The way forward

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Charles Krauthammer @ The WaPo:

They lose and immediately the chorus begins. Republicans must change or die. A rump party of white America, it must adapt to evolving demographics or forever be the minority.

The only part of this that is even partially true regards Hispanics. They should be a natural Republican constituency: striving immigrant community, religious, Catholic, family-oriented and socially conservative (on abortion, for example).

The principal reason they go Democratic is the issue of illegal immigrants. In securing the Republican nomination, Mitt Romney made the strategic error of (unnecessarily) going to the right of Rick Perry. Romney could never successfully tack back.

For the party in general, however, the problem is hardly structural. It requires but a single policy change: Border fence plus amnesty. Yes, amnesty. Use the word. Shock and awe — full legal normalization (just short of citizenship) in return for full border enforcement.

I’ve always been of the “enforcement first” school, with the subsequent promise of legalization. I still think it’s the better policy. But many Hispanics fear that there will be nothing beyond enforcement. So, promise amnesty right up front. Secure the border with guaranteed legalization to follow on the day the four border-state governors affirm that illegal immigration has slowed to a trickle.

Imagine Marco Rubio advancing such a policy on the road to 2016. It would transform the landscape. He’d win the Hispanic vote. Yes, win it. A problem fixable with a single policy initiative is not structural. It is solvable.

The other part of the current lament is that the Republican Party consistently trails among blacks, young people and (unmarried) women. (Republicans are plus-7 among married women.) But this is not for reasons of culture, identity or even affinity. It is because these constituencies tend to be more politically liberal — and Republicans are the conservative party.

The country doesn’t need two liberal parties. Yes, Republicans need to weed out candidates who talk like morons about rape. But this doesn’t mean the country needs two pro-choice parties either. In fact, more women are pro-life than are pro-choice. The problem here for Republicans is not policy but delicacy — speaking about culturally sensitive and philosophically complex issues with reflection and prudence.

Additionally, warn the doomsayers, Republicans must change not just ethnically but ideologically. Back to the center. Moderation above all!

More nonsense. Tuesday’s exit polls showed that by an eight-point margin (51-43), Americans believe that government does too much. And Republicans are the party of smaller government. Moreover, onrushing economic exigencies — crushing debt, unsustainable entitlements — will make the argument for smaller government increasingly unassailable.

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The border is only part of the problem. The complete lack of interior enforcement including visa overstays is the real problem. I do not see anyway this issue will ever be addressed by whatever party in in the majority. There are deportations occurring but they amount to a flea on an elephants ass in relation to the vast number of people who have violated our sovereignty.

Obama has done more than any other president to enforce and strengthen the borders (look it up) than any other president—Republican or Democrat—while still offering a compassionate, humanized program to allow a path to citizenship for young adults who were brought here not of their own volition, by their parents, when they were young children, but over the years have become part of the fabric of America.

Keep in mind that Reagan—the hero of the right-wing—offered a program of amnesty.

It might be interesting for the Republicans in office to ”vote present,” like Obama always used to do.
That way the Democrats would OWN everything they claimed they wanted to do.
Raise taxes on anyone with two nickles to rub together?
Sure!
Raise and raise and raise the Debt Ceiling?
Why not!
Gut the military?
Hey! You’re in charge!
None of what the Democrats can do will save the solvency of this country.
And a militarily weak America will come back to bite Dems on their bottoms very quickly, like more dead Ambassadors, envoys, and killings of our people by our so-called ”friends,” will be par for the course.
Can the media cover it ALL up for 4 years?
Can they deflect the blame onto Republicans?
Or will they discover some new boogyman?