Rasmussen Poll: Public Overwhelmingly Against Immigration Plan
It sounds like the new bipartisan immigration plan needs a shot of political Viagra, if this Rasmussen poll is accurate:
Initial public reaction to the immigration proposal being debated in the Senate is decidedly negative.
A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey conducted Monday and Tuesday night shows that just 26% of American voters favor passage of the legislation. Forty-eight percent (48%) are opposed while 26% are not sure. The bi-partisan agreement among influential Senators and the White House has been met with bi-partisan opposition among the public. The measure is opposed by 47% of Republicans, 51% of Democrats, and 46% of those not affiliated with either major party.
Those are almost shocking numbers. It suggests what news stories have noted: rather than offfering enough things to satisfy people on both sides, the new immigration plan has enough things to dissatisfy people on both sides. This doesn’t bode well for the plan — particularly since the politicos will take the matter up after they get back from the Memorial Day holiday.
True, the American Congress’ holiday isn’t as long as the Iraqi legislators’ planned two month vacation…but it’s still enough to get an earful from constituents already upset about other issues as well. And politicians going into an election year don’t like to have constituents mad at them. MORE:
Initial public reaction to the immigration proposal being debated in the Senate is decidedly negative.
A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey conducted Monday and Tuesday night shows that just 26% of American voters favor passage of the legislation. Forty-eight percent (48%) are opposed while 26% are not sure. The bi-partisan agreement among influential Senators and the White House has been met with bi-partisan opposition among the public. The measure is opposed by 47% of Republicans, 51% of Democrats, and 46% of those not affiliated with either major party.
Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Democrats believe that legalization is Very Important. Just 22% of Republicans and 27% of unaffiliated voters share that view.
WHAT IT MEANS: More than ever this proposal faces tough sailing in Congress. It could pass with an enforcement component and a watered-down or virtually negligible plan to find a way to eventually legalize some of those who are here. But politicians are now caught in a political pincer — caught between those who want to see an effective, comprehensive clamp down on illegal immigration before they will seriously consider regularizing the status of illegals who are here and those who think of the whole families involved and their time spent in the U.S. and seek to find a way to allow a larger portion of those who’ve been living and working here illegally to jump through political and financial hoops so they can be allowed to stay.
The bill in its present form seems doomed unless there is such a bland version that emerges that it defuses emotions on both sides. But that is now highly unlikely. The issue is now too emotional; like the abortion issue, it’s an issue on which many Americans on both sides don’t want to see the give and take of compromise.
