"What Is The Real Beef With The Immigration Bill?"

So asks Oliver Willis about the Republican base:

As I've noted before, I don't have a really strong position on immigration reform. As the child of immigrants who came here the legit way, I'm troubled by giving a pass of any sort to people who "cut" in line, but I also know it's kind of dumb to think we're going to deport all of those people.

I do think its interesting that so much of the Republican elite really doesn't care what their grassroots think and instead are more interested in giving big industries the cheap labor they want. It's another version of their abortion and gay marriage strategies where they talk a good game up until election day then forget it all after that.

But why does the Republican base act with so much revulsion at any sort of immigration deal short of closing America?

a) They don't like hispanics
b) They don't like all immigrants
c) They're afraid increased immigration means more Democratic voters?

It's "a." From the archives, here's why:

There are some serious economic concerns about immigration. But let's not kid ourselves: most of the anger stems from anti-Latino hatred. This weekend's march for immigrants in LA makes that painfully apparent. Pam at Pandagon does a heroic dive into the shallow end of the gene pool that is the Free Republic commentariat. I went to the site and found some very nice things said about Latinos (Pam has the link; sites with hate-filled bigots should have as few links as possible):

• Encircle the rally. Move the herd back to Mexico.
• One thing about being packed in like that in a crowd, ya never know what kind of communicable diseases you are exposing yourself too.
• It's officially an invasion now. They're getting snippy.

  If Americans can't see that we are being invaded, they're either blind or don't care anymore.

• They weren't rallying for immigrant rights. They were rallying in favor of anarchy.
• Today we walked out of a restaurant after a non-speaking illegal came to our table before we did we all told the manager we will NOT be back till all illegals are GONE out of this restaurant!

  We called our lawn service and told them they better not dare send any illegals to work on our lawn.

  We called a foundation company and told them we better not see any illegals working on our foundation or they are so out of here.

  Americans need to take a stand and if you go to a hotel and you see a non english speaking person cleaning your room callthe manager and front desk and have them remove the person immediately.

  Take a stand, boycott all mexican destinations like cozymel.

  If our politicians wont help lets show them where they can work in another country since they decided to insult every American today by waving their flag.

• Sexual deviants would love for us to become part of Mexico. That way they can watch donkey sex shows and sleep with 12 year old prostitutes.
• ..I think you can declare it official--California is lost...
• Initial reports I read said 100,000.

  I don't know what the right number is, but that picture is downright scary!

• Invasion? Yup. We gonna do anything about it? Nope.
• Right there is the cure for the housing crunch

  and cover-crowded schools...

  send'm back across the border.

• you better believe that. Our problem is that we sit silently and expect our government to do right by the ones who pay our taxes and follow the rules. Meanwhile, this trash bangs a bunch of pots and pans and all of a sudden you have Hillary the bitch Clinton saying that the measures in Congress are anti-whatever. I think until we as American citizens flex our muscles in a serious way, we're doomed to be on the short end of the stick.
• I am here in LA waiting for a race riot... Scares the living hell out of me... I am appalled at seeing the sea of Mexican flags... They are very bold and emboldened by their current status... almost entitled... we must stop this and make them respect our country and this must be rammed down the throats of all of the politicians in this country or there will be another civil war...
• Aliens, waiving the Flag of their country, "demanding to be heard!" Demanding their "Rights!" Wait till 'Glorious Leader' arises among those people and 'demands' a greater share of the wealth. Closer ever closer comes the Social War. The so called leadership of this country is bankrupt.
• LINE UP THE BOXCARS.
• With all those Mexican flags flying over California today, I'd say the battle is lost.

  Agreed. We're thinking about relocating to West Virginia and hiding in the mountains. So far, there doesn't seem to be too many illegals there, from the websites I've seen. Anybody know any different?

• Our Country is crawling with them. Our Mountains here in NC fly so many mexican flags we look like mexico. I got a neighbor 2 doors down who has frikkin roosters in his yard. Disgusting.
• I am here in LA waiting for a race riot... Scares the living hell out of me... Keep your weapons handy. You may need them. This has all the trappings of 1992 all over again.
• The late great State of California ... drowned in a sea of brown.
• Go the website of the Communist party - USA. They are the biggest boosters of illegal immigration.

  Locally it's the (CC) Chamber of Commerce acting as liaision between businesses expressing a desire to subvert the law and the citizen's desire (dare I say "right"?) to have our laws enforced.

  Most recently, we have CP organizers as well, and I'd best leave that crew for another post.

• Homeless can even register to vote. All they need to do is identify their street corner/location.

  This is NOT an exaggeration--I was amazed when I viewed the official form. [Mad Biologist: Ah, yes. The property requirement for voting...]

• "I'd just like to say thanks to the illegal alien appologists on this forum. Thanks a whole helll of a lot for helping to make it an iffy situation whether our nation will remain unified." I agree. I wonder what will happen to this country since I see so many people on a CONSERVATIVE site divided on this issue. If they aren't convinced that this is just the beginning of the end of American life as we used to know it and needs to be stopped ASAP, I don't hold out hope for the liberal nuts out there either.

After reading through 200 comments, I found eleven that were not bigoted. What I have shown you is a fair sampling of the comments. I posted this vomitous bile to illustrate just how much the Republican Party, despite its protestations to the contrary, relies on unadulterated hatred for political victory. Keep in mind that the Free Republic website receives ~100,000 hits per day-this is not some pissant website with ten hits per day.

We can have serious discussions and disagreements on the best immigration policies, but not with hatemongers like these.