See, they tell you exactly who it will benefit and who it's all about: Dear Leader. And Boehner...what a chump, what a schmoe...longing for a legacy, anything he can grab hold of really...all the while enabling Obama and the Democratic agenda...In recent weeks, both Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, have sent signals that raised expectations among overhaul supporters that 2014 could still yield the first comprehensive change in immigration laws in nearly three decades. If successful, it would fulfill an Obama promise many Latinos say is overdue.
The Senate last year passed a bipartisan bill that was comprehensive in scope that addressed border security, provided enforcement measures and offered a path to citizenship for 11 million immigrants in the United States illegally. House leaders, pressed by tea party conservatives, demanded a more limited and piecemeal approach.
Indicating a possible opening, Obama has stopped insisting the House pass the Senate version. And two days after calling Boehner to wish him happy birthday in November, Obama made it clear he could accept the House's bill-by-bill approach, with one caveat: In the end, "we're going to have to do it all."
Boehner, for his part, in December hired Rebecca Tallent, a former top aide to Sen. John McCain and most recently the director of a bipartisan think tank's immigration task force. Even opponents of a broad immigration overhaul saw Tallent's selection as a sign legislation had suddenly become more likely. Boehner also fed speculation he would ignore tea party pressure, bluntly brushing back their criticism of December's modest budget agreement.
"The question is what are the core things that Republicans can't move away from, what are the core things that Democrats can't walk away from," said Republican pollster David Winston, who regularly consults with the House leadership. "You may have preferences and then you may have core elements. That's part of the process of going back and forth."
If successful, an immigration compromise could restore some luster to Obama's agenda, tarnished in 2013 by failures on gun legislation, bipartisan pushback on his efforts to take military action against Syria and the disastrous enrollment start for his health care law.
Obama has repeatedly argued that final immigration legislation must contain a path toward citizenship for immigrants who are in the United States illegally. Opponents argue citizenship rewards lawbreakers, and many Republicans are loath to support any measure granting citizenship no matter how difficult and lengthy that path may be.
But some advocates of reform are beginning to rally around an idea to grant immigrants legal status in the U.S. and leave the question of citizenship out of the legislation. In other words, they can work, but not vote.
Allowing this issue to lapse into the new year, and already gearing up for it so early, further displays a growing urgency on the part of advocates to affect the makeup of American citizenry asap, particularly when it can and will affect the future political landscape in an unfortunate and detrimental manner for our once sovereign nation.
Related links: The Coming Amnesty Offensive and the Need to Clean House
California grants law license to illegal immigrant
Unreal: Illegal Immigrants Whine They’re Not Getting Free Money From The State of California To Attend College
Boehner: Amnesty After GOP Filing Deadlines
Boehner Leans Toward Amnesty
Jeb Bush: I’ve Talked To Boehner And He’s Totally Committed To Amnesty
Rush On GOP Immigration Plan: Illegals To Be Granted Legal Status Without Citizenship
ADDENDUM: Texas-based QuorumReport confirms that Boehner has told Texas business interests back at the beginning of December that immigration reform votes will be held until AFTER filing deadlines have passed in an attempt to shield moderate incumbents from conservative challengers.
Fear of Tea Party challenges has the Speaker holding off for now, sources sayBut Boehner swears he's conservative. Yeah, right...and they wonder why Republican identification is at a 25-year low? No damn principle.
An aggressive timeline for passing comprehensive immigration reform may become a reality based on two significant developments on Capitol Hill.
One of them is that House Speaker John Boehner has hired an Immigration Policy Director who has deep experience in overhaul efforts. The other is that in recent weeks, various Texas business interests have told Quorum Report that Boehner has been telling them that he will start holding immigration votes not long after the filing deadline has passed. This, of course, runs counter to conventional wisdom that says immigration votes in the House will have to wait until 2014.
