May 10, 2013 08:33 AM UTC

Heritage Foundation: A BSing Too Far?

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• by: Colorado Pols

Politico:

The Heritage Foundation has gone into damage-control mode in the last few days, after coming under fire from Republicans and conservative outside groups over a report it published that puts the price tag of immigration reform at $6.3 trillion.

The conservative think tank is considering hiring a high-profile public relations firm to help deal with the fallout of the report that was supposed to be their big play in the immigration debate, according to two sources familiar with Heritage.

The group has also come under scrutiny after it was reported that one of the authors of the report asserted previously that white Americans have higher IQs than immigrants…

Adds the Washington Post:

The Post’s Wonkblog pointed out that the study’s co-author has argued that there are deep-set, likely genetic IQ differences between races and that low-IQ immigrants should be kept out of the country. Heritage distanced itself from that argument, saying “its findings in no way reflect the positions of The Heritage Foundation.” The American Prospect highlighted the fact that the anti-”amnesty” study is featured far less prominently on Heritage’s Spanish-language site…

That’s not to say the opposition to immigration reform is dead or that Heritage’s numbers won’t again be used in the argument against it. But thanks to a divided right and a more nimble left, supporters are no longer easy to catch by surprise.

For decades, the Heritage Foundation has been the conservative "gold standard" for research and talking points. In this way, Heritage serves the same role nationally that the Independence Institute does in Colorado, with numerous working groups churning out ideological backup on the broadest possible range of issues.

Well folks, it seems somebody has taken a look at the changing demographics in this country, and realized that Heritage's ideological hard line against immigration reform is now a liability. And suddenly the same methodological problems Heritage has always had, even relied upon to fill gaping holes in their logic, are a huge problem that Republicans must pre-emptively smack down in the name of factuality! Good on them regardless, we guess.

Maybe they'll step up next time Jon Caldara says "guns in Colorado will never be able to get a magazine again."