VIDEO: Florida Dem says we need immigration reform or we'll run out of maids and gardeners

Last October, longtime Republican congressman Bill Young announced he would not seek re-election. Nine days later, he passed away. Young had represented his Tampa-Bay district since 1971, and the suddenly empty seat necessitated a special election. That vote will be held on March 11th, when Florida voters in the 13th congressional district cast their ballots to select his replacement.

So far, it's been a tight race, with recent polls showing Democrat Alex Sink leading her Republican opponent by about two points. With the race that close, you'd think she would be smart enough to watch what she says. After all, she wouldn't want to make any racially charged gaffes that might upset Latino voters. Uh-oh. During a debate Tuesday, Sink decided the time was right to blurt out the following nugget of wisdom:

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“Immigration reform is important in our country. We have a lot of employers over on the beaches that rely upon workers and especially in this high-growth environment, where are you going to get people to work to clean our hotel rooms or do our landscaping?"

That's right. Alex Sink is worried that, without immigration reform, America will run out of gardeners and hotel maids. More to the point, she's worried that, if we don't legalize illegals, Florida businesses will be "forced" to hire undocumented workers. Sink never explained why she felt unemployed legal Floridians were incapable of doing those jobs. Nor did she address the problem that, once these illegal workers are legalized, they'll no longer fulfill Ms. Sink's desire for "cheap labor." But let's not confuse her with reality. Sink apparently feels it's time to pass some kind of amnesty so that those who "live in the shadows" can assume their rightful places as part of a newly legalized underclass that cleans up after the rest of us. That's what conservatives call "the soft bigotry of low expectations." It's what self-proclaimed progressives call a "racist microaggression."