Fred Barnes is a Moron

In a recent piece in the Weekly Standard, Fred Barnes said (on page 2):

So, if all goes well, the Republican party is on the way to claiming a majority of Hispanics, the fastest growing voting bloc in the country. A paleocon-inspired immigration bill would jeopardize this.

Not surprisingly, he repeats the absurd (and debunked) claim that Bush won 44 per cent of the Hispanic vote in 2004 (see here, here, here, and here).

Fred Barnes' (and other conservatives') belief that the Hispanics will become Republicans Real Soon Now^TM and will help re-conservatize our country is either the greatest mendacity or the greatest stupidity our country has seen since the War in Iraq.

It is becoming very clear that the neocons can no longer win in the actual battle of ideas, and so are forced to take a page from the liberals and attack the paleocons as standing in the way of progress. Essentially, the entire article by Fred Barnes, not just the [part dealing with immigration, could be interpreted as a gullible moron chiding his friends for their shortsightedness in not supporting his latest series of get-rich-quick schemes. And there is also the obligatory call to "get with the program:"

Jump to the November election. What Republicans need more than anything else is unity. They have it when Bush's poll numbers are up.

They don't when his approval rating tumbles--and it drops all the more when Republicans are criticizing him. With their issues unusually prominent this year, paleocons are likely to be critical. And the mainstream media likes nothing more than to play up conservatives who attack other conservatives.

In other words, shut up and ditch those pesky principles - we have an election to win!

Thanx and a tip o' the hat to Daniel Larison for bringing this article to my attention.

That is all.