More Moore Means Less DACA Less Amnesty
Judge Roy Moore’s blowout victory rebukes the establishment GOP’s tacit support for a no-strings DACA amnesty  and it also refutes claims that GOP voters will quietly accept an immigration flip-flop by  President Donald Trump .
The 18-point win  amid a hurricane of spending for incumbent Sen. Luther Strange  comes as  Trump  considers a proposal by Democrats and business leaders  in which he would expand the 2012 DACA amnesty and flip-flop on his promise to build a border wall — but would only get an empty bag of “border security” promises.
Before the election  progressives argued that  Trump ’s supporters would meekly accept a huge amnesty if  Trump  flip-flopped. For example  MSNBC host Chris Hayes declared September 14:
There is predictable caterwauling from institutional white nationalist/populist outlets and figures like Coulter and Breitbart  but I think it’s very likely that the actual voters that make up his base would be absolutely fine with  Trump  cutting a deal on DACA … I think that with  Trump  leading the charge  that will bring along even some of the most ostensibly anti-immigration core of his voters.
Hayes’ claim is based on his view that  Trump ’s voters are powered by racial resentment  not by rational preferences about the impact of cheap-labor immigration on jobs  wages  and civic conflict. He wrote:
[The 2016 election] was never about the policies anyway  it was about who rules. Who has power. Whose voice is heard. If  Trump  is the one making the deals  then the deals are being made on the terms of  him  and  his  coalition and are therefore  by definition  not existential threats. But if/when Obama took those actions  they represented some kind of intolerable incursion  and further cementing of the power of  his  multi-racial coalition.
For what it's worth  I've seen/done enough polling that suggests most Republicans are A-OK w DACA esp if they're told  Trump  backs it. — Kristen S Anderson (@KSoltisAnderson) September 14  2017
Washington Post reporter Aaron Blake declared September 20  a week after  Trump  supposedly agreed to a no-strings DACA amnesty  that:
Jennifer Rubin  a Washington Post columnist and never-Trump advocate of greater immigration  predicted Moore’s win would be a loss for  Trump  — even though it is a win for  Trump ’s 2016 election-winning policy promises. She wrote:
A loss for Strange would be a stunning rebuke to the president and to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)  a sign that  Trump  has unleashed extreme  unhinged populist sentiments that not even  he  can contain … Having achieved no significant legislative victory and proving  himself  to be electorally impotent in Alabama   Trump  would surely be drained of whatever political sway over congressional Republicans  he  had.  They   in turn  will be even less likely to follow  his  lead and provide cover for  his  excesses. The result is likely to be more gridlock  more dysfunction and more political defeats.
After the result was announced   Trump  declared  his  support for Moore.
Judge Roy Moore’s blowout victory rebukes the establishment GOP’s tacit support for a no-strings DACA amnesty  and it also refutes claims that GOP voters will quietly accept an immigration flip-flop by [TGT] .
The 18-point win  amid a hurricane of spending for incumbent Sen. Luther Strange  comes as  [TGT]  considers a proposal by Democrats and business leaders  in which [TGT] would expand the 2012 DACA amnesty and flip-flop on [TGT] promise to build a border wall — but would only get an empty bag of “border security” promises.
Before the election  progressives argued that  [TGT] ’s supporters would meekly accept a huge amnesty if  [TGT]  flip-flopped. For example  MSNBC host Chris Hayes declared September 14:
There is predictable caterwauling from institutional white nationalist/populist outlets and figures like Coulter and Breitbart  but I think it’s very likely that the actual voters that make up his base would be absolutely fine with  [TGT]  cutting a deal on DACA … I think that with  Trump  leading the charge  that will bring along even some of the most ostensibly anti-immigration core of his voters.
Hayes’ claim is based on his view that  Trump ’s voters are powered by racial resentment  not by rational preferences about the impact of cheap-labor immigration on jobs  wages  and civic conflict. He wrote:
[The 2016 election] was never about the policies anyway  it was about who rules. Who has power. Whose voice is heard. If  Trump  is the one making the deals  then the deals are being made on the terms of  him  and  his  coalition and are therefore  by definition  not existential threats. But if/when Obama took those actions  they represented some kind of intolerable incursion  and further cementing of the power of  his  multi-racial coalition.
For what it's worth  I've seen/done enough polling that suggests most Republicans are A-OK w DACA esp if they're told  Trump  backs it. — Kristen S Anderson (@KSoltisAnderson) September 14  2017
Washington Post reporter Aaron Blake declared September 20  a week after  Trump  supposedly agreed to a no-strings DACA amnesty  that:
Jennifer Rubin  a Washington Post columnist and never-Trump advocate of greater immigration  predicted Moore’s win would be a loss for  Trump  — even though it is a win for  Trump ’s 2016 election-winning policy promises. She wrote:
A loss for Strange would be a stunning rebuke to the president and to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)  a sign that  Trump  has unleashed extreme  unhinged populist sentiments that not even  he  can contain … Having achieved no significant legislative victory and proving  himself  to be electorally impotent in Alabama   Trump  would surely be drained of whatever political sway over congressional Republicans  he  had.  They   in turn  will be even less likely to follow  his  lead and provide cover for  his  excesses. The result is likely to be more gridlock  more dysfunction and more political defeats.
After the result was announced   Trump  declared  his  support for Moore.