[lbo-talk] Immigration A Divisive Issue For GOP

boddi satva lbo.boddi at gmail.com
Sun Nov 27 23:44:16 PST 2005


Maybe it's because I worked with a lot of illegals but I don't understand why Democrats have consistently taken the bait on this issue. The Republican Party has never, to my knowledge, done anything to stem the flow of illegal immigrants into this country and I don't know why anybody thinks they have any interest in doing so. They have opposed all efforts to sanction employers who hire illegals. They have never funded enforcement or any change in law enforcement powerd that could make immigration laws broadly enforceable.

What's funny is that they've lost control of the Mexican-hating lunatic wing of the party and are now in danger of having a small coalition that actually wants to control illegal immigration. It is freaking them out. A permanent underclass of illegal immigrant workers is their dream scenario and, of course, that's what they have created. Liberals who champion the cause of allowing people to remain "undocumented" just play into their hand. It's like liberals who fight Republican "fiscal discipline". How much evidence do they need that Republicans love deficit spending and illegal immigration? What more can Republicans do to persuade them? How, at this point, can the results fail to speak for themselves?

I mean, nobody actually expects Republicans to come out and SAY that they want illegals in the country, do they? Nobody actually expects Republicans to SAY that they love deficit spending, right? I mean, why on earth would they? Politics is, in some sense, the art of having it both ways. The ideal situation for Republicans is to be the party that has a reputation for being anti-illegals and at the same time makes sure that industry gets as many undocumented workers as they want. It's like having the reputation of being the party opposed to government spending while deficit spending as fast as they can, whenever they can. They have had the Democrats coming and going on these issues for years. It's quite a political accomplishment, really.

boddi



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