In what I would describe as a Very Important Post, Daffyd pleaded with the Republican Party to reject the "Tancredistas" and become the "party of pre-Americans" (emphasis in original):
… I conclude that the Republican Party cannot survive as "the native-born American party." We have no option but to reach out to all those immigrants and children of immigrants who come here because they love America and what she stands for. Instead of discouraging or even stopping immigration, we must encourage it — but only by the right people, those who come here anxious to assimilate, who already believe in American values, no matter where they were born. We need more, not less, immigration by folks who were already American in their hearts long before they immigrated here. I call such folks "pre-Americans." If we don't want to repeat the same mistake with the rising population of Hispanics that we made with blacks, the Republican Party must become the party of pre-Americans.
…
There is no need to compromise on the fundamental requirement of controlling our borders; but we must finally recognize that most illegal immigrants are not "criminals," not in the commonly understood sense of a convenience-store robber or a carjacker. Most are simply responding irrationally to an irrational and unjust immigration system. Correct the system — which we should do anyway for our own reasons — and we'll see a huge drop in illegal entries, as those pre-Americans who rationally should be admitted are allowed in legally.
But it is important to show sympathy and support for those "huddled masses yearning to breath free" who desperately desire to become real Americans — those that already have the distinctive American values and virtues. Instead of talking about a moratorium on immigration (which comes across as "There are too many of your sort here already"), we must say, in essence, "While it's important to enforce our territorial integrity, we understand that many folks see America as a 'shining city on a hill,' and we'll do everything in our party's power to open the gates to all those who are truly American at heart… no matter where they were born."
Then actually do it.
Read. The. Whole. Thing. Please!
