Politico took a poll!  No, not a real poll, but a survey of the "Politico Caucus," which is composed of an elite group of liberal Democrats and crony capitalist Republicans whom Politico treats as all-knowing.  In their wisdom, they have revealed that Donald Trump is destroying the Republican party by talking tough on illegal immigration.

Donald Trump may have the whole Republican field talking about immigration, but early-state insiders wish he would just stop.

Seven in 10 Republicans said they’ve heard more than enough about Trump’s plan, which includes a controversial call to end birthright citizenship, according to this week’s POLITICO Caucus, our weekly bipartisan survey of the top operatives, activists and strategists in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Trump’s plan calls for an end to policy that guarantees citizenship for children born in the United States to illegal immigrants. That’s one of several controversial provisions under Trump’s plan, which is particularly galling to New Hampshire GOP insiders — 85 percent of whom said the real estate mogul and current GOP front-runner’s immigration plan was harmful to the party.

Eighty-five percent of insiders say that enforcing our immigration laws is harmful to the party.  What does that tell you about 85% of the GOP leadership?

Nearly two-thirds of Iowa Republicans said the same.

“He’s solidly put an anchor around the neck of our party, and we’ll sink because of it,” an Iowa Republican said of Trump.

Actually, as we all know, the campaign against illegal aliens is popular with nearly all voters, even liberals.  The anchor around our neck is the GOP establishment.

“Enough already,” vented another Iowa Republican, who like all participants was granted anonymity in order to speak freely. “This kind of garbage only appeals to the hard core … while alienating the soft middle that we must win in order to take the presidency.”

Do you see the arrogance?  This Iowa Republican calls securing the borders "garbage."  He wants to appeal to the "soft middle."  That in a nutshell is everything that's wrong with the Republican Party.  "Soft middle" is a code word for liberal beliefs.  He's saying the GOP just has to be more like the Democrats.  They got their candidate in 2008, John McCain.  How did that work out?  They got their candidate in 2012, Mitt Romney.  Did that work out well, too?  No.

A Granite State Republican said it was “harmful to the party, the brand and the future of our country. What’s disappointing is the speed in which other candidates follow his lead. He’s forced that to be standard operation.”

And that's what is truly worrying them: that Trump is slowly turning the Republican Party against illegal immigration, which it hasn't been for years.  For now the change is slow, and at this stage purely rhetorical; you can bet that the words "anchor baby" would not have passed Jeb Bush's lips if not for Donald Trump, and Scott Walker seems to be following one step behind Trump on immigration all the way.

As Mark Levin has noted, the real enemy is the Republican Party establishment.  This rhetoric is upsetting their "mushy middle" strategy, which allows them to be themeless in rhetoric and in the pockets of the crony capitalists in substance.  If they release a Politico press release saying they are worried, that's good news.

This article was produced by NewsMachete.com, the conservative news site.