Thread: Horowitz: It's Time for a GOP Establishment Mea Culpa on Immigration

by Daniel Horowitz 7 Aug 2014, 7:02 PM PDT
breitbart



Imagine if Republicans had responded to the push for Obamacare in 2009 by embracing the need for “comprehensive health care reform” while acceding to all Democrat premises concerning the foundations of health care policy. Ponder for a moment where we would be politically if Republicans had spent the past five years promoting Obamacare and targeting the GOP's own members with millions of dollars’ worth of ads beckoning conservatives to support Obama’s signature legislation. Well, that is exactly what Republicans have done with the immigration debate.

Immediately following Mitt Romney’s defeat in 2012, the entire GOP consultant class fabricated a narrative that the biggest contributing factor to the loss was Romney’s utterance of the word “self-deport” in one of the endless obscure debates during the Republican primaries. Tantamount to the global warming debate in Congress, this issue in electoral politics became what every Republican consultant warned potential candidates about. They argued that if they declined to immediately embrace Obama’s comprehensive open borders policies, Republicans would be doomed forever.

Much like the ubiquitous belief in global warming last decade among the societal elite, the group-think on the politics of illegal immigration was built upon a number of false premises:

The assumption that Hispanic voters (10% of the electorate) cast their ballot primarily based upon the immigration issue.

The assumption that those Hispanic voters who support Obama on immigration would otherwise support Republicans on other issues.

The assumption that playing follow-the-leader with Obama on immigration would result in making in-roads with some of those mythical voters instead of driving up “gratitude” turnout for Obama even more than before.

The assumption that the other 90% of the electorate doesn’t exist and that fighting against illegal immigration is not a net positive with this share of the electorate.

The assumption that passing amnesty would not lead to the creation of millions of new Democrat voters, all the while disenchanting a number of Republicans, Independents, and Reagan Democrats who oppose open borders.

For those of us who are old enough to remember the 2012 presidential election, Romney never ran on a pro-enforcement platform in any significant way after the primary. While Obama was playing divide and conquer and illegally granting administrative amnesty, Romney refused to even protest or make it a campaign issue. He refused to campaign in blue-collar Ohio towns against the fiscal, social, and security problems with our porous borders and Obama’s dangerous and malfeasant policies. He took the issue off the table and refused to talk about it, much like he did with Obamacare.

When Democrats pushed comprehensive amnesty in 2013, instead of running ads in the states and district of every elected Democrat exposing their dyslexic priorities, Republicans either supported the bill, the premise of the bill, or cowered in a corner and remained silent.

One year later, as we all witness the predictable, and predicted, ill-effects of lawlessness, the sleeping giant of the silent super-majority in immigration politics is too palpable to ignore. According to Gallup, illegal immigration ranks as the top concern for most voters, supplanting the economy and health care as the most important issue.

While illegal immigration is the number one concern for voters, it is the worst issue for Obama; he is polling way underwater at 31-68% on his handling of immigration. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that 70% of Americans believe that illegal immigrants threaten our economy and traditions. In all of these polls, Obama’s standing and views on immigration are horrendous among independents.

The dichotomy between the American people and the political class over the immigration issue could not be starker. Whereas among the political class even Republicans, most of whom live in sheltered areas, are supportive of open borders, among the country class even many Democrats are virulently opposed. They see the deleterious effects in their schools, hospitals, and the criminal justice system. They are scared of the national security threat. And they want it stopped.

Sadly, most GOP conservatives live and die by polls instead of following the right policies, but in the case of immigration they can straddle both. Public opposition to open borders is at least as potent as opposition to Obamacare. Imagine what the polls would look like if Republicans actually embraced the conservative position on this issue and went on offense. Imagine if every Republican candidate in a contentious general election would run ads against Democrats who have voted to give health care to illegals while veterans are waiting in line?

It’s time for Republicans to stop running the ball in their own end-zone for the Democrats. It’s time for the GOP establishment to do a mea culpa on the immigration issue and stand for Americans first.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Governm...on-Immigration

The GOP hierarchy has for years been moving left into the progressive category the reason basically is media and wealthy donors have pushed them in that direction, I believe that unless they change conservatives voters will simply stay home or a third party will emerge. The truth is the GOP leadership is there own worse enemy until voters understand or recognize that fact we can not have a two party system that works.

I dont think the GOP establishment will ever do the right thing on illegal immigration until there is a viable 3rd party they fear.

W

I believe that they have feared the Tea Party would become the Third Party, thus the attacks. The GOP can't even legally contest voter fraud, so what good are they really when voter fraud and illegal aliens voting in federal elections threatens to give the Socialist Democrats a permanent majority.

Establishment GOP’s War On Tea Party Continues

August 8, 2014 by Sam Rolley

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise has enlisted John Feehery, a Federal lobbyist with a deep hatred of the “racists” and “hucksters” who he believes make up the Tea Party, to help fill staff positions.

That’s according to a new report illustrating the disconnect between the GOP establishment and Main Street American conservatism.

