the party of family values and moral principle became stained by sexual scandal. As a result, members of the coalition deserted the Republican Party in droves in 2006.
In the aftermath of the election, misconduct in the Gonzalez Justice Department has given rise to the Republicans' own "Monica" whose behavior (while radically different in kind from that of Miss Lewinsky), was nevertheless so troubling that her lawyers had her invoke the Fifth Amendment until they struck a bargain granting her immunity from prosecution. Paul Wolfowitz has been defrocked as President of the World Bank because he gave preferential treatment to his girlfriend and Scooter Libby has been sentenced to prison for lying about his role in the outing of CIA Agent Valerie Plame.
Enter Immigration. After years of failing to secure our borders and casting a blind eye to the practices of businesses' hiring of illegal immigrants, the problem of illegal immigration has become a problem of gargantuan proportions—so much so that there are no solutions that are not painful. While there are obvious national security issues inherent in the problem, it is the social and economic dimensions that threaten to end the Reagan coalition. The Republican base sees the solutions being offered by Mr. Bush and the Republicans as the final "sell out" of the party to big money interests. Blue collar workers have felt the pinch caused by illegal immigration perhaps more than anyone else. Cheap labor provided by illegals has artificially suppressed wages and deprived American workers of jobs in the marketplace. Meanwhile, businesses that hire illegals have flourished as a result of low labor costs. Lax law enforcement against businesses which violate the immigration laws have convinced domestic workers that the government is on the side of business. Already bending under the strain of low wages, these workers resent the additional taxes they have to pay because of the additional demand illegal immigrants are placing on the infrastructure of their communities—schools, day care centers and hospitals.
The Republican base also worries about the fact that illegals do not assimilate into society. Social conservatives see language as a unifying element in society and they worry that the failure of immigrants to learn the national language will lead to the Balkanization of the country. Additionally, the base resents what they regard as "amnesty" for wrongdoers. They don't like the idea of wrongdoers getting preferential treatment. They think that if people break the law, they should have to pay the price. Having heard their law and order candidates utter the mantra, "If you do the crime, you have to do the time" over and over again, they have come to believe it.
Republican blue bloods, on the other hand, have been largely bemused at the reaction of the base to the immigration debacle. They don't understand what the fuss is all about. Putting profits over people is a concept they are comfortable with. They have been doing it in their businesses for years. They aren't impacted in the same way as the base by the tax burden associated with immigration. After all, they have tax advisors and accountants who get paid to find loopholes. Jobs? They don't need them, they provide them. And if they can get a lower wage worker to fill them, that just means more money going to the bottom line. Preferential treatment? They are accustomed to getting it for themselves and their designees. Social implications? They don't worry about them. In the circles in which they move, they aren't exposed to an underclass. Common language? Among the elites, cash is the universal language, and if a foreign language is spoken, it is usually French, not Spanish.
Though these characterizations of the two wings of the Republican Party may seem extreme, they accurately depict the perceptions that each camp has of the other and the impact that each perceives illegal immigration has on themselves and the other. They also reflect the perception that the base currently has of the Party leadership and its response to their perceived problems. While some may want to argue about the legitimacy of their perceptions, Republican leaders would do well to remember that in politics, perception is reality. If the Republican leadership is going to solve the immigration problem without committing political suicide, they better take into account perception and reality. Otherwise, they may soon be left with no one to lead.
Er, I was referring to the “elite” GOP “leaders” who are giving the conservative base (me included) the one finger salute, in the midst of this “fix Immigration NOW” rant. Especially, when W declares “Immigration Fix NOT DEAD” and certain Senators murmur “amens” from their elite posts in D.C. and on the Prez campaign, i.e. John McCain.
Folks it ain’t over till it’s over:
Amnesty Horror II: It’s Baaaack
Senate Amnesty bill can be resurrected this week with expectations that it will pass:
WASHINGTON – A stalled measure to overhaul US immigration laws is “alive and well” and will come back for a vote after a lobbying effort by President Bush, said Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and other supporters of the bill.
The legislation might be approved by the Senate in as little as two days if Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, allows debate on the proposal to continue, Gutierrez said yesterday in an interview on CNN’s “Late Edition.”
“I believe the votes were there, and some senators felt like they needed more time,” Gutierrez said. “This is first and foremost a national security bill. The reality is the law is weak, and this bill makes the law stronger.”
Senator Kyl predicts bill will pass before July 4th:
Seven Republican senators voted to end debate on the immigration measure, with 38 against it. The issue is damaging the party, said Senator Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican.
“It hurts greatly. There is no political winner in this for us,” Kyl told “Late Edition.” “Maybe we could get it to a neutral, but that’s not very good politics.”
Still, Kyl predicted that the measure would pass the Senate before July 4.
Looks like the fight is not over yet and we have more work to do. We may have pulled the stake out to soon.
Now is the time to start. I've already written two checks, one to one of our reps, and the other to a GOP activist/writer/ex-CEO, with letters encouraging him to consider running for the Senate to replace our two current Senators.
Now is the time to start getting their names known across the state.
Now is the time to establish their credentials and positions in the minds of the voters.
Now is the time to make sure every voter in the state knows about the seditious behavior of our current senators.
Now is the time to make sure their support of big government, big spending, amnesty pushing, elitism becomes a brand of shame on their political careers.
Don't give up the party--help take the party back from the country club neo-cons that have stolen it.
TS
"Karl, someone set up us the bomb!" -- G. W. Bush.
From Polipundit:
“Kennedy Plea Was Last Gasp for Immigration Bill”
This article is terribly unflattering to Senator’s Kyl and Graham, both of whom need to be run out of office. More behind the scenes reporting,
Desperate to salvage a measure in which he and others had invested months, Senator Edward M. Kennedy headed to the secluded Capitol suite of Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, to make one last personal plea.
Mr. Kennedy, an immigration advocate since his first days in the Senate nearly 45 years ago, hoped to persuade Mr. Reid to delay a procedural vote that could kill the measure. As the two met shortly after 7 p.m. on Thursday in the well-appointed office that overlooks the Mall, Mr. Reid told Mr. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, that Republicans would just endlessly stall the bill and that it was time to move on. Mr. Reid had already granted enough extensions.
Um, yeah, can’t we all agree that 44+ years in the Senate is enough for Uncle Teddy at this point? More,
The creation of the bill, too, was highly unorthodox. Even participants in the private negotiations that led to the so-called grand bargain say their very approach created problems, producing contentious legislation embraced by the participants but met with skepticism by other lawmakers, the public and groups like organized labor and conservative research organizations. “The chance to create meaningful immigration reform legislation was lost the moment the bill emerged from its closed-door meeting with an immediate path to amnesty for anywhere from 12 million to 20 million illegal immigrants,” Senator James M. Inhofe, Republican of Oklahoma, said in hailing the defeat of the bill.
“This agreement was reached between a handful of senators,” said Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, one of the Democrats who balked and voted against limiting debate. “That should not be considered a substitute for deliberation by the full Senate.”
“Highly unorthodox” is a euphemism for “trying to rush a pile of crap through without anyone noticing.” I enjoyed this:
The office of Mr. Reid, who had emphatically sought to hold Republicans accountable for sabotaging a presidential priority, distributed a document titled “Republicans Brought Down the Immigration Bill.”
It listed news reports and Republican statements that put the onus on the president’s party. “Last night, Republicans torpedoed comprehensive immigration reform,” the statement said.
Republicans fired back, saying Mr. Reid never embraced the bill and had, rather skillfully in some people’s opinion, set up Republicans to take the fall.
This just shows how clueless the political class is. This bill is wildly unpopular, yet none of these people want credit for ending it. Proving that beltway myopia and an addiction to praise from the liberal media and “bipartisanship” are terrible and often corrupting influences.
Aw, the dilligent public servant hard at work,
In the hours leading up to the collapse, Mr. Reid looked weary, with dark circles surrounding his eyes. As he walked back to the Senate floor at 4:30, his voice carried barely a trace of optimism. “We’ve done more than our share,” he said, pausing for a moment. “We’ve sent all the signals we can to get the president to help. It’s his bill.”
No bias there! More, turncoats and heros:
Mr. McConnell had his hands full, as well. Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, the No. 3 Republican, was an architect of the compromise. Others, like Mr. Cornyn, were critical but professed willingness to consider the measure if it were revised. Some, like Senators Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Jim DeMint of South Carolina, saw little hope of repairing the plan. Mr. DeMint even objected to Republican amendments on Thursday on the floor.
As the meeting stretched on, party aides shot updates to Democratic members of the immigration coalition via BlackBerry devices. Officials said Mr. Reid also called Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, to encourage him to come up with a finite list of amendments.
…
The outcome left many lawmakers frustrated. Mr. Kyl noted that senators mingled on the floor for more than an hour after the decision, “because there seemed to be a sense that it couldn’t end with that vote.”
Kyl and Graham can’t leave the Senate fast enough. Don’t worry, the President was hard at work trying to revive this abomination. Let’s hope he fails.
— The Ace
Either we stand up to them, or we are finished!
“The issue is damaging the party, said Senator Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican.”
No Kyl YOU are damaging the party!!!!
Worth repeating bump!
O M G... What is WRONG with these people? Dont they get it?
We dont WANT THIS POS!
“I believe the votes were there, and some senators felt like they needed more time,” Gutierrez said. “This is first and foremost a national security bill. The reality is the law is weak, and this bill makes the law stronger.”
Then take out amnesty, which has nothing to do with national security. Take out amnesty for criminal aliens.
The dem politicians seem to be getting a pass on this immigration insanity.
Most of the citizenry, without regard to political party, is against this shamnesty bill.
If you go to DU and other lib forums, you’ll find that the comments on immigration threads look just like they do here at FR, but also like us, they are carping on the republicans much more than their own dem leadership.
Did I miss something ? I don't believe tort reform has occurred.
It is a mistake to underestimate one’s opponent. In 06 Dems had a better election strategy. That’s all. And some of it is reflected in this article’s analysis. It looks to me like disinformation from the other side.
Cheney supports President Bush 100% on all of the issues, including immigration!
Who cares upon whom the “blame” rests for sinking this piece of crap ? The important thing is that most of the country is united AGAINST it.
It is the dem provisions that I deplore, especially amnesty and those that make law enforcement harder. That’s the grand bargain, I think.
I think things may be changing. I think the base is starting to realize that if they chuck the RINO clowns come primary time, they can own the party again.
It's never over till the gravitationally challenged member of the feminine gender begins to vocalize melodiously!!!
There! How's That for PC???
They will wish they had never seen the day they crossed the base....Hell hath no fury as the base scorned!!!
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