GOP Controlled Senate goes on Vacation with No Clear Plans to Revisit Immigration

GOP Hard Corps Left Holding the Bag Again

"Some people call you the 'elites'. I call you my base."

Maybe it was the heapin' helpin' of hospitality in George W. Bush's remark to his wealthiest supporters in October of 2000 that allowed them to overlook that slight.

But more than 5 years later these shock troops that can always be rallied to the GOP cause of virtually any "hot button" distraction must be questioning what their blind support is getting them.

It's been a long time between paychecks for a group that can always be counted on to show up for work on-time.

This core-constituency of foot soldiers has made the difference for nearly every Republican elected since 1980. Every year they have been radicalized more by the GOP until they began to exhibit the qualities of a hard crystal of right-wing radicalism.

A generation of dominance by the most craven members of the Republican Party has banished any trace of moderation or tolerance from their opinions and their heartfelt belief is that their way of life, even their very lives, are under siege by incomprehensible enemies from within and without the US.

The abject failure in the trenches of the latest confection-controversy, The War on Undocumented Workers, won’t affect the attitude of the shock troops. So insular are their beliefs that they have already found biblical reference to support their service.

Only the realization that the legislature they have put into office has continually turned its back on instituting the radical reforms for which they have marched could possibly break their morale. The intense isolation of these millions from the majority of voters, however, will make this a difficult conversion. Major television outlets already conspire with talk radio to give this group the feeling that their efforts have led to a measure of success and the issue is resolved, for now, thanks to them.

25 years of devotion have bought them lots of lip service to prayer in school, flag burning, school vouchers, ownership of weapons, affirmative action, abortion and contraception, teen sex, stem cell research, but little else. The question now is how little they will continue to accept for their fealty.

The insular characteristics of the group could keep them from noticing the short-change. The affinity they feel for their leader could be compensation enough.

The national percentage of support for Bush may be in the 30's but they are with him 100%. They recognize in their leader the qualities they love in themselves: a lack of curiosity, a suspicion of higher education, the belief that Jesus Christ speaks to them and has chosen them for a mission, and the needlessness of any doubt as to the righteousness of US military actions abroad.

That the President delegates such "meaningless" tasks as foreign diplomacy to African-Americans only reinforces their confidence that Bush shares their vision of what eventual victory will look like.

Without ever having to hear him speak it, they are convinced that Bush holds true to their darkest certainties. More mainstream, suburban Republicans are uncomfortable with overt racism and the suppression of the shock troops' native hatred of non-whites has been of paramount importance to keeping the conservative coalition together. That is no matter to the faithful. They know that George W. Bush is one of their own. That he cannot speak it publicly in a world so controlled by the enemies of American virtue makes the President even more endearing, more a part of their underdog's fight.

The opposition turn-out to support the unfairly tarred Latino community was so enormous on the immigration issue that it is difficult to discern if any part of it was due to fatigue among the GOP trenches.

What is certain is that this issue was supposed to last many more news cycles than it did. With still seven more months until the mid-terms the Republicans will be forced to find yet another hide to nail to the barn. The herd’s reaction then will be much easier to gauge.