An inconvenient issue: illegal immigration and the GOP (RINOs fret as 2008 approaches--Must Read!)

GOPublius ^ | July 19, 2007

[2ndDivisionVet]

The GOP leadership is waking up to a persistent reality, and it's one that has fundraisers and strategists at the RNC up at night. Conservatives, the core constituency of the Republican Party, are irate. Far from a passing hobbyhorse, the illegal immigration issue has galvanized Republican voters like no single issue in recent memory, and conservatives are refusing to let it go.

The Senate's comprehensive immigration bill, backed by the President and pushed by the GOP establishment, was more than a mere legislative miscalculation, is was the straw that broke the conservatives' back. Moreover, to listen to conservatives, it wasn't merely the legislation itself, but the strategy used by those trying to sell the bill. Conservatives are hopping mad at what they regard as unparalleled arrogance on the part of their Party's own leadership--arrogance that has rank and file Republicans digging in their heels, and vowing to go all the way in their efforts to defeat anyone associated with the bill.

With an election year approaching, the GOP is anxious to patch things up and move on. As in the past, the Republican establishment knows that come what may, when Hillary Clinton steps onto the stage, even conservatives outraged by the comprehensive immigration strategy will come running home. But as they are discovering, moving on may not be as easy as before. "Not this time" say many conservatives, who regard the immigration deal as merely the final insult from a party that has lost its way, and who vow to sit out the 2008 elections rather than compromise on their values.

"Money talks" and many conservatives feel that despite relying overwhelmingly on small money contributions, the Party caters only to big business interests in its policy. As a result, many conservatives are holding back their small contributions, and a grassroots effort to starve the GOP leadership into enforcing the borders has begun.

A favorite tool for angry Republicans is the so called "Bush Peso," that longtime GOP contributors are printing out on their home printers and enclosing in all Party solicitations. It is evidence of a new attitude among many conservatives--give us genuine conservatism, or else.

And slowly but surely, the message is getting through.

The collapse of John McCain's campaign is the most visible sign of conservatives walking away from GOP leaders associated with the comprehensive immigration strategy, but as Senate Republicans gear up for an election year, many are worried about their own reelection prospects.

Conservatives, it seems, are taking names and reminding their Party that they will not allow this issue to die. Rather than contribute to the Party's machinery--the RNC, NRCC, or NRSC--contributors are taking the time to investigate how their Senator voted, or whether their Congressional Representative voiced support for the legislation, and they're contributing accordingly.

Indeed, some analysts have suggested that 2008 could be a banner year for primary challenges to sitting GOP lawmakers. From South Carolina to Nebraska to Alaska, longtime GOP Senators are closely watching the groundswell of support for new conservative leadership.

In the midst of a campaign season in which there is no sitting Republican Vice President, or heir apparent, and an angry base clamoring for government accountability, the stage is set for a conservative revolt...and if you're a pro-amnesty incumbent, beware, your days in office may indeed be numbered.

[TLI]

and who vow to sit out the 2008 elections rather than compromise on their values.

Oh no, sorry, not going to happen. There will be PLENTY of voting going on. It just will not be for candidates the RNC anointed “princes." It will be for someone that will kick some azz.

[TLI]

'The collapse of John McCain's campaign is the most visible sign of conservatives walking away from GOP leaders associated with the comprehensive immigration strategy,

Yep. Check the chart and the pic. Right to the very day where little johnny is getting face time from MSM...

Now look at the date on the chart...

Bye-bye Johnny!

[sourcery]

How Eisenhower solved illegal border crossings from Mexico

I Like Ike.

The Fiscal Cost of Low-Skill Immigrants to the U.S. Taxpayer

"Reform" must conform to the following principles:

1. Anyone who enters this country illegally must be forever barred from legal residency, let alone citizenship.
2. The right to obtain legal residency in the US must be fairly rationed among all the world's nations, and must not favor those who happen to have the geographic advantage of having their native country located near the US. Residency must be granted based on a variety of factors, with self-sufficiency, useful talents and/or knowledge, and other economic benefits to the US taking precedence over other considerations. Race (as opposed to nationality) should NOT be one of the factors considered, in any way at all.
3. Taxpayers must not be responsibile for paying the bills of immigrants they cannot afford to pay themselves. The rate of new immigrants must be controlled so as to not overwhelm the capacity of our infrastructure to absorb the increased population pressures.
4. Those born to parents neither of whom are US citizens must not automatically become US citizens.
5. English must be mastered before citizenship is granted. Legal residency should require either mastery of English, or yearly enrollment in a semester-long course in English as a second language.
6. And last, but not least: No reform is permissible until we prove we can a) remove the illegals who are here, and b) prevent new illegals from arriving.

[JoanneSD]

I have sent their fund raising envelopes stuffed with spanish speaking news papers that are abundant here in san diego..

[mission9]

AM I am supposed to give my money, time, and vote to gun-grabbing, open borders, pro-abortion, gay marriage, big government school, global warming, social security busting, single payer health insurance, $3.00 gas, limousine Republicans in the name of party unity? Charlie Crist, Mel Martinez and Arnold Schwarzenegger can kiss my $#@.

