This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Monday, July 18th, 2016. I'm Caleb Brown.

For better or worse, one of the biggest issues driving American politics today is immigration.

Donald Trump expected to be nominated by Republicans

this week represents a shrinking share of the electorate that wants to

reduce immigration and Hillary Clinton toes a restrictionist party line.

Alex Narasta and David Beer work on immigration Clinton toes a restrictionist party line.

Alex Narasta and David Beer work on immigration policy

at the Cato Institute.

They comment.

How much do platforms matter

when presidential candidates are putting together

their immigration policies or

policies in general.

I think platforms matter in that they show where most of the party is on a particular

issue, where they want to move.

It may not matter so much in day to day

or how the president is actually going to govern.

But I think it's an indication of where the party

broadly stands on these issues. if that's true where the

platform is now or the GOP platform is now doesn't look good.

The candidate actually influences the platform more than the platform influences the

candidate and so we've seen in the GOP platform for example that they have

...