The piece, written by reporters Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman, was shrugged off as a non-story by some because it focuses largely on ethical questions regarding Scalise’s decision to seek staffing advice from someone with such cozy K-Street relationships.

Via the report:

Quinn Gillespie & Associates’ John Feehery sat in on and participated in multiple official interviews with job candidates last month for the new majority whip’s press operation. Scalise has not yet announced who he will name as his communications director.

Sometimes lawmakers rely on lobbyists for strategic advice. But inviting a lobbyist into an interview is highly unusual. Several ethics lawyers and current and former leadership aides said they have never heard of a similar arrangement.

Scalise enjoys closer relationships with lobbyists than many House conservatives — a reality that is sometimes helpful but also adds to his reputation of being closer to the establishment wing of the party than some in the conference had wanted.

Feehery is registered to lobby on behalf of major corporations like AT&T, Sony Corp., Qualcomm, 21st Century Fox and others that have interests before Congress and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, of which Scalise is a member.

But conservative Republicans have more to fret about Feehery than his lobbying ties. He also deeply dislikes the Tea Party faction of the GOP and wants it destroyed.

Since the POLITICO story broke, there has been a lot of attention on the lobbyist’s blog “The Freehery Theory”. There, the man helping Scalise assemble a crack team of K-street-compliant staffers, offers opinions on who he thinks the GOP good guys are in posts with titles like “The Tea Party Must Be Crushed.” (Trigger Warning: He describes Mitch McConnell as “probably the most conservative leader of either party in the history of the Senate.”)

Here’s a sample:

The Tea Party was started in the middle of Barack Obama’s first year, as he moved to nationalize the auto industry, the banking industry, the health care industry, and the energy sector.

Rick Santelli, the CNBC correspondent, sparked the revolt when he asked a simple and profound question: Why do people who play by the rules have to bail out people who broke the rules?

It was a good question, and it is still a good question.

When the Tea Party started, it was a national movement of good people who were worried about the future of the country.

But today’s Tea Party has morphed into something far different. It has become a collection of wing-nuts, racists, hucksters, extremists, con-men and front-men, who collaborate with Hollywood and left-wing organizations to plot the demise of Republicans in good standing, Republicans such as Mitch McConnell, who is probably the most conservative leader of either party in the history of the Senate.

Why does Freehery dislike the Tea Party so much?

He explains in another post, titled “Tea Party Treachery”:

Its vision of conservative varies with the Tea Party group. Some of the Tea Partiers focus on immigration. Others attack crony capitalism. Still others hate all government spending. Some think the Constitution needs to be rewritten, just as they call themselves constitutional conservatives.

They hate common core standards. Hate Obamacare. Hate extending the debt limit. Hate reopening the government. Hate the NSA. Hate immigrants. Hate the establishment. Hate big corporations. Hate Labor. Hate the Federal Reserve. Hate foreigners. Hate. Hate. Hate.

Freehery’s rants are reminiscent of House Speaker John Boehner’s February declaration that the Tea Party had “lost all credibility” as he touted a two-year, $1.1 trillion budget and a separate $950 billion farm bill, both of which were widely maligned by fiscal conservatives.

The lobbyist’s current moment in the spotlight is an indication that the GOP establishment’s effort to purge lawmakers who don’t toe the party leadership’s line is alive and well. In fact, it’s likely kicking into high gear to quell the threat of a Tea Party-linked Republican stealing the thunder (and GOP primary support) of the stuffed suit the establishment leadership decides is up for a chance (or third chance) to carry the GOP Presidential ticket.

http://personalliberty.com/establish...rty-continues/

I felt a ray of hope when Cantor was dumped, but the party has not followed through with consistently ridding themselves of pro-amnesty representatives. Status quo, from my perspective, temporary hope now and then, but lack of commitment throws cold water on already dying coals. Sessions, King, and Cruz are not numbers adequate to win a majority to deal with this the necessary way.

As has been the case for 28 years the Republican party still seems to be inadequate to do the right things for America's sovereignty, i.e. secure borders and deportations that could lead to good policy of controlled legal immigration. Independents soon will have had enough of the "we might get it this time." I know that I have!

From oneoldvet's website:

time to repost this one

Originally Posted by Jean

According to Gallup, illegal immigration ranks as the top concern for most voters, supplanting the economy and health care as the most important issue.

While illegal immigration is the number one concern for voters, it is the worst issue for Obama; he is polling way underwater at 31-68% on his handling of immigration.... Imagine if every Republican candidate in a contentious general election would run ads against Democrats who have voted to give health care to illegals while veterans are waiting in line?

You'd think that Repubs would be waving the flag on this one and reveling in the opportunity to win Independents to their side.
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Americans first in this magnificent country

American jobs for American workers

Fair trade, not free trade

mea culpa

[ ˌmāə ˈko͝olˌpə, -ˌpä ]

noun

noun: mea culpa · plural noun: mea culpas

• an acknowledgment of one's fault or error:
  "“Well, whose fault was that?” “Mea culpa!” Frank said"

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