Senate "Bipartisan Agreement" Signals that the Battle Is On
Published on January 28th, 2013
The weekend announcement that the radical Senate “Gang of Eight” reached what it called “a bipartisan” agreement on an amnesty bill signaled that the battle is on. President Obama will be in Las Vegas on Tuesday with his own ultra-liberal version that will add fuel to the already raging immigration fires. [Senators Reach Agreement on Overhauling Immigration, Associated Press, January 28, 2013]
After 25 years on the front, I can say without fear of contradiction that when the subject is immigration there’s rarely a dull moment. Our opponents can always be counted on to utter an endless stream of outrageous misstatements. On Sunday’s Meet the Press, New Jersey’s Senator Robert Menendez and a Gang of Eight member said that “one poll after another” show that Americans favor amnesty. (See the interview here.)
In fact, no such legitimate polling exists. A Washington Post/ABC poll taken immediately after the 2012 election found that only 39 percent of Americans approve of how President Obama handles immigration. Obama is the nation’s most visible amnesty proponent and in the months ahead will use his bully pulpit to promote amnesty.
But of all the disingenuous remarks leading up to this fateful weekend, none top former vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan’s. In recent days, Ryan has come out strongly in favor of Senator Marco Rubio’s amnesty plan, even though critics have noted that the Floridian’s wish list is identical to President Obama’s. [Ex-Las Vegan Rubio Outlines GOP Vision for Immigration Reform, Las Vegas Review – Journal, January 27, 2013]
After reviewing Rubio’s Democratic-like amnesty outline, Ryan said:
“I support the principles he’s outlined, modernization of our immigration laws, stronger security to curb illegal immigration and respect for the rule of law in addressing the complex challenge of the undocumented population.”
Note Ryan’s gratuitous references to “stronger security” and “respect for the rule of law” which are always promised but never delivered.
But then Ryan got off his most amusing line when he promised to use his influence in the House to advance the amnesty legislation that Senate Democrats and Rubio favor.
Ryan, it should be remembered, was not persuasive enough to convince his hometown Janesville, Wisconsin neighbors to vote for him during the presidential election. In fact, Ryan lost twice on election day. Although Ryan was re-elected to his House seat, he lost Jamesville by ten points. In the presidential election, Janesville went for the Obama/Biden ticket over Romney/Ryan by a 25 point drubbing. Judging by those results, Ryan isn’t likely to be an effective amnesty salesman—good news for us. [Paul Ryan Explains Defeat in Hometown Janesville, Wisconsin, by Melissa Jeltsen, Huffington Post, November 14, 2012]
And, more good news, the Senate and President Obama have chosen to go for the most drastic immigration option. They have repeatedly insisted that citizenship for all 11 million aliens must be included in any final legislative version.
For Republicans, citizenship is the most contentious option. If you ask me, the more radical the bill that eventually reaches the House, the easier it will be to defeat.