Immigration

Watching the final episode of “The Sopranos” last night was kind of like watching the downfall of the immigration bill in the Senate. It is as if David Chase was studying Harry Reid’s every move.

Great anticipation followed by a dull end.  When is the movie coming out?

Ted Kennedy is like Tony Soprano. Lots of charisma but a little on the heavy side. He is barking orders but he can’t finish the job of winning his battle without the help of the feds (George Bush, in this case).

Talk of a sequel is already starting when it comes to immigration. Democrats say that they will bring it back if there is an agreement on the number of amendments that Republicans bring up. Kind of like the agreement reached by the New Jersey and New York crews, to the ultimate downfall of Phil Leotardo.

Tom Tancredo is kind of like Phil. All this attention is getting to his head. He loves to bash immigrants so much he has decided to run for president. Read more...

If the Bush bill on immigration does not pass in 2007, the Clinton immigration bill will pass in 2009. In other words, if the Republican president does not get credit for liberating millions of Hispanics from illegal status, a future Democratic president will. The consequences of a defeat of the immigration bill at Republican hands will be as profound among Hispanic voters as Goldwater’s opposition to the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 was among black voters. Hispanics increasingly want to vote Republican. Republicans should not drive them into the arms of Democrats by rejecting this bill.

The president went to Europe and won a big victory. Vladimir Putin has changed his mind and won’t aim missiles at Europe, and actually agreed to talk about cooperation on missile defense.

This is the kind of victory that made Ronald Reagan the icon that all Republicans love today. But for Bush it was largely hidden by the setback on the immigration bill.

It is hard to say whether this immigration bill will be revived. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) says that it will be, but I wouldn’t count on it. The failure in the Senate is a failure of Senate Democratic leadership, but that is not how the majority leader spun it. He blamed President Bush, even though it was Reid’s decision to move forward on a cloture vote that few of the supporters thought was yet ripe. Read more...

I'd like to borrow from the debates and ask everyone who thinks the immigration problem is about to be solved to raise his/her hand.

Oh come on: NOBODY? Congratulations, everybody.

But what we're witnessing is not about fixing this problem. It's about politicians trying to finesse the issue ...t rying to make as much political capital as they can and then moving on to something else.

And of course, we in the media, who have the collective attention span of a gnat, are all too happy to move on to something else. I mean, Paris Hilton is out of jail for crying out loud.

And besides, how many stories can we do about the "Human Side of the Immigration Debate" ("This is Maria ... she doesn't want her name used because she is here illegally, etc., etc. ...")?  Read more...

Reading the lead editorial from The Washington Post this morning, I was struck by the overt admission that current immigration “reform” efforts underway on the Hill will create a new class of illegal immigrants — and this in an editorial that advocates for passage of the immigration bill!  “The Senate is ensuring that over time it will create a new class of hopeless and mired illegal immigrants,” the Post opines. Are you kidding me?

I can’t imagine anything more irresponsible than to openly advocate for passage of legislation that even supporters believe will bring more, rather than fewer, illegal immigrants to the United States. I believe America’s greatest strength is our diversity. At the same time, I can’t fathom creating a new system that not only rewards those who have broken the law in the past to get here but will also encourage more illegal immigration. Unbelievable. Read more...

Here we go again. Just when President Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) thought every crazy, right-wing wacko had gone hoarse screaming about the incomprehensive immigration bill, yet another Republican chimes in to express concerns over the specifics of the bill. Except this Republican is anything but right-wing. In fact, he’s about as liberal as they come. And he’s related to Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), one of the bill’s authors.

That’s right, rabidly moderate California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sent a letter today to Senate leaders Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) expressing reservations with the bipartisan immigration bill that fails to ensure an adequate number of work visas for highly skilled workers and went so far as to imply the immigration bill could result in the unintended consequence of outsourcing labor to foreign markets.

Schwarzenegger warns: Read more...

The nation's murder rate rose slightly last year, but the number of robberies skyrocketed by 6 percent, preliminary FBI data released Monday show. The rise in violent crime is especially prevalent in the suburbs and in smaller cities.

While nobody is talking about this now, I believe that it will become an issue in the elections next year, and that it is having an impact on the current debate on immigration.

The backers of the immigration bill should take this dynamic into consideration if they want to truly understand what is driving the anti-immigrant sentiment in the current debate.

Criminal gangs from Latin America are having an impact on the nation’s crime rate. They should be targeted and destroyed. Their members should be deported and pressure should be put on their home-country governments to help us stop illegal gang activity. Read more...

As Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) calls conservatives who oppose the immigration bill bigots and promises to shut them up, the president calls them unpatriotic and turns his demonization politics against the Republican Party’s base.

Here is the state of play for Republicans: the conservative Republicans accuse progressive Democrats of being unpatriotic, while the president accuses conservative Republicans of being unpatriotic.

The worm turns.

The revolution begins.

Already the pundit class proclaims how the Democrats are enjoying this. Read more...

Proving just how inept the White House is at communicating its message on illegal immigration is this bizarre talking point out of a Wall Street Journal op-ed today, penned by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman:

“Hispanics are also the fastest growing segment of our population. Salsa outsells ketchup and tacos outsell hot dogs. One out of eight people under 35 in Nebraska is Hispanic.”

I’m not exactly sure what the salsa vs. ketchup argument is supposed to prove. I’m a white woman (full disclosure: over the age of 35 and not living in Nebraska) who eats more salsa than ketchup. And I’ve probably consumed more tacos this year than hot dogs. So what’s the point?

Here’s something for Mehlman and Bush to chew on: If you put Velveeta cheese and a jar of salsa in a bowl and microwave it, you get chili con queso dip. Makes you think, doesn’t it?  Read more...

I know this is hard to believe, but I began this blog post yesterday with the idea of praising President Bush. I thought, you know, Bush is getting a bum rap on his immigration reform proposal. He has stuck by the importance of actually solving the problem, getting something done, producing a compromise plan and working with all sides.

And I actually feel that he believes in a humane, comprehensive plan that treats people fairly and deals with the need for enforcement and border control. He, of all people, understands the issue from his days as governor of Texas and has been totally consistent for years.

OK, so what happened?

Bush goes to Georgia and attacks his opponents (primarily Republicans this time) with accusations that they have not read the bill, that “they don’t want to do what’s right for America” and they want to “frighten people.” Read more...