And This Is Surprising, Why?
It appears unlikely that Congress will pass an immigration reform bill this session. The House has balked at the promise of what it calls "amnesty" for those immigrants here illegally. You will recall that the House Bill, passed in December, would make felons of those here illegally. The Senate version would set forth a series of steps leading to citizenship. It is clear that the White House favors the Senate bill. In an attempt to soften the House opposition, the Emperor went on television and directed states to provide National Guardsmen to assist at the border. Clearly that wasn't enough red meat for House Republicans.
Today's NY Times has an article that clarifies just what is going on in this war between Republicans here.
That disappointing news for Mr. Bush signaled the apparent collapse of a carefully orchestrated White House strategy to push a compromise immigration bill through Congress this summer — and in the process invigorate Mr. Bush's second term with a badly needed domestic victory.
The decision by the House leadership to defy the president after he had put so much prestige on the line — including a rare prime-time Oval Office speech for a domestic initiative — amounted to a clear rebuke of the president on an issue that he has long held dear.
... It was undone as well, White House and Congressional leaders acknowledged, by a sharp division over whether to focus on the short term or on the party's long-term political prospects. Mr. Bush's aides saw the House bill, which would make it a felony to live in this country illegally and would close off any chance to win legal status, as a threat to their attempts to broaden the party's appeal to Hispanic voters.
House Republican leaders saw Mr. Bush's approach — calling for tougher enforcement as well as avenues to legalize the illegal workforce and create a possible path to citizenship — as a threat to House Republicans already fearful of losing control of this fall's elections by angering voters who viewed the plan as amnesty. [Emphasis added]
We've known all along that this issue was all about political advantage. If immigration was such an important matter, why did it take five years into the regime and an election year before it reached the consciousness of Congress?
Both sides of this Republican debate are pandering: the White House to the Hispanic citizenry, the House to the racist right wing of the party. The only surprising thing is that they are being so open about it.
Today's NY Times has an article that clarifies just what is going on in this war between Republicans here.
That disappointing news for Mr. Bush signaled the apparent collapse of a carefully orchestrated White House strategy to push a compromise immigration bill through Congress this summer — and in the process invigorate Mr. Bush's second term with a badly needed domestic victory.
The decision by the House leadership to defy the president after he had put so much prestige on the line — including a rare prime-time Oval Office speech for a domestic initiative — amounted to a clear rebuke of the president on an issue that he has long held dear.
... It was undone as well, White House and Congressional leaders acknowledged, by a sharp division over whether to focus on the short term or on the party's long-term political prospects. Mr. Bush's aides saw the House bill, which would make it a felony to live in this country illegally and would close off any chance to win legal status, as a threat to their attempts to broaden the party's appeal to Hispanic voters.
House Republican leaders saw Mr. Bush's approach — calling for tougher enforcement as well as avenues to legalize the illegal workforce and create a possible path to citizenship — as a threat to House Republicans already fearful of losing control of this fall's elections by angering voters who viewed the plan as amnesty. [Emphasis added]
We've known all along that this issue was all about political advantage. If immigration was such an important matter, why did it take five years into the regime and an election year before it reached the consciousness of Congress?
Both sides of this Republican debate are pandering: the White House to the Hispanic citizenry, the House to the racist right wing of the party. The only surprising thing is that they are being so open about it.
posted by Diane at 4:18 AM
1 Comments:
"Pandering" being the operative word. Bush has no sincere consideration for the Hispanic community's needs, any more than he has for any other segment of the country except for his buddies in the top 1%. It's whatever con they can pull to sucker voters on election day.
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