Immigration Reform
13 June 2007What is the deal with immigration reform? If you have followed the debate and the actions in the Senate you may have wondered what is going on. Democrats clearly want immigration reform, yet Harry Reid pulled it from consideration after two unsuccessful attempts at cloture. He could have kept the debate going at least until President Bush returned but he chose to pull the legislation with Bush out of the country.
As for Republican backers on the Bush team like Lindsey Graham and John McCain, rather than attempt make well though out and reasoned arguments to the Republican base, they have called them bigots and xenophobes. That’s a sure way to sway the opposition in your own party.
So what is going on? Why are those who support comprehensive immigration reform doing almost the opposite of what they need to do to gain support?
Some are suggesting a grand conspiracy whereby the supporters of the package are actually trying to trick us. One person suggested that this was analogous to Bush nominating Harriet Meyers to the Supreme Court. His theory is that without the Meyers nomination, Alito could never have been confirmed. Others suggest that Democrats are simply trying to exhaust the American people so they can ultimately sneak this legislation through in the dark of night a few weeks from now.
Another suggestion, one that I think actually holds water, is that the Democrat leadership is more interested in denying Bush anything he could call a victory than they are in passing their most cherished legislation. In the eyes of Harry Reid, every initiative Bush is denied is another Senate seat come ‘08. Of course, if that is grand scheme, Ted Kennedy should get an Oscar nomination for his performance on the Senate floor when Reid pulled the package.
Now, of course, President Bush is committed to seeing this legislation come back up and it likely will. Tony Snow has become the point man for promoting the issue and he has taken a far different approach from Lindsey Graham, et. al. Snow appears to be listening to the opposition and answering their objections rather than calling them names.
Listening to Snow on various talk shows and news programs one is almost tempted to buy into this “reform” package. According to Snow the reforms are real, the triggers will be enforced. What Snow fails to address, and I’ve heard no one actually ask, is that every single illegal alien in this country will receive immediate legal status under this bill. That, by any definition, is amnesty.
I’m a fan of Tony Snow. I’ve said before that it’s almost like having a friend in the White House. He is smart, articulate, reasoned and generally conservative. That’s why I can’t figure out what’s going on. I have a very difficult time believing Snow really thinks this is good legislation. True, he works for the President and is obligated to promote the President’s position. But if I was in Snow’s position I’d have no choice but to resign. I could not, in good conscience, argue in favor of this bill.
One thing I know. Unless Democrats are really committed to denying Bush any victory, this bill is going to keep coming back until it passes. That means it will require virtual permanent vigilance on the part of conservatives to keep it from passing.
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Tags: Amnesty, Border Security, George Bush, Illegal Immigration, Lindsey Graham, Politicians, Politics, Republicans, RINOsRelated Posts
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June 15th, 2007 at 9:54 am
This is more than an ideological debate. Pro-Americans need to follow the money trail, and find out who stands to make a lot of money as this so-called immigration reform bill (and, for that matter, the North American Union) advances.
June 15th, 2007 at 11:34 am
[...] Immigration Reform Why are those who support comprehensive immigration reform doing almost the opposite of what they need to do to gain support? [T]he the Democrat leadership is more interested in denying Bush anything he could call a victory than they are in passing their (tags: democrats republicans immigration amnesty Harry Reid Tony Snow) [...]