http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20040116/5845189s.htmWhen President Bush announced his plan to permit illegal immigrants to work in the USA, he outraged conservatives from radio host Rush Limbaugh to Republicans in Congress. They questioned why Bush would advocate a policy that they say encourages unlawful entry into the country.
Viewed in isolation, the proposal does appear to run counter to the Republican Party's tough-on-crime philosophy. But when looked at in a broader context, Bush's plan fits a pattern: Since taking office, he repeatedly has championed big-business interests over other Republican causes. Indeed, business groups have pushed for an open-door immigration policy that increases the labor supply and keeps wages down.
Whether Bush's immigration plan goes anywhere is uncertain. But the proposal raises a more vital issue for the GOP. By defining itself through the big-business playbook that the White House is following, the party raises questions about its commitment to the populist values that catapulted Ronald Reagan into the White House in 1980 and sparked the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994.
In fact, such concerns already are being voiced by more than 90 Republican members of Congress. They plan to meet later this month to publicize their dismay over the rapid growth of government under the Bush administration. Their worries may not pose an immediate threat to Bush, who continues to enjoy broad support in polls. But if his narrow focus on pleasing Corporate America continues to collide with a broader party agenda, it could jeopardize the Republicans' ambitions to rule the nation long term as the majority party.
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