National Review:
But nowhere does the document offer a substantive argument in favor of the kind of comprehensive immigration reform on offer in Washington, or even come close to demonstrating that support for such a program would accrue Republicans more votes than it lost them, considering that Hispanics are often ideologically liberal for reasons beyond immigration.
In other words, you are screwed either way, Republicans. Therefore, the NR concludes that the GOP should refuse to do the right thing, because if you lose no matter what you do, you may as well go home with the one that brung ya - racism, xenophobia, and appealing to the fears of old people.
Rush Limbaugh of course knows what the problem is. It's the same problem as always.
I think what really is going on here, folks, at this moment policy is not the primary thing they're concerned about, even though they're not gonna admit that. They are concerned, and you will understand this the moment I say it, about their donor base. And so what Priebus is doing, they got this big plan. I got a copy of it last night. I got an embargoed copy. It was embargoed 'til like seven o'clock this morning, but it didn't matter to me because I'm not gonna be talking about it in public by then so I could go ahead and look at it, and I didn't. I waited for others to go through it and report on it 'cause I know what it's gonna say, and I was right. They think they've gotta rebrand and it's all predictable. They gotta reach out to minorities. They gotta moderate their tone here and moderate their tone there. And that's not at all what they've gotta do.
The Republican Party lost because it's not conservative. It didn't get its base out in the 2012 election.
I supplied the bold.
Where, then, does this leave the GOP?
Look at what Limbaugh said. He's telling the True Believers straight out that the big money isn't as conservative is they are.
Then consider the National Review, which I would expect to reflect the view of the big money. They can't bring themselves to moderate on immigration, even though the big money makes money paying low-wage undocumented workers low wages.
The GOP really is trapped. The fear of the other combined with the greed of the monied interests has led to a flood of undocumented workers, many of whom are Hispanic. Attempts to deal with immigration in a way that actually reduces the flow of workers are opposed by the big money; Rick Perry knows which side of the bread of Texas industries has been buttered, and got excoriated for trying to suggest that cruelty was not good response. Not that Perry's not as heartless as the rest, he just wants the low-wage workers in Texas factories.
The net Mexican immigration during the recession has dropped to a trickle or even reversed, because no one sneaks into America to be unemployed or have an anchor baby. They come here because they want jobs. But an approach on illegal immigration that starts with the person hiring the undocumented worker, not building expensive fences via defense contractors, is a non-starter with the big money. It's socialistic regulation, don't you know.
So ... they can't attempt to address the people who are here, or propose a means to deal with the ones who may come when the recession ends. And their elderly base is just so scared of brown people speaking Spanish they can hardly stand it. Beheadings in the desert!
Without massive disenfranchisement, they have no chance by 2020. With massive disenfranchisement, they have no chance by 2028. The behavior of greedy people who realize the bubble is going to burst soon is oft not pretty.