President Ronald Reagan and Amnesty

By Douglas V. Gibbs

When the topic of amnesty emerges, the liberal leftist will always be quick to argue that Ronald Reagan approved amnesty.  They know that Reagan is the hero of most conservatives, so to use the Gipper to argue their point is like mana from heaven.  Besides, the average conservative, or a faulty facsimile of one, usually can't argue back.  "Yeah," the republican voter will say, "one of the few things I disagreed with Reagan about."

In truth, Reagan did approve amnesty.  He was against amnesty, to be honest.  He signed the amnesty bill not because he wanted amnesty, but because he thought he was working a deal as was once common in politics.  You give me something, I give you something, and it gives the illusion we both made a little progress.

Reagan signed the amnesty bill with reassurance from the Democrats that the border would be secure.  He was also assured it would be the only time amnesty would be granted.  He was against amnesty and only did it expecting something back.  The Democrats, of course, did not live up to their end of the bargain.  They never do.

That is the lesson now.  But now, the stakes are higher.  If the GOP gives in to the demands for amnesty by the democrats, and approves an amnesty bill, hoping the democrats will give them some crumbs in return, it will most likely be the end of the Republican Party.  Between the onslaught of undocumented democrats suddenly legal, and ready to vote, and the anger of the right-of-center base against the Republicans for their foolish decision, the Republican Party would not go the way of the Whigs, where there was a split, and a new party emerged, but would go the way of the Federalists, where people just abandoned the party, they were unable to win any elections, and they simply faded into the dustbins of forgotten history.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary