In another indication of the growing chasms among the US political Right Pat Buchanan publishes two articles on Human Events that are either supportive of the actions of President Obama, unsupportive of the actions of the Republican leadership, or both.
Lest we forget, everything else aside, the man recognizes inevitability when he sees it.
The two articles by Buchanan are titled Netanyahu’s Hollow Victory, and Immigrants Not Voting Republican.
In the first article, Buchanan implicitly states support for the hard stance Obama is taking with Israel:
With his declaration and refusal to walk back the decision to build 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem, which blew up the Biden mission, “Bibi” goes home a winner over Barack Obama.
But it is a temporary triumph and hollow victory — over Israel’s indispensable ally. For the clash revealed that the perceived vital interests of Israel now collide with vital U.S. interest in the Middle East.
We have clarity. There is now visible daylight between U.S. and Israeli policy for all the world to see. And America cannot back down without eviscerating her credibility in the Arab and Muslim world
After reporting on discussions among senior US military leadership and how Biden “tore into Bibi in private”, Buchanan lays out the only course available to the President:
“This is starting to get dangerous for us,” Biden reportedly told Netanyahu. “What you’re doing here undermines the security of our troops who are fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
Yedioth Ahronoth further reported: “The vice president told his Israeli hosts that since many people in the Muslim world perceived a connection between Israel’s actions and U.S. policy, any decision about construction that undermines Palestinian rights in East Jerusalem could have an impact on the personal safety of American troops.”
Biden was saying Israeli intransigence could cost American lives.
On the issue of immigration, while Buchanan essentially blames the GOP for “embracing open borders”, his real message is that the GOP cannot and will not get the votes of the immigrant population of America. His suggestion that Republican strategy should be to ensure that they never get the immigrant vote only validates the strength of the Democratic Party position among this growing demographic.
The Center for Immigration Studies reports that, since 1980, some 25.2 million immigrants have entered legally and been granted permanent status with “green cards” to work and become citizens.
“Immigration, Political Realignment and the Demise of Republican Political Prospects” is the title of the CIS report, which understates the crisis. Bottom line: The more immigrants in an electoral district, the more grim the GOP prospects.
Citing dramatic immigrant growth in California, New York and Illinois, Buchanan notes the decades-long decline in GOP success in these key states.
Richard Nixon and Reagan carried California seven times on presidential tickets. Both carried New York and Illinois in their greatest victories. Yet the GOP has not won one of those three pivotal states even once in the last five elections.
If California, New York and Illinois are moving out of reach for GOP presidential candidates and the party is being annihilated in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago, our three largest cities, what of red states Arizona, Texas and Florida?
They are going the same way.
Aside from making some wildly fallacious comments about the reasoning, Buchanan recognizes facts and trends when he sees them.
According to CIS, of recent immigrants who became citizens by 2008, by 55-30 they identified as Democrats. Among immigrants who have not yet become citizens, 70 percent identify as Democrats, 15 percent as Republicans. The sooner Democrats get them naturalized, registered and voting, the sooner the bell tolls for the Grand Old Party.
Just as Mr. Buchanan’s ancestors – and most of my own as well – followed a path through immigration to citizenship, many of these legal immigrants will do so as well and statistically most of them will be Democrats.
What does Mr. Buchanan suggest the GOP do to fight this continual slide?
First, an offensive against the administration for laxity in enforcing our immigration laws against businesses that hire illegals. Each time a business is forced to let illegal workers go, the jobs go to some of our 25 million unemployed and underemployed.
Second, a Put-Americans-First moratorium on legal immigration until U.S. unemployment falls below 6 percent.
And what is Republican Lindsay Graham up to? Collaborating with Sen. Chuck Schumer on a path to citizenship for illegal aliens.
Pat suggests that the GOP take a stand against immigrants once and for all, impose a “If you are from here you can go f*@& yourself” law and let them all go to hell. This sounds like it will resonate with the Tea Party wing of the GOP, and being published by Newsmax you can be sure it will reach them.
The fact that Pat disagrees with the actions of the GOP political leadership is a good indication of the coming further divide there. Anyone with policy responsibility who tries to do anything on immigration that might be in the interest of the nation is going to run smack into Buchanan and the Tea Partiers. He may be right about what it takes to win the base, but that doesn’t lead to actually winning elections.
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