One of the most vexing and divisive issues facing the country is illegal immigration. The winds of demographic change have politicians tumbling, looking for a safe refuge.
Republicans, during the last election cycle, saw their political fortunes cast to the wilderness. One of the reasons is their stand on immigration. President Obama received 67 percent of the Hispanic vote (nothing really unusual here, President Clinton received 72 percent). However, the 72 percent Clinton received is smaller in number than Obama's 67 percent because of the increased number of Hispanics, the fastest growing demographic in the nation.
That's just one of the reasons Republicans will support, after a few tit-for-tats, Judge Sonia Sotomayor to sit on the Supreme Court.
Republicans want to return to power someday. More important than presidential appointments is how the business of dealing with illegal immigration is carried out by this administration. President Bush attempted to moderate his party's stance on the issue. He stuck his neck out there and had his head handed to him. Still, his administration put the onus on illegal workers with large-scale arrests. Those business concerns depending on illegal labor, besides loss of labor, were mostly left alone. That scenario has changed.
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