Despite steep odds, the White House has discussed prospects for reviving a major overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, a commitment that President Obama has postponed once already.
Obama took up the issue privately with his staff Monday in a bid to advance a bill through Congress before lawmakers become too distracted by approaching midterm elections.
In the session, Obama and members of his Domestic Policy Council outlined ways to resuscitate the effort in a White House meeting with two senators -- Democrat Charles E. Schumer of New York and Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina -- who have spent months trying to craft a bill.
According to the report, this bill will be eerily similar to the failed immigration reform effort in 2007. It will include a path to citizenship for the nation's illegals, fines, waiting periods, and stricter enforcement.
The bill in 2007 caused so much opposition that the switch boards in Capitol Hill were often overloaded with phone calls. That bill went down to a very public and bruising defeat. It nearly cost McCain his nomination before he made a remarkable comeback despite his association with it.
Then Senator Obama played a very minor role then offering criticism of the "process" from time to time. Now, we're supposed to believe that following his own public and humiliating defeat on health care reform he's going to take up immigration reform that will differ from an equally unpopular immigration reform bill in no discernable way.
Well let's not forget, the Republicans opposition to immigration reform, culminating in McCain being forced to repudiate his own bill, hurt the Republicans badly with Hispanic voters in 2008. As bad as the Republicans did its hard to remember that Bush did pretty well with them in 2004.
ReplyDeleteI didnt know Obama had been "defeated"on health care?
ReplyDeleteIsn't he gong to pass it through reconciliation?