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TechnoratiEvidence of the unraveling of the coalition that Reagan built became manifest in the Congressional elections of 2006. Republicans, firmly in control of the White House and both houses of Congress, had spent money like drunken sailors. Under Mr. Bush, government began to occupy an ever expanding role. "No child left behind" provided a bigger platform than ever for the federal Department of Education. The prescription drug bill leveraged government spending so much that Democrats were envious that it was a Republican sponsored program. Big drug companies were huge beneficiaries of the boondoggle. The Patriot Act provided an unprecedented level of government intrusion into the lives of Americans. Mr. Bush sought to dismantle the civil justice system by reducing accountability for negligent and reckless conduct by business interests. Decrying affirmative action for racial groups as a legitimate policy goal on one hand, he, nevertheless, embraced affirmative action for corporate wrongdoers with the other. Meanwhile, Republican leaders became so entwined with business interests that their lifestyles (funded by lobbyists with the largesse of blue bloods) began to rival that of European royalty. And the party of family values and moral principle became stained by sexual scandal. As a result, members of the coalition deserted the Republican Party in droves in 2006.
In the aftermath of the election, misconduct in the Gonzalez Justice Department has given rise to the Republicans' own "Monica" whose behavior (while radically different in kind from that of Miss Lewinsky), was nevertheless so troubling that her lawyers had her invoke the Fifth Amendment until they struck a bargain granting her immunity from prosecution. Paul Wolfowitz has been defrocked as President of the World Bank because he gave preferential treatment to his girlfriend and Scooter Libby has been sentenced to prison for lying about his role in the outing of CIA Agent Valerie Plame.
Enter Immigration. After years of failing to secure our borders and casting a blind eye to the practices of businesses' hiring of illegal immigrants, the problem of illegal immigration has become a problem of gargantuan proportions—so much so that there are no solutions that are not painful. While there are obvious national security issues inherent in the problem, it is the social and economic dimensions that threaten to end the Reagan coalition. The Republican base sees the solutions being offered by Mr. Bush and the Republicans as the final "sell out" of the party to big money interests. Blue collar workers have felt the pinch caused by illegal immigration perhaps more than anyone else. Cheap labor provided by illegals has artificially suppressed wages and deprived American workers of jobs in the marketplace. Meanwhile, businesses that hire illegals have flourished as a result of low labor costs. Lax law enforcement against businesses which violate the immigration laws have convinced domestic workers that the government is on the side of business. Already bending under the strain of low wages, these workers resent the additional taxes they have to pay because of the additional demand illegal immigrants are placing on the infrastructure of their communities—schools, day care centers and hospitals. Continue »
