Some liberals don't find bigotry at the root of conservative Republican opposition to immigration reform, but many others do, and in that latter group, Daily Kos founder and publisher Markos Moulitsas is among the most persistent.
Kos was at it again in a post this past Wednesday, arguing that Tea Party GOPers in the House stand in the way of Republicans enhancing their appeal to politically important immigrant groups:
...[T]he GOP has a problem. It can't win national elections without getting some support from immigrant demographics—Asians and Latinos, the fastest growing in the country. Yet conservatives hate brown and different-looking people. They speak foreign languages and eat weird stuff and play strange music and vote Democratic. Those are all unforgivable sins.
The Senate passed a sensible immigration reform bill, but the GOP-controlled House is afraid to move forward. If House Speaker John Boehner allowed a free up-or-down vote, the Senate bill would pass. But then the House's xenophobic fringe would rise in open revolt. Boehner prizes his job too much...
For Republicans acting out of demographic desperation, it seems weird to say to Latinos, "We won't deport you, but fuck you you'll never be American". And when your principles include "Employment Verification and Workplace Enforcement" and "Implement Entry-Exit Visa Tracking System", you're being self-defeating, actually. But it's clear that conservative opposition to naturalizing is insurmountable...
Kos asserted that immigration reform awaits a Democratic House majority and added, "That's bad news for undocumented immigrants and their families. And it's also bad for the GOP. Some day, they'll finally figure that out."
