The Republican Party, led by xenophobic demagogues, has no room for those committed to a rational, humane approach. Rudy Giuliani — hardly one to shy from tough, civil-liberty-defying crackdowns — was pilloried during the 2008 presidential race for having forbidden his police officers to inquire about legal status.
Democrats in Washington should not be let off the hook, either. They have been unwilling to pass sensible, serious immigration reform, or to engage in public debate to counter the willful, often racist disinformation from the right.
No doubt, Democrats will continue to win the Hispanic vote regardless, thanks to the noxiousness of the GOP. But merely being the not-hateful party should not be sufficient.
Meanwhile . . .
Republicans vote to keep America vulnerable to another economic disaster by opposing not just Wall Street reform, but the very idea of even debating it. The “party of no” strikes again. Yet the GOP’s power is expected to grow in November’s elections. Go figure.
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