Insani-TEA Strikes Again.

It's the end of the month. It's the final week before Congress goes to August recess. And the House still hasn't passed comprehensive immigration reform (CIR).

This is a problem. Even some top Republicans now recognize this. And they're trying to pressure the House into passing CIR.

The effort was organized by Carlos Gutierrez, who was secretary of commerce under President George W. Bush and was a founder of a “super PAC,” Republicans for Immigration Reform. The letter is the beginning of a campaign to lobby Republican lawmakers in favor of a broad immigration bill as they return to their districts for the August break.

“What tends to happen during the month of August is that members go home and they go to town hall meetings and they check up on their offices in terms of phone calls and letters, and that’s where they get bombarded,” Mr. Gutierrez said in a phone interview. “So Republicans who are for immigration reform — and I believe there are many — we need to make our voice known in August.”

A cross-section of Republican donors and fund-raisers signed the letter. They include Karl Rove, a deputy chief of staff in Mr. Bush’s White House; former Vice President Dan Quayle; Tom Stemberg, a founder of Staples; and Frank VanderSloot, the founder of Melaleuca Inc.

They're clearly feeling compelled to do something. Especially now that Rep. Steve King (R-Crazytown) is whipping the 21st Century Know Nothings into a frenzy while Groundswell tries to quell any remaining momentum for reform on Capitol Hill, they will have to do something to stop the House from destroying S 744 (and whatever tiny chance Congress has left to pass CIR this year) once and for all. It certainly doesn't help them that a slew of local and national Republicans have been lining up behind King.

And it doesn't stop there. Early last month, almost all House Republicans lined up to support King's amendment to deport DREAMers. Both Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Carson City) and Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) voted for King’s amendment. Both had expressed willingness to support CIR early this year, but Heck now seems content with letting his fellow House Republicans kill CIR this year.

So the Senate passed S 744 on a strong bipartisan vote, and people who were once considered "Republican leaders" are now demanding that the House do the same. And yet, the House is about to go to recess without passing any kind of CIR. After all, "pure" insani-TEA matters more (to them) than economic stimulus, smart politics, and/or even basic common sense.