The Senate GOP is in a good position in the immigration reform debate. I appreciate the fact that there are R senators that want to fix our failing immigration system. I also appreciate the fighters in the caucus who aren’t willing to simply lie down and vote yes on whatever leadership tells them to vote on. And so, we have two warring factions that both have reasonable positions.
If the GOP doesn’t pass immigration reform now, we won’t have to deal with an extra ten million democrat voters immediately, but we’ll still have to confront our huge Hispanic voter problem. Or we can take the pain right now and work over the next one, two, or three decades to build back these burned bridges.
Republicans want border security and they are in a position to get it. Democrats want amnesty and they are in a position to obtain it. It actually works to the GOP’s negotiating advantage that they haven’t given away everything to the D’s upfront. Securing the borders is a noble effort. But oversight shouldn’t go to the White House, or the Department of Homeland Security or any other bureaucratic hack. Oversight must be established through Congress so that there is a significant incentive to securing the border, and if there is not, Congress may act accordingly.
If Republican Senators can hold strong and demand stronger security than the Rubio bill offers, we may have a tenable bill. In the meantime, look for Democrats to try to sabotage the bill by introducing destructive social issues like gay partner sponsorships and Obamacare abortion coverage for all to kill the bill.
Senate Ds may not care if the bill fails, as long as they can pin it on Rs. But Obama knows better. Ever since his initial tax increase, his second term has been an utter failure. He needs the bill to establish a domestic legacy in his second term. Otherwise, this term will be known for stagflation, recession and the failure of Obamacare.
Either way, an immigration deal needs to be made. It would be better if Republicans did it now than later. But we have all of the negotiating power and we should continue to act accordingly.
