As much as you would like to believe you control the GOP, you are wrong. The moneycons have always run and will always run your party, and in any conflict between the two of you, you will always lose.
Exhibit A: John McCain is now telling business leaders that he supports comprehensive immigration reform. I actually agree with the right wing's response to this flip-flop: it is pretty craven. I disagree about the underlying policy issue, though. Immigration is good for the economy: more immigrants = more consumers = a better economy, which may be why the West (and especially the Southwest) is booming economically.
This is neither here nor there. The moneycons want lax immigration, most other Republicans don't. As Jon Chait noted in The Big Con--extensively--Republican politicians are most afraid of running afoul of the Norquist/business wing of the party, and it's not hard to see why: they're the ones with the money! There's no Obama money machine equivalent on the GOP's side--well, maybe Ron Paul, but he's not going to win. McCain, in particular, is hard up for cash. So he dumps this with the rest of the trash on Friday, but I hope the media doesn't let him get away with it. I hope that Obama doesn't, either.
