It seems one of the states with one of the largest immigration problems backs Bush when it comes to immigration reform:

Despite their ideological differences, most Texans believe the country’s immigration system is in disarray and favor the proposed overhaul being debated in Washington, according to results of a new poll released Tuesday.

A consortium of trade and business associations, Texas Employers for Immigration Reform, ordered up the survey, believed to be the first statewide gauge of opinion on the Senate immigration bill.

…

As with earlier national polls, nearly six in 10 respondents in the Texas poll support the proposal. Some of its provisions varying support based somewhat on respondents’ political party affiliation, but a majority of respondents who identified themselves as Republicans, Democrats and Independents said the bill provides the right tools to fix the immigration problem.

Now isn’t that interesting. The people most immersed in the problem of illegal immigration support the bill by 2-1 (again – seems that is the water mark). So what political party would go against the popular wishes of the people most impacted by the problem (and who will yell loud and long if the problem is left to fester)? The GOP is that kind of party it seems. Or at least the amnesty hypochondriac wing of it. I mean the far right is insulting, day in and day out, the native son of Texas over an issue they agree with him on! Does anyone in the GOP think Texas will be a cake walk for the GOP after four years of bashing the Texas-born President? Want to know something else? Texas is not the only state to see things this way.

A poll in San Diego County, CA shows a similar level of support for the “shamnesty” elements of the bill (you know, angry words like that only work if people do not feel they are being personally targeted by the words – they were meant for someone else – otherwise they backfire).

The survey, conducted by Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin and Associates, a polling firm in Santa Monica, found that 61 percent of the voters approved of granting legal status to undocumented immigrants who pay fines and taxes, prove good moral character and learn English. Seventy percent favored a guest worker plan; 75 percent favored granting legal status to law-abiding youths brought here illegally as children. Forty-four percent approved of a wall along the entire border.

This tracks with other recent California polls showing the GOP is digging a hole with voters:

When asked their views on a number of proposals being debated among Congressional leaders and the White House, large majorities support creating programs to legalize the status of illegal immigrants who have resided here for a number of years (83%), and establishing temporary worker programs to allow immigrants to work here in the future (67%).

Large majorities also back policies aimed at reducing the flow of immigrants into the country, such as increasing the number of federal agents patrolling the border (71%) and stiffening penalties on those who hire illegal immigrants (63%).

What party would go against the citizens of the two largest electorial states on a very high profile, emotional issue and even pretend they could survive a Presidential election? Well what about a party that goes against the citizens of the TOP THREE electorial states? Anyone want to guess what Floridians feel about this subject?

Their views reflect the results of recent polls conducted nationwide and statewide. A poll of 801 likely Florida voters conducted for The Miami Herald and other Florida media outlets two weeks ago showed that 60 percent of those surveyed endorsed legalization for undocumented immigrants.

It is telling that the three largest states are border states with very large and growing immigrant populations. These states suffer the most strain from the underground illegal immigrants. And yet all three of these states support the ‘amnesty’ portion of the bill (amnesty doesn’t apply to the wall, the border or the temporary worker program – it refers only to the 12 million illegals here now). And all those hypochondriac hot heads who call those supporting the bill ‘socialists’ and ‘traitors’ are insulting 60 percent or more of the voters in these key states. Anyone who cannot see what these hotheads have done to the GOP’s 08 prospects is simply blind to human nature. Red hot anger, especially repeated after warnings to cool down, does not result in support.

It results in being marginalized and ignored – forever. That is how people react to the kind of rhetoric spilling out from the far right now. Here is one comment I just got on this site which is aimed at the people of CA, TX and FL who support the bill:

Once the amnesty is granted by Jorges signature, everything else can be totally disregarded and they still will have gotten everything they wanted. Because after that, there is no enforcing anything else. The proponents of this bill are not stupid, they know it is a big lie, but the fact is that they believe there should be no separations between countries and differences in citizenship. They spent to much time in their life listening to ‘Imagine’ and smoking pot and they really believe it can happen if we just all go along. These people are the worst kind of assholes on the face of the planet. They are the cowards, the appeasers, that ones that always think there is another way out of conflict instead of fighting and don’t realize that sometimes you just don’t have a choice. They think that us dumb racists rubes aren’t smart enough to see through the fact that they are giving away American citizenship rights to anybody who can drag their ass over the border. They are the kind of people who consitently kiss the ass of evil to avoid punching it in the nose. THEY ARE COWARDS OF THE WORST ORDER! They don’t have the guts to stand for anything because they have not been taught what a precious gift being an American is. This is where all of the vitriol and emotion comes into this argument. How dare you arrrogant lying assholes consistantly lie to our faces!

This is not uncommon. I can go to any large conservative blog at any time of the day and find similar comments. This is not reaching out. This is not building coalitions. This is not governance. This is hate and anger. It solves nothing. But this is what the people of the three largest states in America see as the core of the GOP. Because it is the core. Not all of it (not by a long shot). But it is the darkside of the GOP and it represents at least half the people and most of the well known talking heads and bloggers and their supportes. This is what they attract and this is what they say, and this is how they envision America.

I am a Bush-Reagan Conservative. I am not a GOP Conservative. There is no more common ground between us – so say the GOP conservatives.