David Hawkings thinks opposition to comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship is crumbling. He sites as evidence Rand Paul’s speech to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the recommendations contained in the the Republican National Committee’s autopsy of the 2012 elections, and the support expressed by the Evangelical Immigration Table, which includes many influential conservative Christian leaders. As Politico notes, Rand Paul’s openness to the idea stands in stark contrast to his earlier positions on immigration. He introduced a bill two years ago that would have revoked “birthright” citizenship, and he once recommended building an underground electric fence on the border.
After his speech, reporters filed stories about Sen. Paul’s about-face, and the senator became uncomfortable .
“The immigration debate has been trapped and it’s been polarized by two terms: path to citizenship and amnesty,” Rand told reporters on a conference call. “Everybody who doesn’t want anything to move forward calls every proposal that somebody else wants ‘pathway to citizenship’ or ‘you’re granting amnesty.’ Can’t we have reform and just not call it by some names that discourage the progress from going forward?”
In other words, Rand Paul was asking the press not to characterize him as supporting a “pathway to citizenship” because it makes his base angry. It seems like the influence of Frank Luntz is now near total. Lawmakers like Rand Paul think the base doesn’t respond to substance, but only to rhetoric. So, we can have immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship as long as we never mention the terms “amnesty” or “pathway to citizenship.”
Needless to say, the media shouldn’t take instructions from lawmakers about how to spin their positions on the issues. In the interest of getting something done, however, perhaps advocates of immigration reform would be wise to listen to what Rand Paul is saying. They could call Frank Luntz and ask him what synonyms for “amnesty” and “pathway to citizenship” would be acceptable to the morans.
