Who Killed the Immigration Bill, Who, Who, Who, Who?
Many people believe that conservatives killed the immigration bill yesterday. The conservative base certainly has made a lot of noise in the last couple of days, and the far majority of those who oppose the bill are Republicans, but… it’s not that simple. Simon explains that “this bill didn’t fail (as the WaPo contends) because the center couldn’t persuade the fringe; I suggest that it failed because the center didn’t support it. Partisanship didn’t kill this bill – bipartisan consensus did.”
Look at the results: Simon surely has a point. It should also not be forgotten that polls show that the majority of Americans oppose this bill. Not just the majority of conservative Republicans.
UPDATE
It seems that they changed the link. Replaced the old link with the new one.
18 Responses to “Who Killed the Immigration Bill, Who, Who, Who, Who?”
Michael,
I’m not sure exactly which poll you’re looking at but there is one at pollingreport.com that reports 91% say illegal immigration is a problem. Admittedly, some of that could include lots of people that believe the undeniable problem should be solved along the lines of the recently-deceased legislation. But in that same website there is another question that asks if illegal immigration is ultimately “bad” for the economy. 70% say yes to that. Therefore, I think you sift out the “amnesty” (sorry, for lack of a better buzzword) crowd in that slicing. This could be a huge pendulum swinger going forward into 08.
Based on the way Petraeus cautiously conveys his thoughts, I certainly don’t believe he will issue rhetoric in September that will swing the pendulum on Iraq.
Consider this possibility for the political landscape. Iraq enters into a drawdown phase and immigration moves to center stage. Quite a “directional” swinger if it plays out this way.
Come to think of it, maybe this was yet another superficially counterintuitive conspiracy.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), D-Nev., said he hoped to pass the measure eventually, but he devoted much of his post-vote comments Thursday night to accusing
President Bush of doing too little to obtain Republican support. “This the president’s bill,” Reid told a hushed chamber. “Where are the president’s people helping us with these votes?”
This man is a ntiwit. In his rush to get back to bashing the war he fails to grasp even the basic concept that Immigration is AMERICAS Bill. Every American in this country including the Illegals want a bill.
They should hash this out till they have a bill. If it takes the entire session.
The bulk of the American people have no idea what they want on the immigration issue. That’s shown by the polls, which have different answers to the same question depending on wording. Look at these two outcomes from the same poll (only a few questions apart) at pollreport. com:
“If you had to choose, what do you think should happen to most illegal immigrants who have lived and worked in the United States for at least two years? ”
Answers: 62% said “Chance to keep their jobs” and 33% said “deported”
“Should ILLEGAL immigrants be prosecuted and deported for being in the U.S. illegally, or shouldn’t they?”
Answers: 69% said “Should” 24% “should not”
The 36% of people who went from “give them a chance” in the first question to “deport them” in the second will hold a lot of cards in the upcoming election cycle.
SD-
So, where were Cheney and the rest of the crew who run to the news channels on other presidential initiatives?
Where is the loyalty now?
Where they not aiding and abetting the enemies of the bill
by their conspixuous absence?
This whole fiasco is another case of America cutting off its nose to spite its face. There being no bill, will the illegals now disappear? This failure to settle for a compromise is a vote to let the associated problems fester and increase exponentially.
I think we need 4WD- it seems that both back wheels of our 2WD government are now spinning in the mud. One is stuck on Iraq, because although the majority of voters oppose the status quo there is no way to gain traction on any one course to get out; now Bush and Congress have lost traction on immigration as well. In both cases, there’s an opportunity, if real leaders would come forward with frank discussion of the issues and genuine solutions (the solutions will have to include elements that are not going to be universally agreed upon, but also contain enough elements to gain significant support.)
Sorry, my comment was meant for
“Somebody”\
Doma you are so wrong.
No bill is better then this bill.
Better to scrap this bill then pass it and watch the disaterous repercussions of this fiasco of a bill.
For the record. I am for amnesty. We cant deport 10 million people. For the record. I am against 700 miles of fence to cover 1952 miles of border. For the record I am against 18,000 new AFL-CIO border patrol agents. For the record I am against a bill that creates 5 million Immigration slots instead of the current 1 million.
