Republican Elders Warn Colleagues Against 'Stupid' Responses (McCain and Graham!)

WASHINGTON – Here's what Republican elders are telling their colleagues: Please, don't be stupid. As they wait for President Obama to announce Thursday evening that he will shield millions of undocumented people from deportation, the GOP's Congressional leadership is counseling colleagues, including the most conservative ones, how -- and how not -- to respond.

Several members described a concerted effort to quiet those most likely to make inflammatory remarks that could hurt the party.

“Count to 100 before you say anything,” South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said he told conservatives in the House.

Many Republicans admit to worrying about what fellow party members might say. In the past, comments like those of former Missouri Republican Congressman Todd Akin about "legitimate rape," for example, have put the GOP on the defensive. So the establishment has carefully worked out the talking points for Thursday.

Look to the statement from House Speaker John Boehner’s office Wednesday for the best blueprint.

“If ‘Emperor Obama’ ignores the American people and announces an amnesty plan that he himself has said over and over again exceeds his Constitutional authority, he will cement his legacy of lawlessness and ruin the chances for Congressional action on this issue -- and many others,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said.

In other words, Republican leaders want to hear talk about overreach and amnesty, not commentary on immigrants or calls for impeachment.

But try as it might, leadership can’t make members stick to the script. Getting off message poses a real danger because Democrats will be looking for any opportunity to paint the GOP as insensitive to the plight of immigrant families, offensively ignorant or just plain racist.

I suggest an experiment. Each freeper go door-to-door and ask 100 people an open ended question:

What are the top 3 issues the government should do something about? I’ve done exactly this many times over 50 years. Often I’ve done it as a petition with over 500 signatures of my neighbors in several neighborhoods as I moved.

Almost always, Education is in the top 3. Nobody agrees on the solution. But everyone agrees it is the problem. During recessions, jobs and the economy are in the top 3. After 911 terrorism was in the top 3.

It is rare the person who mentions immigration. (Immigration has been one of my own issues at least since the Bracero program of the 50s.)

Then go to a second 100 people with a multiple choice list: Abortion, Gay marriage, gun control, taxes, spending on foreign policy; spending on bailouts; spending on entitlements; spending on pork; the debt, the FED printing money; drugs, etc, etc and immigration.

I predict immigration will not get many votes. I predict that if you use the word “immigration” or “illegal immigration” the result will not be much different.

I predict that if you ask subjective questions, you can tilt the poll anyway you wish. Sample question:

“The Assembly of God church 2 blocks away has 300 immigrants, most of them illegals, attending that church. Do you think they should be deported?”

“Many of them have a spouse or children who are citizens. Do you think the illegal person should be deported in that case?”

Or “There are 300 immigrants, most of them illegals, in that apartment complex 2 blocks away. They play loud foreign music and repair their cars on the street. Do you think they should be deported?”

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