“They like me, they really like me!”
Moments after immigration reform passed the Senate Thursday by a whopping 68-32 vote, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) gently nudged his House colleagues to do what it takes to ensure the success of a comprehensive overhaul.
“We will be doing whatever we can to convince our colleagues in a respectful manner,” he told a handful of reporters just off the Senate floor. “None of our colleagues on the other side of the Capitol like to be talked down to or given tutorials. They have their own views and we respect them. And we need to have a respectful dialogue.”
The Arizona Republican is a crucial figure in the reform effort — a member of the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” senators that struck the deal that formed the foundation of the legislation. Much has been made about the GOP’s death spiral with Hispanic voters, the country’s fastest-growing demographic, which resoundingly voted for Barack Obama twice.
TPM asked McCain if Republicans can recover in 2016 if the overhaul falters and if the party nominates a pro-immigration candidate. He took a deep breath and shook his head.
“No,” he said.
As a native Arizonan, it disgusts me that McCain has always treated illegal immigration as if he knew as little about its realities as a senator from the northeast. No state deals with more violent crime as a result of a porous border than Arizona does. This is something you almost never hear McCain address. He is living in some sort of fantasy land.
And when the lefties love what’s coming out of his mouth it’s a good idea to run in the opposite direction.
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