A chaotic day on Capitol Hill began with a revolting tribute to Cantor. True to his destructive ideas to the last, Eric Cantor in his last speech talked about being the grandson of immigrants, repeated his call for school choice as a “civil rights” policy, and paid tribute to amnesty stalwarts John Boehner, Kevin McCarthy, and Paul Ryan. Members of both parties stood and applauded a man who, with his last House speech, proved he represented the Beltway Political Class instead of his own constituents. [Eric Cantor says goodbye as House majority leader, by Catalina Camia, USA Today, July 31, 2014]
But although the bipartisan Political Class began the day by closing ranks around Cantor, it was partisan politics that prevented John Boehner from honoring his erstwhile colleague by allowing more migrants into the country. His bill would have made things worse by
Democrats are evidently hoping to blame Republicans for creating a so-called humanitarian crisis. An increasingly unhinged Nancy Pelosi called the bill a “statement of meanness,” arguing that the $659 million it laid out to cater to illegals is “not enough resources” to “feed the children.” [Nancy Pelosi: Republican Border Bill A ‘Statement of Meanness, by Charlie Spiering, Breitbart, July 31, 2014]
Such is the state of American statesmanship.
It’s almost redundant to add that these schoolyard taunts come at a time when the federal government is spending $74,000 a day to house 532 immigrants in “suites” complete with flat screen televisions and access to basketball courts, soccer fields, and weight rooms. [Immigrants to be Housed in ‘Suites’ Near San Antonio, KRGV, July 31, 2014]
Unfortunately, we can always count on useful idiot Republicans and Beltway Right “intellectuals” to fall for the obvious traps set by the Democratic Party and its supporters in the Main Stream Media. Texas Governor Rick Perry, who has hypocritically exploited the crisis to his own advantage, is now disingenuously using militant rhetoric about Congress “abandoning its post” without “address[ing] border security issues” in response to the bill’s withdrawal. [Rick Perry to Boehner: Pass Something To Address Border Before Congressional Recess, Matthew Boyle, Breitbart, July 31, 2014] Perry did not explain how passing something that will actually make things worse will somehow solve the crisis.
Similarly, anti-white “conservative” Matt Lewis said the “House bill is a reasonable response to a serious crisis which addresses the influx of illegal immigrants in a compassionate and humane way” and believes it should pass. [House Border Bill Blues, Daily Caller, June 31, 2014] Of course, he did not address the fact that there are already legal remedies to solve the problem which do not necessitate a rigged “hearing” process.
Republicans would do well to practice a political Hippocratic Oath—First, Do Not Harm. Any bill that does not insist on immediate deportation is almost certain to do more harm than good.
Giving power to the bureaucracy will ensure that the crisis never actually ends and America will acquire a permanent obligation to “feed the children” regardless of how many there are, where they come from, or whether they are actually children or just gangbangers.
Public opinion is solidly on the side of immigration patriots. Seventy-seven percent of Americans want the Central American illegals sent home, with only 11% favoring amnesty for everyone. Significantly, 64% of Hispanics also want the illegals sent home. [Majority of US Hispanics Support Deportations,by John Nolte, FoxNews, July 28, 2014]
More than two-thirds of the American people disapprove of how President Obama is handling the immigration issue. Even more important, of those who identify as passionate about the issue, 57% are opposed to Obama’s handling of the issue; only 18% are in favor. [Immigration is now President Obama’s worst issue, by Aaron Blake, Washington Post, July 31, 2014]
But incredibly, astonishingly, the bill is not dead yet. Even as of this writing, negotiations are continuing on Capitol Hill as the Republican leadership is trying desperately to slap something together.
The fear reportedly sapping Republicans’ resolve to confront President Obama on the issue is retribution from Hispanic voters in “more Hispanic districts.” [Fear of Hispanic Voters Undermines GOP Opposition to Obama’s Orders, by Joel Gehrke, National Review, July 31, 2014]
However, Republicans should be afraid of something more tangible—at long last, conservative voters have finally identified that immigration is the crucial issue that needs to define the American Right.
A plurality of 34.6% of GOP voters identified “stopping the flow of illegal immigrants across our Southern border” as the most critical issue for Congress. Twenty four percent believed stopping Obama’s “illegal overreach” with executive power was most important. [Exclusive—Polling Data Shows GOP Voters Think Republicans Standing Tough on Immigration Most Important Issueby Matthew Boyle, Breitbart, July 31, 2014]
Illegal immigration and “overreach” are related issues under the Obama Regime, so that constitutes a majority. Less than 3% care about Benghazi, a supposed core issue of the American Right promoted by Conservatism Inc.
Pressure from conservative voters mobilized by Senator Ted Cruz and Senator Jeff Sessions is at least as important to Boehner’s defeat today as Democratic obstinacy.
But immigration patriots should not assume that their phone calls and emails have won the day. The GOP Establishment may yet pass something with Democratic help—even at the cost of infuriating its own grassroots.
Ultimately, what happens before Congress recesses will depend on whether Congressional Republicans are more afraid of the hostile MSM and hypothetical Hispanic voters—or of their own constituents.
If they choose the former, many more Republicans will soon be joining Cantor in making their farewell addresses to Congress.
Immigration is now objectively and indisputably the issue animating the American Right. It is also what differentiates populists like Cruz and Sessions from the GOP Establishment, personified by Boehner, McCarthy, and Paul Ryan. Whatever happens on August 1, the Republican Party is realigning before our eyes.
However outraged immigration patriots should be at Obama’s lawlessness and Boehner’s collaboration, they should also rejoice that with the crisis at hand, so too is the opportunity of remaking the American Right.
James Kirkpatrick [Email him] is a Beltway veteran and a refugee from Conservatism Inc.
