Republican bigwigs prepare to sign death warrant of conservatism

by Paul Mirengoff in Immigration, Republicans

 

 

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, an uninspiring figure who presided over the disastrous Republican outing of 2012, tells us that there’s a “general consensus” in his party that something big needs to happen on overhauling the country’s immigration laws. By “something big” Preibus doesn’t mean enforcing our immigration laws, which would be big indeed but requires no “overhaul.” Instead, he means amnesty at a minimum and, very possibly, amnesty plus a path to citizenship for most illegal immigrants.
Is there a “general consensus” in Priebus’ party in favor of amnesty or a path to citizenship? Yes, if Priebus means among the party bigwigs who form his constituency; no if one means the rank-and-file. As Ann Coulter puts it, the only ones opposed to amnesty/path to citizenship are the people.
But for Priebus and his fellow bigwigs, the Republican rank-and-file seems to count for nothing. Again, Coulter nails it:

[A]re [the people] going to give John Boehner a job when he’s no longer House speaker, as some big business lobbyist will?

Will they help Marco Rubio run for president on the claim that, as a Cuban, he can appeal to Hispanics? (Fat chance.)

Will they bundle contributions for Eric Cantor’s re-election, as well-heeled donors will?

Will they be enough to re-elect Kevin McCarthy to Congress so he can keep his gold-plated government health insurance?

Will they be the ones writing Darrell Issa’s. . .New York Times obituary?

Here’s another question: will Priebus, Boehner, Rubio, Cantor, McCarthy, and Issa be politically active in a decade or two when the price of creating tens of millions of new Hispanic voters comes due for conservatives? Because there’s little doubt that the price will be a crushing.

This is clear from the findings of a series of polling organizations including Pew, Harris, and Gallup, as collected in a forthcoming report by Phyllis Schlafly. Coulter offers a preview:

According to a Harris poll, 81 percent of native-born citizens think the schools should teach students to be proud of being American. Only 50 percent of naturalized U.S. citizens do.
While 67 percent of native-born Americans believe our Constitution is a higher legal authority than international law, only 37 percent of naturalized citizens agree.
No wonder they vote 2-1 for the Democrats.
The two largest immigrant groups, Hispanics and Asians, have little in common economically, culturally or historically. But they both overwhelmingly support big government, Obamacare, affirmative action and gun control.
According the 2012 National Asian American Survey, as well as a Kaiser Foundation poll, only 40 percent of the general public holds a favorable opinion of Obamacare, 42 percent unfavorable. Meanwhile, 51 percent of Asians have a favorable opinion of Obamacare, 18 percent an unfavorable one. Even Koreans support Obamacare by 57 percent to 17 percent.
Overall, 69 percent of immigrants like Obamacare, according to a 2010 Cooperative Congressional Election Study.
That same survey showed that only 35 percent of native-born Americans support affirmative action, compared to 58 percent of immigrants, including — amazingly — 64 percent of Asians (suggesting they may not be as smart as everyone thinks).
Also surprising, a Pew Research Center poll of all Hispanics, immigrant and citizen alike, found that Hispanics take a dimmer view of capitalism than even people who describe themselves as “liberal Democrats.” While 47 percent of self-described “liberal Democrats” hold a negative view of capitalism, 55 percent of Hispanics do.
Pew also found that only 27 percent of Hispanics support gun rights, compared to 57 percent of non-Hispanic whites. According to Latino Decisions, large majorities of Hispanics favor a national database of gun owners, limiting the capacity of magazines and a ban on semiautomatic weapons.
Seventy-five percent of Hispanic immigrants and 55 percent of Asian immigrants support bigger government — also according to Pew. Even after three generations in America, Hispanics still support bigger government 55 percent to 36 percent, compared to the general public, which opposes bigger government 48 percent to 41 percent.

(Emphasis added)

If conservatives provide the votes needed to push Priebus’ “something big” on immigration reform over the finish line (and it can’t get there without the votes of supposed conservatives), American conservatism as we know it will very probably be doomed, and given all the delusional nonsense many conservatives spout about Hispanic immigrants being natural conservatives, arguably will deserve to be.

 

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