For the record. This bill will cost us 125 billion dollars over the next 10 years and give the democrats 40 million new voters. No wonder the LEFT/Democrats want this bill.
CStanley–and what better venue for such a far-reaching issue that goes to the very premise of America than the Presidential debates?
George Bush and Harry Reid are just taking up space. They do not know how to get things done.
I’ve just had a change of heart. As long as we’re going to work towards “free-trade” and free movement of capital, we should also work for free movement of labor.
Wow, Chris…….socialist to full scale libertarian in one move. No one can accuse you of being timid!
Sorry about the technical glitch that broke the old link, folks. It’s set so it’s not supposed to do that, but it did anyway. Well, both links should work now. Thanks, Michael, for letting me know about it.
“No wonder the LEFT/Democrats want this bill.”
No unpleasant consequences, ever, no such thing as right or wrong — unless it’s something the Left doesn’t like. That’s different; then, watch out.
No wonder the neocon/corporate right want this bill as well, the unending supply of union killing cheap labour.
It goes both ways DLS, and leaves the nationalist/working class of both political stripes mad as hell.
I’ve been checking around 2 well known left sites recently (C&L’s and DU) for immigration posts and found out something. Alot of the working class left is mad as hell about anything that is obvious amnesty, and don’t hold their toungues about it to the Lexus/one world/ poor brown people liberals. The left has no consensus for this kind of crap bill being attempted, as does the neocon/corporate right.
Maybe thats what we need is a centerist workers revolt?
Yep Pyst.
That is the point Im trying to make to ALL of America. Stop reading the Democratic or Republican talking points and do some digging on this bill.
Its bad for EVERYONE.
Our representatives are trying to pull the wool over both Republicans and Democrats alike. The only ones benefiting from this bill is the Immigrants. The rest of us just might as well grease up and bend over.
O.K. Dave, We all know what you think about ‘lefties’… 50+ % of your posts are about what you think the left is doing / has done to you and YOUR country.
What’s your opinion on the questionable labor supply / employer practices in general and this bill in particular?
Somebody,
You certainly have a right to your opinion but I think you’re wrong.
George Sorwell said the other day that, “People who lead productive lives are a benefit to America.  I challenge anyone to find fault in his words.
How so many seemingly normal, reasonable people have become consumed with such obvious fear and hatred is beyond me.
In other times it was the ‘chinks’ or the ‘kykes’ or the ‘micks’ or the ‘dagos’ or the ‘wops’ that were blamed for all our problems. Now it’s the ‘ragheads’ and ‘beaners’ and ‘middle America’ still responses in the same shameful way. When will we ever learn?
As an aside: If those of you with children at home can wait ’till they’re in bed before you carry on… maybe the next generation will be able to leave this kind of trash in the garbage where it belongs. My Dad did that for his children… And, IMO, we are (were) all, my father included, better people for it. :]
SteveK
I cannot agree more with a statement that “People who lead productive lives are a benefit to America.” That is not what my opposition to this bill is about.
You however are so consumed with passing a mindboggling flawed bill that you think anyone opposing it is a Bigot and:
“maybe the next generation will be able to leave this kind of trash in the garbage where it belongs.”
Bigot! Bigot! Bigot! Thats what everyone is shouting at anyone opposed to this enormous fiasco of a bill.
Though Kennedy’s amendment would bar future waves of criminal aliens from gaining legal status, it would do nothing to bring those already in the U.S. to justice. Lesson: The “grand bargain†would grant citizenship to 636,000 aliens who have thumbed their nose at our criminal-justice system.
If being opposed to legalizing Sex offenders, murders, child molestors, fleeing fathers leaving families behind to fend for themselves makes me a bigot then by god Im a “BIGOT!” I am for amnesty for all those here with the exception of those who are criminals. We have enough criminals here without taking on those from other countries too.
I am not opposed to legal immigration. It is healthy for America. The opposition from ME on this bill is not against immigration at all, its the massive amounts of flawed thinking that will have us back here in 20 years trying to FIX it again.
Fringe Group???!!!
Since when did the majority of the United States public and its leadership become a fringe group?
The only fringe groups I’m seeing are the criminals in the government, business, the illegal aliens themselves and those that have been aiding and abetting them.
It’s time that they were rounded up for the safety of the citizens of the United States of American!