Perry’s Demise: Rational Immigration Policy

With a single phrase implying his opponents are heartless, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas plumbed a profound divide between his views on illegal immigration and those of many grass-roots conservatives, who up to now have been the core of his support for the Republican nomination.

Mr. Perry summoned the phrase in a debate on Thursday night to justify a Texas law that lets some children of illegal immigrants pay in-state tuition at public colleges. If you oppose it, he said, “I don’t think you have a heart.”

His remarks were instantly seized upon by rivals, none more so than Mitt Romney, who vetoed a similar bill as Massachusetts governor.

“I think if you’re opposed to illegal immigration, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have a heart,” he said Friday to a group of conservative activists. “It means that you have a heart and a brain.”

By not demonizing the Hispanic voter, Perry breaks from the GOP orthodoxy. They booed him for it.

Also, keep in mind, six years ago, Romney endorsed an immigration reform policy conservatives now consider “amnesty,” only to abandon that position after one of his many metamorphoses.