Even this won't soften Republican hearts.
The harsh anti-immigrant vote from House Republicans on Wednesday once again has some Republican strategists
tearing their hair. After all, attacking immigrants might play well with the Republican base, but eventually you have to win a general election. In a presidential year.
“Republicans already have a brand problem with Hispanics. This will only exacerbate the issue,” said Mark McKinnon, a GOP strategist who served as senior adviser on the presidential campaigns of President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). [...]
“The Republican strategy is all about undoing what the president has done, not doing anything proactively. The message the Latino community is receiving is one of pettiness — they’re just hearing that Republicans want to treat them all as illegals,” said Alfonso Aguilar, a former Bush administration official. “It’s not good policy, and politically, it sends a terrible message.”
Some Senate Republicans are also unthrilled with the House bill linking funding for the Department of Homeland Security with the deportation of undocumented immigrants, including Dreamers. Those senators may push for changes in the bill, creating bipartisan pressure in the Senate—and beyond, since President Obama has threatened a veto.
But House Republicans have already sent their message: Deportation is a higher Republican priority than Department of Homeland Security funding, even at the exact same time as these same Republicans try to make hay of the Paris terrorist attacks.