[fifedom]

Here is what the OP author, Trende, thinks. He favors alternative #5:
1) They are worried about the Hispanic vote.
the smarter play for Republicans here seems to be to wait until 2015 to act on a bill. After all, Republican chances for taking the Senate this year are very good if the dynamic doesn’t change. So if they can effectively lay low between now and Election Day and somehow avoid angering Independents or inflaming divisions between establishment and insurgent Republicans, they would have much greater influence over the direction of the bill in the second half of Obama’s term.
2) The Chamber of Commerce wants it.
This theory is very popular, especially among Tea Party sorts. (But) The Chamber of Commerce has wanted legislation for a very, very long time. A bill passed the Senate last summer. If the GOP was going to pass that measure to appease its corporate supporters, the smart play again would have been to get it over with early on.
3) It’s a trap for Democrats
Republicans plan on discarding the pathway to citizenship in favor of a pathway to legalization. (They) are threatening to refuse to allow any House bill to go to conference, forcing the Senate to either take it or leave it. What if the Democrats opt to “take it”? The (RAT) base knows that fights over citizenship will follow, and many believe that the GOP will eventually cave on that as well. It’s a recipe for disaster.
4) This is a PR push.
The idea would be that they would pass something with some sort of “poison pill” in it that Democrats wouldn’t swallow. But you still encounter the problem that Democrats might decide there’s no such thing as a poison pill here, within reason, and figure that they can fix any further issues with the immigration system further down the line, and call Republicans’ bluff by passing whatever comes out of the House.
5) Republicans (GOPe) are afraid of winning.
The GOPe figure the House is safe and they would rather lose control of the Senate than let in some more Mike Lee's and Ted Cruz's.

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[Jim Robinson]

There is no cure for stupid, except voting it OUT!

[R0CK3T]

Here’s what they are thinking...

“If we make a bunch of people who broke the law become citizens, then all hispanics will LIKE us”!!!

Good luck with that.

[wny]

They’re not called the stupid party for no reason.

[mulligan]

Republicans don’t think, they just cave.

[tennmountainman]

The GOP will be dead if they pass amnesty. And a true Tea Party will
emerge from it’s ashes.

[citizen]

#4 is what I read. I don’t like it either but they have to look like they tried to do something.

[Carry_Okie]

They want to be rid of the need to make concessions to conservatives they view as “embarrassing” as defined by the media, knowing that together with moderates afraid of Democrats, enough of us will vote for them to keep them in power with which to hand out favors to their financial backers.

[TwelveOfTwenty]

On Immigration, What Are the Republicans Thinking?

They are thinking that "you", whether you take that to mean Christian Conservative or non-Hispanic white, did not produce enough future voters to make Conservative candidates relevant. And unless something changes drastically and soon, they're right.

[CitizenUSA]

How about a variation of #5? Maybe the Republicans fear they’ll win, and then the minority of Republican amnesty supporters won’t be able to join with Democrats to pass amnesty. Maybe they see this as a last chance, in their political careers, to do an amnesty cram down on the American people.

[drypowder]

Some might say the US congress, the president and the Wall Street banksters all work for the NWO elites and are all working toward the creation of a North American Union (NAU. Hence, the dilution of the American middle class with folks who think they still own the land we call the US is one of the necessary components if the NWO’s goal of a NAU is to be completed. Remember GH Bush's words when he spoke of the NWO, they will succeed! Sad to say and no thanks to the Repubican party, the NWO elites clearly have this country by the nadds.

[allendale]

Paul Ryan said the legislation is in trouble. It would be remarkable for the House to pass a bill that would be reconciled in conference with the Senate. Senator Menendez, the Democratic fornicator from New Jersey has said that the conference will be hijacked by pro amnesty people and through parliamentary maneuvers will not need a second vote in the House. However it would seem that there will be no chance for any immigration bill passing in the next Congress if as expected more rock solid conservatives are elected.

[Verginius Rufus]

I don't think the Democrats actually care about passing the bill. They just want to have immigration as an issue to get their base riled up at the Republicans over.

Sure, amnesty would mean more legal Democratic voters, but the Democrats don't care if a vote is cast legally as long as it cast for a Democrat.

[Caipirabob]

I go with option #5 which supports the position that the GOPe truly wants conservatives to leave and form 3rd party giving them a strong #2 position to fight for scraps at the table of their socialist overlords.

[slowhandluke]

It's 2). The Chamber of Commerce (big business) wants it. And they are worried that if the Republicans/Tea Party wins big in 2014, they won't have enough Dem votes left to pass it.

So, pass it now primarily with Dem votes, and kill the chances for a big Republican win in 2014, thus cementing the win for another 2 years, which means forever.

Boehner, McConnell and big business all want to avoid having too many Tea Party types in congress who might actually force them to do anything conservative. Boehner and McConnell's jobs are only to preserve enough of a cutout in the socialist program to allow (certain) big business to have big profits.

I noticed Braveheart on TV last night, and the plot around the perfidious Scottish barons strikes a familiar note.

[chris37]

Attempt to manufacture a new base as they have alienated their old base.

Will fail.

[SaxxonWoods]

Here’s what they are thinking:

Conservatives are a minority in the party and need to be beaten down.

The GOPe is under pressure from big donors who want the cheap and willing labor. There is a case to be made that Mexican laborers are easier to handle and work harder than spoiled Americans.

This isn’t new, it’s been the case with immigrants for a century.

[Engedi]

If the Republicans were smart, they would also add that from now on immigrant babies born on USA soil are no longer immediate American Citizens.

That should stop the anchor baby illegals wanting to come here....

[VRWC For Truth]

Ca$h > principles. It’s that simple.

[Dick Bachert]

Ahhhh -- they're NOT??

Oh YES, Mr. Obama, since the country isn't going down the crapper fast enough, let us help you add 11 to 20 MILLION new DemonRAT voters to the rolls. Thank you, sir, may we have another?

IF WE DON'T CLEAN HOUSE -- AND THE SENATE -- IN 2014, WE DESERVE WHATEVERTHEHELL "THEY" DO TO US!