Last updated on February 8th, 2013 at 09:29 pm
There Was a Day When Republicans and Democrats Agreed On Illegal Immigration
Democrats and Republicans Working Together
Ironically, in 2006, all of the players you now see polarized had agreed to an immigration reform bill co-sponsored by Democrat Ted Kennedy and Republican John McCain. Said bill is now way too sane for McCain to put his name to, as he is busy selling his soul to the radical right and taking his friend Lindsey Graham down with him. Anything to keep his seat. Country First. Yada yada.
“Just four years ago, 62 U.S. senators, including 23 Republicans, voted for a comprehensive immigration reform bill that included a pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens. That bill was co-authored by Arizona Republican John McCain and Massachusetts Democrat Edward Kennedy. President Bush strongly supported it. The Republican supporters also included such conservative senators as Sam Brownback of Kansas and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. The 39 Democratic supporters included a freshman senator from Illinois named Barack Obama.
That bill offered a three-step approach to reform that remains the most plausible template for consensus. It would have toughened enforcement of immigration laws, devoting additional resources to guarding the border and policing employers who hire undocumented workers. It established a guest-worker program to regulate the flow of immigrant labor. (Under an Obama amendment, that guest-worker program would be suspended whenever unemployment reached 9 percent.) And it provided a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who pass a background check, pay a fine, and learn English….”
And notice that that bill was brought back and updated in 2010:
“For months, Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., have been negotiating an enforcement-legalization plan that largely tracks the 2006 model with some innovative updates, including a “biometric” Social Security card to certify legal status for employment. On balance, their proposal appears more conservative than the 2006 bill….. Yet it has been stalled for weeks because Graham had demanded that a second Republican sign on as a co-sponsor before the legislation is released, and none stepped forward. …Reform advocates suspect that Graham is withdrawing from the immigration effort partly to avoid embarrassing his close ally McCain…..”
This is dead in the water now because not ONE Republican would join Graham to sign this bill. Not ONE Republican would join Graham in signing a bill that is MORE conservative than the one so many of them agreed to under Bush. So, instead of getting bills that are good for the country, we’re getting bills that are good bumper stickers. Oh, and losing our Constitutional rights in Arizona and making a general mockery of everything this country was founded on. Nothing less than your typical GOPPER day in office.
Governor Brewer is busy whipping up the usual Republican election brew of fear and terror, and politicizing an issue that requires serious thought. One can’t help but wonder what happened to this bill that just four years ago, all of the major players agreed upon? How did the solution become stopping people to ask for their papers?
Perhaps it has a little something to do with a Republican litmus test that includes hating President Obama and refusing to work with him. Yes, that seems to be the major problem here. In fact, it isn’t just President Obama, it’s any Democratic president. Whenever the Right loses, they set about making the country ungovernable until they can return to their rightful position in power. This was somewhat effective during Clinton’s administration, and you can tell that the Right is salivating over trying to bust Obama for the same thing….oh, to find an indiscretion!
Perhaps these Goppers have forgotten that in the interim, they lost their moral high ground — if they ever had it, they’ve been shamed down to earth repeatedly almost as if God herself were saying, “Get over yourselves”. I’m not so sure they can destroy the country and Obama’s presidency over a blow job, but who am I to disturb them as they set about on the important business of running this country (er, trying to get back power). I refer of course to the National Enquirer (the rag that was “wrong” when Palin was cheating but is “right” when Edwards is cheating and now “right” when Obama is cheating) article on our President that the Right is linking to in every anti-Palin, anti-TeaParty, anti-Republican post there is.
Yes, because distraction from their epic failures (Drill, Baby, Drill and Show Me Your Papers) is always a lovely family value.
Country First. Yes, indeed.
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