To all my Republican immigration reform friends and colleagues, I have two words for you—"Chill out!"
During our movement's moment of greatest triumph—the complete electoral humiliation of President George W. Bush and his neo-con advisors and sycophants (including "boy genius" turned "class dunce" Karl Rove), we should be basking in our glory at our collective victory.
Instead, most of you are wringing your hands and speculating on a worst-case scenario that would include amnesty for illegal aliens and various guest worker programs that will add greatly to the legal immigrant population.
Even Colorado Rep.Tom Tancredo is quaking in his boots…pathetic! [See Bush eyes Democrats for help on amnesty By Stephen Dinan, The Washington Times, November 9, 2006]
But amnesty ain't happening today, tomorrow or anytime soon.
Here's why.
If we mount our typical fierce counter-insurgent assault on Congressional sensibilities by focusing on proving that amnesty would reduce to almost zero most incumbent's Congressional 2008 re-election chances and therefore (in the broader picture) on retaining Democratic House control, we can cut the traitors off at the pass.
The election was not so much a triumph for the Democrats—remember, I am one—as it was a mandate for responsible, responsive government.
And if the Democrats should decide to ram through an amnesty in either the waning days 109th Congress or anytime during the 110th, they will rue the day.
Should Bush have the audacity—and he might—to go behind Republican backs to cozy up to Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the lame duck session on a "comprehensive immigration reform," he might as well shack up with her.
The Republicans are already furious about Bush's sandbagging them by withholding information about Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's resignation. Had Bush been more forthright, i.e., not lied, a few Congressional hides might have been saved.
If Bush bucks GOP sentiment by double-dealing with Pelosi, he can write off Republican support for prospective legislation during his remaining two years.
And if you are fretting about what might happen when the new Congress takes office in January 2007, consider that these Democratic representatives are only just months off the campaign trail—where they got an earful about amnesty—but within a few months of embarking on their re-election tour where voters will be harshly assessing their progress in the illegal immigration wars.
Do you really think that these new Congressmen—many of whom will face their same 2006 opponents—are going to vote for amnesty? Can you think of any surer way to lose in 2008?
Pro-amnesty forces face a massive problem—at no juncture is there a consensus for their agenda.
Consider that the Polling Company in its surveys of more than a dozen battleground districts and states this fall in competitive races found that large majorities of Democrats and Independents, and even larger majorities of Republicans, agreed with immigration reduction positions on combating illegal immigration and on lowering population. [See the email from Numbersusa's Roy Beck here, and Numbersusa's election chart here.]
That's a huge hurdle for any sell-out politician to overcome.
Despite my optimism, we have as usual hurdles aplenty.
Two very bad immigration actors will soon assume positions of importance.
John Conyers (D-MI), likely House Judiciary Committee Chairman
Sheila Jackson Lee, (D-TX), probable Chairman of the House Immigration Subcommittee
Their respective career immigration grades, F and D-.
Conyers and Jackson Lee not withstanding, the Democrats have a rare opportunity. The 110th Congress will provide them a chance to prove to the nation that they are not the party of tax and spend crazies, loony leftist liberals or wild-eyed idealists.
The new Congress' directive from the voters is to govern from the center…not to support legislation for which there is no popular appeal.
The Democrats won't blow their chance.
Joe Guzzardi [ e-mail him] is the Editor of VDARE.COM Letters to the Editor. In addition, he is an English teacher at the Lodi Adult School and has been writing a weekly newspaper column since 1988. This column is exclusive to VDARE.COM.
