Republican Party Embraces The South's Knee-Jerk Racism

This was probably employed against your antecedents when they immigrated too

Last week the House passed Ted Yoho's Know Nothing bill, the Executive Amnesty Prevention Act of 2014 (H.R. 5759) 219-197. There were 17 Republican co-sponsors, proud racists and bigots like Lou Barletta (R-PA), Mo Brooks (R-AL), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Robert Pittinger (R-NC), Ann Wagner (R-MO), David Jolly (R-FL) John Kline (R-MN), the last two of whom are in swing districts a competent DCCC would have won last month.

Only 7 Republicans voted against the blatant racism of their party to oppose Yoho's ugly bigotry, most of them in swing districts with sizable Hispanic populations:

• Mike Coffman (R-CO)
• Jeff Denham (R-CA)
• Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL)
• Louie Gohmert (R-TX)- it didn't turn out as strident as he had hoped.
• Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
• Marlon Stutzman (R-IN)
• David Valadao (R-CA)

Bachmann didn't vote at all and three Republicans voted "present," Steve King (R-IA) and Paul Gosar (R-AZ), like Bachmann, who wanted an even harsher bill, and Raul Labrador (R-ID), who was conflicted and confused.) And three Blue Dogs crossed the aisle and voted with their racist brethren-- John Barrow (GA) and Mike McIntyre (NC,) who we have seen the last of come January, and Collin Peterson (MN), who will probably serve one more miserable term and finally retire.

Monday, La Opinión blasted it as A Vote For Hate.

The recent House of Representatives vote declaring president Obama's executive order on immigration unconstitutional was an empty political gesture that merely serves as an expression of discord, since it has no chance of achieving anything meaningful.

This gesture is a waste of time, but in the Latino community it has a very specific meaning. It shows the will of the Republican majority to expose to deportation and labor abuse millions of people protected by the White House.

For these legislators, the executive order is reprehensible not only because it comes from Barack Obama. Also because it helps the undocumented-- which for them are only worthy of punishment-- and it benefits millions, a chilling figure for those who ludicrously fear an invasion from the south.

A combination of political hatred towards the White House, ignorance about the economic input of immigrants, and fear, is what has motivated the vote.

These are the predominant feelings in the House GOP ranks, who are unable to shed their ideological blinkers and take a mature look to the immigration issue.

Those dynamics have prevailed for the past years. But now this is going to change. Republicans will control both houses of Congress, and will have the chance to produce reasonable measures for all Americans.

An example of this change is the desertion of Florida GOP congressmen Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Díaz-Balart, who believe that Obama's action is too limited and Congress should expand it. Likewise, some Republican California legislators also opposed the measure.

Unfortunately, what those Republicans have understood is not shared by their leadership. They know how Latinos feel and hope that their ranks will change; they trust their party.

Latinos, on the other hand, have no reason to believe that the hatred newly expressed by the U.S. House vote could be overcome. Deportation, family separation and immigrant suffering is the only consistent immigration policy of the Republican majority.

This has a lot to do with why the Democrats shouldn't even compete in most Southern districts but should start rebuilding a grassroots party based on populist and progressive principles instead.