Condi Rice, an Amnesty Advocate After All These Years, Offers Bad Advice to Her Republican Colleagues

On her recent trip to Sacramento, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sat down with Bee reporter David Siders to talk politics. Rice told Siders that regardless of the nominee, she would wholeheartedly support the Republican candidate.

When Siders asked what advice Rice would offer to Republicans to become “more relevant,” she made some comments that are mind-numbingly stupid. In a nutshell, Rice encouraged Republicans to engage in “broader outreach” to the Hispanic community and, specifically, to push for “comprehensive immigration reform.”

Rice, a frequent visitor to Mexico, is a long time supporter of CIR and was one President Bush’s many mouthpieces for such legislation.

Here are a few excerpts from Rice’s interview.

1. “I’m very much on record as being one who believes that comprehensive immigration reform is a necessity, that some of the harsher things that are said about immigration are both shortsighted and ultimately, in the long term, will undo one of the great strengths of the United States. So I would start with better policies on immigration.”
2. “I think that there has to be broader outreach to minorities, and I think there particularly has to be broader outreach to the Hispanic community.”
3. “I’m probably favorably disposed to many of the elements that the Dream Act tried to bring into play. It’s just that I more believe that we need comprehensive reform, and I think when we try to do it piecemeal, it just gets very hard.” [A Conversation with Condolleeza Rice, by David Siders, Sacramento Bee, January 9, 2012]

If you didn’t know who was speaking, your first three guesses might be President Obama, Senator Harry Reid or newly appointed White House Director of Domestic Policy Council Cecilia Munoz. [Obama Taps Cecilia Munoz to Head Domestic Policy Council, by Peter Nicholas, Chicago Tribune, January 10, 2012]

Recommending that the GOP pursues “broader outreach to the Hispanic community” is idiotic for the simple reason that Republicans can never out-pander Democrats on immigration.  If Republicans could ever to get further left on immigration than the Democrats, they would lose votes from their base and thus the election.

Look at it this way. What future Republican California gubernatorial candidate could be more to the left of Governor Jerry Brown, Dream Act champion, without looking foolish within his party? How could any of the presidential candidates outdo President Obama, the back door amnesty, prosecutorial discretion’s knight in shining armor?

Americans want immigration laws enforced and illegal immigration ended. Trying to appeal to one ethnic group or another in a quest for votes is, as Rice should have learned firsthand during her years, an offensive and often unsuccessful strategy. Despite eight years of trying, Bush couldn’t push his amnesty through.

Rice’s remarks don’t surprise me. They’re consistent with a mindset that’s   determined to play ethnic identity politics.