(12-04-2018 05:51 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(12-04-2018 05:47 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  

(12-04-2018 05:21 PM)illiniowl Wrote:  

(12-04-2018 01:43 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(12-03-2018 03:15 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  Interesting points IO, but I don’t think the cheap labor is nearly as beneficial to the Republican Party as the opportunity to demonize us is to the Democrats. even the people here think the Republicans are the party of racism and xenophobia.
In any case, wouldn’t legal guest workers fill the need for cheap labor?
Where this becomes unfeasible is not in the economics of it or the administration of it, but on the insistence of the DNC that it must lead to citizenship. No new voters = no Democratic support.

So here's what I don't get. Why don't republicans advance a guest worker bill and force democrats to vote against it?

Ask and ye shall receive? Lawmakers strike deal to double number of guest worker visas

But look, while this increase may pass because neither side is likely willing to shut down the government over it, the whole concept of guest workers is one that both liberal Democrats and Republican immigration hardliners can find common cause in opposing. First of all, to take the stereotypical view of both sides, to a Democrat a guest worker is just a wasted opportunity to otherwise bring in a new potential citizen/Democratic voter, and to a Republican a guest worker is just another scary brown foreigner. But even if not everybody in both parties fully takes the views ascribed to them by their critics, they can both take political cover on ECON 101 grounds: guest workers are artificial boosts in labor supply that by definition depress the wages of the natural labor supply, i.e., American workers. And that is something both the War on Poverty and the "America First!" folks could agree is a bad thing and ought not to be official government policy.

You mean, as to the bolded, according to how Democrats ascribe them continuously.

You forgot to also highlight how its Republicans that ascribe the idea that Dems only want more immigrants to increase voters.

Illini did a great job pooing on both sides there.

I guess the Democrats are just simply ignorant of items like this:

Immigration's Impact on Republican Political Prospects, 1980 to 2012

Amazing.

Altruistic 'huddled masses' mantra *and* more votes. What a two fer' !!! One they had no idea about.... imagine that....

edited to add: Molly Beth Malcolm seemed to agree with this, as did Gene Green --- both of whom I have heard state the thesis in very explicit terms. Just saying..... but please feel to dismiss these as 'anecdotes'.....