Immediately after losing the 2012 Presidential election Republican pundits and consultants…the very same ones who had laid out the2012 losing strategy...declared that the GOP would need to embrace amnesty for illegal aliens in order to win over the Latino vote and assure future Republican victory.
A look at recent history indicates their declaration was not only misguided…it was downright wrong.
In 2010 a little known young state politician named Marco Rubio decided to run against a popular sitting governor for the Republican nomination for a United States Senate seat in Florida. He painted himself as a true conservative and mocked those who would provide a "pathway to citizenship" saying with contempt in his voice, and I quote "A pathway to citizenship is just another way of saying amnesty". His strong opposition cemented his conservative credentials and Rubio was elected to US Senate by a wide margin.
Rubio's conservative image, natural charisma and seemingly strong stance on issues catapulted him onto the national stage almost immediately and within 3 years of going to Washington, he consistently sat atop Republican polls as potential Presidential timber. Just a couple of months after the 2012 GOP defeat TIME magazine even went so far as to put Rubio and their cover and label him "The Republican Savior".
In 2013 however, Rubio became the face of the Gang of Eight, a bi-partisan group of Senators who pushed amnesty for millions of illegals. Their efforts were thwarted by a GOP House and Rubio's numbers tanked. His popularity fell so far, so fast that as the 2016 Presidential cycle begins, Rubio barely registers in most national polls in the low single digits. Amnesty for illegal immigrants was clearly not the path to political popularity.
Immigration policy was far from being ignored as a campaign issue however. In 2014 Republican candidates ran aggressively opposed to Barack Obama's proposed changes to immigration law. They wouldn't support legislation, they said, and would do all in their power to assure he couldn't do an executive order end-run. Such a thing wasn't legal and they simply wouldn't allow it. The public loved the strong stand. Republicans built their biggest majority in generations in the House and gained nine seats and the majority in the Senate. Standing up for law and order, it seemed, was ballot box gold.
Despite the clear support of the American public for the stand against amnesty in the 2014 elections and the obvious damage to Rubio, the tone-deaf GOP leadership caved in almost immediately to President Obama on the issue. Unable to stand up to the President and unwilling to keep their word to the voters, Congress funded his program in it's entirety. It provides up to $24,000 in taxpayer funded goodies annually to illegals, including Social Security benefits.
GOP centrists operate under the false premise that support for amnesty and benefits for illegals will bring the Latino community flocking to the right for years to come. This ignores the fact that among Latino registered voters in the US, Democrats lead Republicans by more than a 2 to 1 margin. It ignores the positive results of the strong stand in the 2014 elections and ignores the Rubio effect when he flip-flopped his position on amnesty. It ignores how livid conservatives, the heart and soul of the Republican Party, are about the GOP collapse on the issue. It ignores reality.
This week Republican leaders have been selling the line that now isn't the time for a fight on illegal immigration. If not now, when? After millions are granted taxpayer funded benefits? More than amnesty is at stake. More than fiscal responsibility is at stake. No less than the Constitution and it's clear separation of powers is at stake.
Politically speaking, the immediate future of the GOP is at stake as well. No backbone will translate to no victory.
Thank goodness for a judge in Texas who still believes in the US Constitution. Considering those elected to represent our interests in Washington aren't willing to do so, that judge may be the only hope.
A look at recent history indicates their declaration was not only misguided…it was downright wrong.
In 2010 a little known young state politician named Marco Rubio decided to run against a popular sitting governor for the Republican nomination for a United States Senate seat in Florida. He painted himself as a true conservative and mocked those who would provide a "pathway to citizenship" saying with contempt in his voice, and I quote "A pathway to citizenship is just another way of saying amnesty". His strong opposition cemented his conservative credentials and Rubio was elected to US Senate by a wide margin.
Rubio's conservative image, natural charisma and seemingly strong stance on issues catapulted him onto the national stage almost immediately and within 3 years of going to Washington, he consistently sat atop Republican polls as potential Presidential timber. Just a couple of months after the 2012 GOP defeat TIME magazine even went so far as to put Rubio and their cover and label him "The Republican Savior".
In 2013 however, Rubio became the face of the Gang of Eight, a bi-partisan group of Senators who pushed amnesty for millions of illegals. Their efforts were thwarted by a GOP House and Rubio's numbers tanked. His popularity fell so far, so fast that as the 2016 Presidential cycle begins, Rubio barely registers in most national polls in the low single digits. Amnesty for illegal immigrants was clearly not the path to political popularity.
Immigration policy was far from being ignored as a campaign issue however. In 2014 Republican candidates ran aggressively opposed to Barack Obama's proposed changes to immigration law. They wouldn't support legislation, they said, and would do all in their power to assure he couldn't do an executive order end-run. Such a thing wasn't legal and they simply wouldn't allow it. The public loved the strong stand. Republicans built their biggest majority in generations in the House and gained nine seats and the majority in the Senate. Standing up for law and order, it seemed, was ballot box gold.
Despite the clear support of the American public for the stand against amnesty in the 2014 elections and the obvious damage to Rubio, the tone-deaf GOP leadership caved in almost immediately to President Obama on the issue. Unable to stand up to the President and unwilling to keep their word to the voters, Congress funded his program in it's entirety. It provides up to $24,000 in taxpayer funded goodies annually to illegals, including Social Security benefits.
GOP centrists operate under the false premise that support for amnesty and benefits for illegals will bring the Latino community flocking to the right for years to come. This ignores the fact that among Latino registered voters in the US, Democrats lead Republicans by more than a 2 to 1 margin. It ignores the positive results of the strong stand in the 2014 elections and ignores the Rubio effect when he flip-flopped his position on amnesty. It ignores how livid conservatives, the heart and soul of the Republican Party, are about the GOP collapse on the issue. It ignores reality.
This week Republican leaders have been selling the line that now isn't the time for a fight on illegal immigration. If not now, when? After millions are granted taxpayer funded benefits? More than amnesty is at stake. More than fiscal responsibility is at stake. No less than the Constitution and it's clear separation of powers is at stake.
Politically speaking, the immediate future of the GOP is at stake as well. No backbone will translate to no victory.
Thank goodness for a judge in Texas who still believes in the US Constitution. Considering those elected to represent our interests in Washington aren't willing to do so, that judge may be the only hope.
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