Tom Tancredo, (Republican--, of Colorado, I believe)-- the spirit behind the current push to punish all illegal immigrants in the US (who are primarily Hispanic) is the best thing to happen to the Democrats in a long time.

Like the Bushites used the abortion, the homosexual marriage, and the "patriotism" issues --(implying or declaring their opponents to be unpatriotic for insufficient enthusiasm for the Iraq war)-- as "wedge issues"--that is, one that splits the opposition--the Democrats, if they have any sense, can use his campaign against illegal immigrants to firmly place themselves on the right side of a moral issue--and push the idea that the opposition is on the wrong side.

Bush and several conservative spokesmen (including George Will and the Wall St Journal editorial page) have come out against Tancredo's crackpot ideas. But most of the visible spokesmen supporting Tancredo--including, it appears, a majority of the House, are Republican.

Not only are the ideas of Tancredo and his ilk morally reprehensible, in the long tradition of nativism in the US--from Know-Nothingism to the KKK, and more recently the unreasoning anti-Arab fear fed by Bush---but they are stupid economically. Illegal immigrants now do a whole array of jobs Americans would not want to do. Obviously the right approach is to set out a path to citizenship for illegals--as the Senate version of ghe bill on illegals envisioned, so they cannot be exploited by their employers, as is now happening.

On top of this, the punitive anti-illegal- immigrant ideas, including a 700-mile- long fence along the Mexican border, place their sponsors squarely on the wrong side of demographics. By far the fastest growing segment of the US population is the Hispanic. If these new citizens ( and any person born in the US, even to an illegal immigrant, is now a citizen by birth)--get the idea that Republicans are anti-Hispanic, that will condemn the Republicans to a minority status---for generations.

Supposedly there are some union members anxious that illegal immigration is threatening their jobs. But it's clear what the direction of a solution to illegal immigration has to go. And workers in general will benefit, as will the US, if illegals become legal.

Comments?