What do you expect them to do with the 1.6 million dollars raised at RINOfest last week? If the past is any indication, they will produce a bunch of negative campaign TV and radio commercials that will be played ad nauseum, to insult my intelligence. Worse still, these monies pad the profits of the liberal mainstream media.

As for me and my house, I will not work the phones, I will not persuade my family and friends and I will not betray my principles for Hillary Clinton lite.

You can take that to the bank. Charlie Crist campaigned on significant property tax reductions, not global warming. Mel Martinez stated definitively in his campaign literature that he did not support a path to citizenship for those who had broken our laws. Arnold Schwarzenegger is touting Hillary’s solution to the health care “crisis.” I could go on. But you are not stupid.

The only crisis we have in this nation is glad-handing, lying politicians grabbing power in the name of the public good. And the RINO enablers letting them do it.

[ChildOfThe60s]

You’re stuck with Mel. And unless you can put some serious chinks in the party establishment’s armor, they will squash another Bill McCollum type conservative challenger, just like they did Bill.

Ditto for Crist.

Both of them are so mobbed up it makes one wonder why there is a primary.

[ChildOfThe60s]

I just returned my Republican Senate commitee “survey” fund raising letter with a Bush Peso and in big letters on the “survey” “SECURE THE BORDERS” & “GROW SPINES”.

This is a war. And not just with illegals, but with our own traitorous party leadership.

[teldon30]

We roll tonight [We’re on tonight]
To the guitar bite
Yeah, yeah, oh
Stand up and be counted
For what you are about to receive
We are the dealers
We’ll give you everything you need
Hail hail to the good times
‘Cause rock has got the right of way
We ain’t no legend, ain’t no cause
We’re just livin’ for today
For those about to rock, we salute you
For those about to rock, we salute you
We rock at dawn on the front line
Like a bolt right out of the blue
The sky’s alight with the guitar bite
Heads will roll and rock tonight
For those about to rock, we salute you
For those about to rock, we salute you
For those about to rock, we salute you
Yes we do
For those about to rock, we salute you
Oooh, salute!
Oooh, ooooh yeah
We’re just a battery for hire with a guitar fire
Ready and aimed at you
Pick up your balls and load up your cannon
For a twenty-one gun salute
For those about to rock - fire
We salute you
For those about to rock, we salute you
Those about to rock - fire
We salute you
Fire
We salute you
We salute you
Come on, whooa
For those about to rock, we salute you (x4)
Shoot, shoot (x2)
For those of you, for those who ????
Yeah
(Ain’t gonna get tired, won’t take a break, we salute you.)
We salute you (x3)
Fire

[teldon30]

The only crisis we have in this nation is glad-handing, lying politicians grabbing power in the name of the public good. And the RINO enablers letting them do it.

---

AMEN....

[stephenjohnbanker]

B T T T

[ken21]

our pubbie party is imploding.

[stephenjohnbanker]

LMAO!!

[phillyfanatic]

I continue to bombard the RNC and other Pub Senators with complaints that unless they protect our nation first, fence our borders, fire on drug illegals, win the war in Iraq, profile Muslim radicals and schools in the USA, I will never again send money to a general GOP organization. I will target my designations to those who I approve not who the Beltway bums approve.

[Colorado Buckeye]

Just yesterday, I got a call from the RNC. Of course, they were looking for money. I didn't send any, and after stating that I would not vote for a Democrat, I informed them that if the Republican party nominates another globalist as their presidential candidate, I will not vote for him.

I will be voting, one way or another, for an American. We haven't had an American President since Reagan.

[2ndDivisionVet]

There’s a Bush Peso at the original article that you can copy & print out.

[ovrtaxt]

Your approach has gotten us to this present state of affairs. We’ve done it that way long enough. Now, it’s time for conservatism.

sorry. It’s over.

[RJL]

If the big-business country-club set

It’s taken me a while, but I think I’ve finally figured out just what a “Country Club Republican” is.

They’re actually a pretty apolitical group, they really don’t care who runs the government or what policies are in place. They just want to control enough seats in the House and Senate to ensure that federal legislation cuts them a big profit, other than that, they plain don’t care.

======

The Republicans have shown poor leadership the last 8 years, and many of Republican politicians still seem clueless. Regrettably, the only major alternative is the Democrats.

I’ll vote for Ayn Rand’s, Atlas Shrugged character, John Galt, before I’ll vote for any open borders, illegal alien supporter or Democrat. In fact, it would be hilarious to hear Republicans asking “Who is John Galt”.

[MileHi]

I’m telling you right now, people are prepared to exercise the 2nd amendment over this- and that’s just from the ones who 1> fully know about it and 2> have the guts to openly talk about it. I would imagine that many, many people are willing to stand up and be counted, if there were others to fall in behind.

Tagline....{:0)

[MileHi]

Hey, you two and Hugh Hewitt can keep talking down to the base, and get used to being the minority party.

This "you'll take what you get from us and like it because the only other choice is dems" ain't playing anymore.

[potlatch]

[And slowly but surely, the message is getting through. ]
But not to the President I’m afraid!

I have refused donations to all Republican callers. They have to be hurting badly by now!