Hey! I'm finally blogging about immigration, shocking!

It is about time that these politicians got it:

Republican House members facing the toughest races this fall are overwhelmingly opposed to any deal that provides illegal immigrants a path to citizenship -- an election-year dynamic that significantly dims the prospects that President Bush will win the immigration compromise he is seeking, according to Republican lawmakers and leadership aides.

The opposition spreads across the geographical and ideological boundaries that often divide House Republicans, according to interviews with about half of the 40 or so lawmakers whom political handicappers consider most vulnerable to defeat this November. At-risk Republicans -- from moderates such as Christopher Shays in suburban Connecticut and Steve Chabot in Cincinnati to conservative J.D. Hayworth in Arizona -- said they are adamant that Congress not take any action that might be perceived as rewarding illegal behavior.

Shays, one of the few vulnerable House Republicans open to a broad compromise with the Senate, said strong protests from his constituents this month prompted him to speak out for the first time against citizenship for undocumented workers. "It would be a huge mistake to give people a path to citizenship that came here illegally," he said.

Yah, think? You guys finally getting it? It takes them facing the prospect of losing their seat to do anything. This is why their poll numbers are so low, they refuse to do what the people want until they are forced to.

And let us not forget you guys who are sending bricks, you're having an impact:

Several Republicans said they are getting more bricks in the mail -- as part of a new grass-roots campaign promoting a fence between the United States and Mexico -- than letters or calls supporting Bush and the Senate bill. Most said 80 to 90 percent of feedback coming from constituents last week was in opposition to Bush and the Senate on the citizenship question.

And thankfully Hastert wants to remain speaker:

Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) will not allow a vote on a House-Senate compromise that does not have the support of most GOP lawmakers or one that would undermine the reelection chances of his at-risk members, aides said. According to GOP lawmakers and strategists, about 75 percent of the 231 House Republicans are steadfastly opposed to the Senate bill or even a watered-down version of it.

But what about the polls that favor immigration reform:

Despite some national polls showing strong support for a comprehensive solution of the sort favored by Bush, nearly every GOP lawmaker interviewed for this article said the House plan to secure the borders and enforce existing immigration laws is unquestionably the safer political stand in his or her district. Many Democrats from vulnerable districts say the same thing, although the Democratic Caucus as a whole is more sympathetic to a Senate-style compromise.

Rep. Chris Chocola (R-Ind.) said he told White House officials, who keep citing polls showing wide support for the Bush approach, that "they must not be polling anyone in the 2nd District."

The House GOP lawmakers reject the argument made by the White House and Senate Republicans such as John McCain (Ariz.) that the best long-term political strategy is to craft a compromise that is appealing to many Latinos, the fastest-growing minority group in America. McCain, in an interview, cautioned his House colleagues to more closely examine "voting patterns" and understand the "detrimental" consequences of alienating Hispanics, who make up about 12.5 percent of the U.S. population.

They're noticing that people are angry and are not interested in the Senate plan. Poll or no poll their people are being vocal to the point that even a politician can get it.

This final part is encouraging:

Rep. John N. Hostettler (R-Ind.), a top Democratic target who represents a district so competitive it is known as the "bloody 8th," warned that if House Republicans do not oppose guest workers, temporary workers and anything "that looks like amnesty," they could very well lose the House.

"There are lot of people on Capitol Hill that have no clue what November is going to bring them on immigration," he said. "It could be something like a tidal wave that could benefit the Democrats simply because Republicans don't do the right thing. To survive through November, the folks up here [on Capitol Hill] are really going to have to understand the passion behind this.

Maybe they'll wake up and realize the country is opposed to allowing people to benefit from illegal activity when others who obey the law are penalized. I think that the Americans believe in fairness and with rewarding lawful behavior and punishing illegal behavior. The Republicans deserve to lose the House in the fall if they don't wake up and do what their constituents want them to do, pass a real reform bill that would dry up the money source (proof of citizenship for employment) and make it easier to get into the country legally. I believe that this is the only way to curtail illegal activity.

Read the rest of the article here.

BTW, this article was written in such an annoying fashion. I give opinions, so I do think and will say that the politicians are getting it because their butts are on the line but there are some who really want reform. The author of this article seems to think that all of the politicians are politically motivated. The ones who want reform because they are in tight races and the ones who don't want reform because they are in safe, white districts. Maybe that's true but how does the author know for sure. Why not just report the facts without assigning motives? Very slimy!