Normally, I wouldn't post on a topic that has already been posted on... but the first post on this poll so misrepresented the reality of this Rasmussen Poll that it bears regurgitating, espeically in light of the (what I perceive to be) majorty view when it comes to the Immigration debate among commenters on this site. Rasmussen did a poll that shows stronger support for a Senate/Bush version of an immigration bill than I would have thought. We start off with this:

Thirty-nine percent (39%) of Americans agree with President Bush's approach on the immigration issue. An equal number disagree, while 22% are not sure.

At first, you might think that 39% is a bad number. But you have to realize this question is tying Bush direction into the question. So what you have to do is compare a poll on Bush himself, which most polls show roughly 35% positive and going on 60% negative. So what this first question tells us is that more people like Bush's proposal on Immigration than like the man himself and vastly less people disagree with his proposal than disagree with the man himself. All in all, it's a positive number. The next positive number we see is this, which I believe is the nugget in this poll that really tells the whole story:

Sixty-one percent (61%) favor an earned citizenship policy approach "that would let illegal aliens eventually become citizens if they pay a fine for entering the country illegally, pay al back taxes, and learn to speak English." Again, those who prefer the enforcement-first approach share the majority view on this question.

Now, a number of commenters on this site have stated their "enforcment first" position. Even among this group of people, a majority favor this type of plan... which is exactly what the President has proposed and the Senate has just passed. By almost a 2-1 margin, the American public as a whole agrees this is the way to go. I would not have assumed this to be the case. To be honest, I can't remember seeing any good polling on the issue, but I would have guessed that a majority would have answered no to that question. Now, don't get me wrong, this poll is not all good news for the President.

Just 60% of Republicans agree with the President on this issue

That is a problem that such a small majority of the President's base supports him on this issue, not so much for the President's sake but for his party's sake. Although, it still is a majority and the President is suppossed to represent ALL of America...

At the moment, just 35% believe the President's approach will reduce illegal immigration. Forty-seven percent (47%) do not.

This is also a problem. It's not a reason not to proceed with the immigration plan as laid out in the legislation going to conference soon, but it is a problem that the people lack faith that any real solution will be found. I happen to believe that the 47% are wrong, but only time will tell for sure... And just as a disclaimer, this is in no way an attempt to sway any views on the issue. The reason I write this post is because it is helpful to understand where one stands in relation to the rest of the country on certain issues. I listen to Rush et al speak about the GOP "abandoning" the base and I get frustrated because it's simply not true because there IS support for the President's ideas... Admittedly, the activists seem to largely tip to the other side of the issue from the President, but the activists (bloggers, talk radio, etc) are not the entire GOP base. And I think it's helpful to remember that once in a while...