Immigation reform (or lack of) set to dominate mid-term elections
Posted on Monday, May 03, 2010 at 06:44 PM
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It's unlikely that either party wanted the mid-terms to be about immigration but their combined failure to act on the issue has now blown up in their faces.
The anger over the Arizona law has moved immigration right off the back-burner where politicians like to park it.
Neither party has really taken a lead on the issue for fear of setting off the right-wing noise machine that doomed earlier efforts.
But politicians have got to get beyond that fear. They were elected to legislate after all.
And activists have got to get beyond their idealism. Anything that emerges from the political process will clearly be ugly and no bill can ever going to please everyone.
Democratic Senators Schumer, Reid and Menedez have made a solid first step to reform with a proposal that tries to include Republican ideas.
For instance, they want to see a national ID card, a proposal which has already drawn considerable ire from the ACLU.
But, as Angela Kelley of the told The Hill today, “What I like about the outline is that Democrats are not trying to hide the ball or soft-pedal the tough decisions. It seems a very sincere effort to get the conversation started. This is a serious effort to get Republicans to the table.”
Kelley is the vice president of immigration policy at the liberal organization, Center for American Progress.
And she's right - Democrats have to get Republicans to the table to have any hope of getting anything passed.
But then again, Republicans must know in their heart of hearts that their party is doomed if they don't engage the Hispanic population.
Maybe this year will see the emergence of realpolitik on immigration.
The anger over the Arizona law has moved immigration right off the back-burner where politicians like to park it.
Neither party has really taken a lead on the issue for fear of setting off the right-wing noise machine that doomed earlier efforts.
But politicians have got to get beyond that fear. They were elected to legislate after all.
And activists have got to get beyond their idealism. Anything that emerges from the political process will clearly be ugly and no bill can ever going to please everyone.
Democratic Senators Schumer, Reid and Menedez have made a solid first step to reform with a proposal that tries to include Republican ideas.
For instance, they want to see a national ID card, a proposal which has already drawn considerable ire from the ACLU.
But, as Angela Kelley of the told The Hill today, “What I like about the outline is that Democrats are not trying to hide the ball or soft-pedal the tough decisions. It seems a very sincere effort to get the conversation started. This is a serious effort to get Republicans to the table.”
Kelley is the vice president of immigration policy at the liberal organization, Center for American Progress.
And she's right - Democrats have to get Republicans to the table to have any hope of getting anything passed.
But then again, Republicans must know in their heart of hearts that their party is doomed if they don't engage the Hispanic population.
Maybe this year will see the emergence of realpolitik on immigration.
13 Comments
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DennisQ | May 13, 2010, 05:42 AM EDT
Arizona's immigration law will complicate law enforcement within the affected comunities by making law-abiding people reluctant to cooperate. Bad laws usually have unintended consequences. For example, he Volstead Act of 1920 made criminals of drinkers, and it facilitated the rise of criminal syndicates, notably the Mafia. Prohibition was finally repealed in 1933.
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ritmomente | May 10, 2010, 03:02 PM EDT
exactly, monsoon man. that is all you have to offer to this conversation and to this country in general.
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Monsoonman | May 10, 2010, 09:40 AM EDT
Yawn!!
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ritmomente | May 10, 2010, 09:15 AM EDT
No, I would put immigration lawyers significantly higher than those defending child molesters. But to you, if a foreign child is molested, papers must be checked first and no care should be administered if they are undocumented.
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Monsoonman | May 09, 2010, 12:56 PM EDT
The truth is in the pudding, just look at the US citizens gratefully flocking to get the jobs that the illegal aliens had taken from them. Nuff said. When we want more LEGAL immigrants into our country, we'll let you know. In the meantie ILLEGAL aliens mean just that, ILLEGAL ALIENS...They have no constitutional rights, except in the world of the bottom feeding immigration lawyers.
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ritmomente | May 09, 2010, 12:40 PM EDT
What if a Mexican woman is raped in Arizona? Should her papers be checked first? What about a wedding or funeral? Should the deceased have to show papers too?
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Monsoonman | May 09, 2010, 11:20 AM EDT
Now we see the positive results to the Arizona citizens who need work: PHOENIX -- Job hunters turned out in the hundreds to fill recently-vacant positions at Pro's Ranch Market stores, where a federal audit led to the firing of some 300 workers.
Roxanne Nieves, one of the many that came out in search of a job, said she came to apply after she heard about the layoffs."We heard they are firing a lot of illegal people, so we're here to apply," she said.
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DennisQ | May 09, 2010, 04:48 AM EDT
Yes, by all means, take a look at the crime stats in Arizona - they've gone DOWN. The anti-immigration folks simply don't have truthful arguments. They make up things. Significantly, their motivation isn't what's good for America; it's their fear of downward mobility as a result of social change. Immigration is good for America. It increases American wealth.
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ritmomente | May 07, 2010, 01:49 PM EDT
more drool from IrishandProud. Let me ask you something....If you are so proud of your Irish, what would you have done if a Catholic or Protestant came over from the North seeking asylum but Reagan wouldn't do it because he was in bed with Maggie. Would you have shut the door?
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IrishAndProud | May 05, 2010, 11:50 PM EDT
Darn tootin', it'll affect the midterms. And the more ZerObama and his regime push to legalize illegals, the more it'll bite their a--es off, come November. The majority doesn't want amnesty...and if Barry is stupid enough to repeat his force-it-on-you 'health care treatment' to get this passed, as well, it'll only make it worse -- for him.
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longislander1940 | May 05, 2010, 12:37 AM EDT
The Republican Party has to take over Congress and the Senate. If not there will be no jobs here either.Everyone wants immigration, legally. We do not want people coming to this country committing crimes . Please take a look at the crime stats in Arizona.
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DennisQ | May 04, 2010, 12:46 PM EDT
It's realpolitik to recognize that immigrants increase America's wealth; they don't detract from it. Republicans fan the flames of xenophobia because they believe that the whole world is out to get us. But America as a whole is more confident than the Republican party. That's the reason Democrats are back in power and likely to stay there.
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