The politically homeless Republicans

The immigration bill exposes the GOP as a cynical party unwilling to govern

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Last night, a bipartisan group of Senators announced they have reached a deal that would reform our immigration system while providing funding for Ukraine and Israel. The legislation comes in response to House Republicans who insisted that any aid to Ukraine come with restrictions to immigration. After months of negotiations, the Senate delivered. GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, reacted favorably saying, “The challenges we face will not resolve themselves, nor will our adversaries wait for America to muster the resolve to meet them. The Senate must carefully consider the opportunity in front of us and prepare to act.”

However, the House Republicans are now moving the goal posts. They are falling in line behind Donald Trump who is afraid the deal will reduce problems at the border that he wants to use as a campaign wedge issue. Republicans have said out loud that they are not going to give Biden a win on the issue. In other words, they are a party driven by the politics of cynicism, not principle. If they can’t score political points, they aren’t passing anything, regardless of whether or not it’s good for the country.

Republicans have had a remarkable streak of politicizing the border. They have killed significant legislation twice over the last 20 years while blaming Democrats for any crisis that occurs. Donald Trump got elected promising to build a wall and then failed to complete it despite four years in office and a GOP controlled Congress. They did nothing to reform our immigration system and will likely kill the current legislation because addressing the immigration system takes a potent wedge issue off the table.

Democrats need to call the GOP’s bluff. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says he’s putting the bill up for an initial vote on Wednesday. If Republicans tank it, Democrats need to turn the tables on the immigration issue and use it as a hammer against Republicans who don’t want government to function. They should run ads in every swing state blaming Republicans for exacerbating the immigration crisis with their obstructionism.

Democrats should also start reaching across the aisle to invite Republicans to join the party. During an intra-party argument over immigration reform last week, Thom Tillis angrily declared, “I didn’t come here to have the president as a boss or a candidate as a boss. I came here to pass good, solid policy. It is immoral for me to think you looked the other way because you think this is the linchpin for President Trump to win.” Tillis is finally recognizing the moral and functional failings of his party.

Last summer, the North Carolina Republican Party voted to censure Tillis, essentially, for his willingness to compromise. They punished him for trying to make his party govern. By modern GOP standards, Tillis has become a RINO.

In 2020, he held off a primary from his right, but the GOP has changed since January 6. The party appears set to nominate Mark Robinson, the most extreme candidate running for governor, despite Tillis’s endorsement of attorney Bill Graham. In 2026, Tillis can be almost assured of a challenge from his right. The legislature has been taken over by radical Republicans, some of whom certainly have their sights on higher office. Robinson becoming the nominee, defeating Graham and State Treasurer Dale Folwell, would not bode well for Tillis’s chances in a future primary.

The immigration bill is a defining moment for the GOP. They’ve been demanding action on the border for years. They insisted that aid to Ukraine is dependent on border security. They got what they wanted and now they are poised to kill it. Elected officials like Thom Tillis need to recognize that the GOP has become a non-governing party, viewing compromise as a weakness and preferring to kill legislation rather than make incremental progress on their goals.

Tillis has clearly signaled that he’s willing to compromise and work to get legislation passed for the good of the country. While a small cadre of GOP Senators may share his world view, the GOP base does not. Thom Tillis is politically homeless, whether he realizes it now or not. If he wants to get things done, he needs consider switching parties. The one he’s in doesn’t want him anymore.