Immigration Reform 2013: GOP Divide Makes For Strange Bedfellows In Immigration Battle

Starting this week the Gang of Eight immigration reform bill will be debated before the Senate. Front and center in that debate will be possible Republican presidential candidate Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has become a lightning rod of controversy. Rubio has gone from conservative darling and the future of the party to drawing the ire of conservatives across the country all because of him becoming the face of immigration reform. The panic stemming from losing the 2012 presidential election combined with the ideological schism in the GOP has made the grounds very fertile for the progressive piece of legislation before the Senate.

According to a Kantar Media analysis, the proponents of the immigration reform bill have outspent their opposition more than 3-1. The schism within the GOP has produced some of the oddest political pairings of my lifetime. Americans for a Conservative Direction, a group in which former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is the highest profile member, is running this ad in support of the legislation. Crossroads GPS headed by Karl Rove is also running ads in favor of the reform. These groups have been joined by liberal stalwarts the AFL-CIO and the group spending almost $1,000,000 in favor of the law, the California Endowment.

The California Endowment is headed by Robert K. Ross, M.D., and the organization and Dr. Ross himself have done a great deal to support Obamacare, President Obama’s largest political achievement. Ross wrote this article focusing on the argument against Obama running up to 2012, and what he called, “anti-immigrant rhetoric.” He also described the campaign against Obamacare as being, “negative and unfair.” The California Endowment features a website devoted to the political perks of Obamacare for businesses, and has started the Healthy Immigrant Integration: California Immigrant Integration Initiative (CIII). The initiative focuses on, “increase pathways to citizenship, Affordable Care Act enrollment, and benefits for immigrant residents.” The AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union are also involved in promoting the legislation.

With the overreaction continuing following Mitt Romney’s defeat and his lack of appeal with minorities the GOP and the consultant class within the party have been doing a lot to openly pander to Hispanics. Naming Senator Rubio the presumptive Republican nominee on 2016, and openly changing their opinions regarding illegal immigration and border security. This “Chicken Little” mentality aggravates the schism between the new guard and the old guard of the Republican Party in the Senate. This divide has made the money for the sequel of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, come pouring in.

Karl Rove had been thoroughly embarrassed following his on-air meltdown on election night and needs to be on the ground floor to restore some legitimacy. The blood is in the water and the typical progressive groups can smell it. Amnesty is within their reach all they have to do is spend the money, and take advantage of the Republican meltdown.  They’re doing both.