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GOP Would Rather Shove “Immigration Reform” Down Our Throats Than Win Elections

immigration-reform

I write this as an “open borders/free residency” conservative. That is: Other than law enforcement and national security (both of which are important and need to be taken seriously!) I don’t think we should stop people from coming here and working here. I take it for granted that welfare should be off limits and that people who become citizens should be required to speak English and pass serious civics tests. The fact that we can’t trust liberals to do things that we should all take for granted is the best argument, to my mind, for limiting immigration at this point in time.

I realize most of my readers disagree with me, and while I’m sad about that, this post is not intended to persuade you. I just wanted to point out that, when I rant about the GOP’s betrayal of conservatives in favor of so-called “immigration reform,” I’m not doing so because I hate the idea of immigration. I’m ranting because this is an obvious scam.

Why, in the midst of all that is going on in our fight with Obama and our fight for an unencumbered economy that can recover some of its prosperity, is the GOP in Congress gunning for “immigration reform.”

According to Roll Call:

House Republicans are poised to decide the fate of an immigration overhaul at their retreat in two weeks, according to lawmakers leaving a meeting with leadership on Wednesday.

After the House overwhelmingly passed the omnibus spending bill Wednesday, Republican leadership held a meeting in the basement of the Capitol with freshmen lawmakers to discuss a wide range of issues.

Present at the meeting — which is held about every two weeks — was Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio, Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy of California, GOP Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, and about 25 freshman Republicans.

According to lawmakers, GOP leaders are preparing to use the Republican retreat in Cambridge, Md., as the debate ground for an immigration overhaul.

[…]

Andy Barr of Kentucky pointed out that immigration “will be one of many” topics at the retreat. Barr said Obamacare and the Republican jobs agenda would both be “topics that everybody knows we’ll be dealing with.”

But what Republicans do — or don’t do — on immigration seems to be at the forefront.

This is a major story over at RedState, for which I am thankful. Their main question needs an answer:  Why is the GOP leadership prioritizing “immigration  reform”?

As House Republicans prepare for their aptly-named “GOP Retreat” at the end of the month, they are planning to make immigration the centerpiece of their legislative strategy.  […]  They will offer a lot of window dressing about enforcement and all the things the GOP base wants to hear.  But ask yourself this question: why the urgency?

According to a new Gallup poll, immigration ranks among the lowest priority issues in the minds of voters.  Only 3% listed it as a top issue, whereas most people felt the economy, jobs, and healthcare (Obamacare) were much more important.  More strikingly, the largest plurality of respondents listed dissatisfaction with government as the most pressing issue.

And therein lies the key to understanding the wide gulf between the priorities of the Country Class and those of the Ruling Class.  No issue accentuates this schism more than immigration.  If you walk the corridors of the elite institutions and firms in Washington, there is nothing more important than granting amnesty to illegals.  Yet, when you step outside the beltway, it becomes obvious that nobody cares about the issue, and to the extent they do most people are on the other side.   In fact, the dyslexic and wrongheaded focus on immigration amidst a healthcare crisis is precisely why people view the Ruling Class as the biggest policy problem.

I don’t understand this situation. It is as if GOP Senators and Representatives have become convinced that it is their civic duty to help the Democrats build up a permanent majority. What could possibly motivate them to do this?

By Mark Horne

Source: http://politicaloutcast.com/2014/01/gop-rather-shove-immigration-reform-throats-win-elections/

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