Will GOP put its illegal alien money where its mouth is?

It's clear to me, and probably to many Americans whose overall political views span across part and philosophical labels, that if the country really wants to stop illegal immigration, it needs to hit employers in the wallet.

Well, Arizona has had a such a law on the books, signed into law by Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano in 2007. Yesterday, the Supreme Court gave it the official imprimatur.

The rhetorical question of my header is no idle one.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which, unlike local affiliates, hugely represents Big Biz, not Main Street, has never liked the bill. Proof? Right here, from the battle over the Legal Arizona Workers Act:

Robin S. Conrad, a lawyer with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s litigation unit, said in a statement that “the decision does not give states or local governments a blank check to pass any and every immigration law” and that only state laws consistent with the federal one were permissible. The Chamber of Commerce was a plaintiff in the suit.

What's the over-under on how long it takes the U.S. Chamber breaks out the federal lobbying big guns to try to get Congress to reform the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act? I'd say about a week.

I'd also say that on the right-hand side of the political spectrum, the timing is "great," because it sets up tea party individuals (real ones, not astroturfers) vs. Big Biz campaign contributions for a battle royale, at least potentially, within the GOP primary campaign. In town hall type settings, and not astroturfed Faux News debates, GOP candidates WILL get asked about this.

Beyond that, as I said, illegal immigration cuts across the spectrum of politics. About five years ago, when The Nation ran a fluff piece, and a long one at that, on this issue, about one-third of the readers, going by letters to the editor, strongly called it out.