Without the surge of the Tea Party, a massive welcoming of illegal immigration would’ve passed the Democratic-controlled Congress in a lame duck session and would’ve been signed by President Obama.
Republican moderates are soft on illegal immigration but the conservative Republican believes in the rule of law.
Liberal blogger Mickey Kaus writes:
Season of the Witch! Roy Beck, CEO of the highly effective restrictionist immigration lobby Numbers USA, has posted a cold-eyed and revealing post-game analysis of his victory over the so-called DREAM Act Saturday morning.
The Tea Parties did it. Not only had they threatened establishment Republicans with primary opposition, but they had actually beaten one … two … three of them. Nothing like fresh heads on pikes to, er, reinforce a persuasive (to my mind) policy argument. Score one for losing Delaware Tea Partier Christine O’Donnell, who knocked off establishment pick Rep. Mike Castle (who voted for DREAM) in the GOP primary. Even score one for Alaskan Joe Miller. He probably alienated Republican Lisa Murkowski by beating her in the primary, and ultimately she won reelection anyway as a write-in. But that’s just one lost Senate vote. By my count, Miller’s primary coup may have helped gain around ten votes by terrifying GOP incumbents who might otherwise have been tempted by the prospect of a feel-good, bipartisan, MSM-approved pro-DREAM stand.
Democracy can be a wonderful thing …
P.S.: Have I mentioned that Slate‘s Dave Weigel was wrong, hideously and revealingly and embarrassingly wrong, when he predicted Dems would not use the lame duck to try to jam through controversial legislation? (“This just isn’t going to happen.”) He was wrong! So wrong … Politico’s Jonathan Martin was wrong too
