Chuck Schumer has zero intentions to push any such reported legislation beyond committee. Immigration as a national issue is dead. The Blue Dog Dems are just now getting their feet wet challenging Pelosi’s leadership over health care.
This is the faustian bargin Democrats brought on themsleves. They only could manage the House majority won in ’06 by recruiting conservative candidates to capture districts once comfortably held by Republicans.
Not only has this tiny minority – most of whom are congressional rookies – overtaken the Health Care debate – they have thwarted the radical energy/Cap & Trade initiative.
It is FAR MORE POLITICALLY POSSIBLE that they bring down Pelosi than Pelosi quenching the coup; she had her oppertunity to buy them off with the Porkulous – and rather than throw the dogs some bones – she miscalculated.
The best news for all of us who have been angrily demanding deportation by attrition and some legislative sanity to ‘fix’ immigration is this; Mexico’s own struggles & the economy here there and throughout the world.
Obama’s honeymoon ended when he foolishly claimed the Porkulous would keep unemployment under 8.5% – stupidly boxing himself in. He then blundered off into the Skippy Gates affair and now is chimming in that the protests over his health care represents political goon squads.
The ‘ONE’ was talked into using the economic crises to push for everything under the sun all at once and it’s already blowing up in his face.
Chuck Schumers ‘job’ is to play footsie with immigration – his efforts represent the political polar opposite of what the late Wyoming senator Alan Simpson TRIED to do in ’84-’86 -which was actually impliment immigration reform – with a national ID card and employer sanctions as the foundation.
It was supply-side conservatives that destroyed what he tried to impliment with the late Barbara Jordan – granting amnesty and a virtual open boarders invitation throughout the americas from Argentina to Nogales.
Today it is vitual political suicide for either party to try and sell Americans that immigration represents a ‘vital’ necessity for promoting a stronger more economically inventive country. Americans have been having a vibrant debate for the past decade. Before that debate a guest worker program was not only possible but highly likely.
I don’t buy that it ever has a chance in the next 100 years.
We are all living with the nightmares hatched from this lie since Simpson Mazzoli in ’86. California is exhibit A – with the rest of the country suffering from the explosion of interior migration in the boom years – 1996-2004.
There is zero poltical capital to spend on immigration, not just from the jist of what this post implies, but from the latest evaporation of wealth among ALL AMERICANS in the past few years.
When the average american who HAD SAVINGS, be it in the form of housing value or a 401K, has seen 30 to 40% declines in that wealth, only a race hustler like Ruben could even pander such drivil for a dollar or a dime and call it ‘news.’ Add to this dismal record the fact that the MAJORITY OF AMERICANS had little or no such savings – and are in debt up to their eye balls.
While all the folks who love to hear from Ruben were off calling advisaries like myself lots of ugly names – we were waking up Americans to this dilution of our freedoms and livlihoods. We have made a difference. Cheap labor isn’t so cheap anymore. Illegals have repratriated. Many less are coming.
There isn’t much of a debate anymore. The Chamber Of Commerce folks are still trying to sell ‘comprehensive’ reform – it just happens to represent a political death sentence.
Which is why Chuckie Schumar of NY will dutifully put lip stick on a pig and hit all the talking head familiar venues – and then sigh – ‘if only…..’
Sometimes the best legislation is no legislation at all – a concept not entirely lost on some conservatives.
