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Editorial: Vain zealotry

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Little wonder that the intractable problem of immigration exposed the fault lines among a fractured US House Republican caucus. A bill sponsored by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, that would essentially shut down the asylum process and lock out refugees is finding stiff opposition among his caucus peers.

“We can’t allow the Republican Party to be hijacked,” said Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, according to The Washington Post. Gonzales represents the longest stretch along the border with Mexico. “Trying to ban legitimate asylum claims — one, it’s not Christian, and two, to me, it’s very anti-American. So a lot is at stake.”

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed to fast-track the immigration bill in his bid to win the gavel from right-wing dissidents. Then, moderates called the Main Street Caucus, led by Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., secured a commitment from McCarthy on Friday to send the bill back to the Homeland Security Committee where the language could be toned down. In any event, the bill has no future in a Democratic-controlled Senate. Rest assured that nothing much will get done about immigration, again, before the 2024 election.

The House can’t accomplish much of anything when the right wing has a firm grip on the speaker’s throat. That will not be a good look heading into the next election. The party had hoped to consolidate its gains among Latino voters but led by shooting itself in the foot because the zealots control the message. This is the long, slow slog of the GOP coming back to its senses as a governing party.

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