Political Crossfire Forums

Um, no shit? Has this thread been on your "to do" list for 6 months and you're just joe getting around to it. GOP made clear there wasn't gonna be any agreement on comprehensive reform a long time ago.

If you believed they wanted it a week ago I don't know what to tell you. They've been pulling the rug out from under any major deals with Obama since 09 and this one was even more obvious than most.

I didn't think it was obvious.....I thought maybe the GOP was coming around to governing. My mistake obviously

I didn't think it was obvious, the chamber of commerce and a lot of business lobbies were pushing for immigration reform so they could have a more exploitable labor pool.

But you need money and votes to win elections and by caving to the business lobbies the republicans would have dug themselves a grave concerning votes. However, they are just slowing the inevitable and the demographic transition will eventually kill the republican party.

The House GOP doesn't want reform, but the GOP constituents do.

[quote]The Democratic-controlled Senate last year passed a bipartisan illegal immigration bill that included an eventual pathway towards citizenship for most of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. According to the poll, more than eight in 10 support such a plan. There is little partisan divide, with 88% of Democrats, 81% of independents and 72% of Republicans in agreement.[/quote]

[quote]One idea House Republicans are considering is giving undocumented immigrants legal status to stay in the U.S., but not allow them a pathway towards citizenship. According to the survey, only 35% support such an idea, with just over six in 10 opposed. Again, there was no partisan divide, with two-thirds of Democrats and around six in 10 independents and Republicans opposing such a plan.[/quote]
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/20 ... -security/

The GOP leaders know that more immigrants having votes = less GOP votes so they're against it. But normal people who are republicans don't give a shit and don't agree with current policy, votes be damned.

The current GOP in Washington is simply an extremist party thanks to an extreme base. The actual party itself is much more moderate along with the rest of the country. It's a shame, really.

I don't think there is anything extreme about wanting restrictions on immigration. Immigration has been an issue for as long as humans have existed and were just wandering tribes with a basic conceptions of territory.