No matter what the administration witnesses say, it's going to be revealing. Everyone knows the only way that immigration reform happens is if the president leads on it. And if they come and mouth platitudes and stay vague, it'll be interpreted in both chambers as an abdication of his leadership role. |
Obviously, there's tremendous pressure on lawmakers to fix the problem. |
That would mean President Bush would have to weigh in. |
That's a very good sign for the tough votes on other issues. |
The divisions in the Republican Party are pronounced, but there are questions for the Democratic Party as well (about its position). Do they want a bill or do they want an issue? We don't want to be a football. We want the leaders of both parties to step up and provide a way this can be addressed. |
The fact that they're calling a hearing in the midst of their other priorities indicates the chairman's commitment to moving immigration reform as quickly as possible. |
The idea that 11 million here illegally are going to sign up for a program that is going to (eventually) result in their removal is unworkable. Most won't sign up. The good news is that (Bush) continues to address the issue and he hasn't backed down from the point of view that temporary workers need to be part of it. But politically, they've made a mishmash of this issue. |
The loud voices, punchy arguments and simple headlines from governments, politicians and anti-immigration groups will often be easier to hear. The other side has a harder job, because theirs is the more sophisticated argument, offering humane, progressive and enlightened policies in the midst of an emotional debate. |
The Mexican who arrived last month is more often in direct competition with a Mexican who's been here five years than with an African-American who was born here. |
The Minutemen were offensive because they were kind of scary, but no one disagrees with border enforcement, really. It angered some people, but it angered activists. But when Congress said 'You hardworking people, we are going to call you felons,' that really broke through. You were no longer talking about policy, you were talking about who they are, that they are bad people. |
The Sensenbrenner bill has proven to be one of the great mobilizing forces for the pro (immigration) reform alliance in this country. |
Their painstaking progress on winning Latino voters is in jeopardy because the face of the (Republican) party on this issue is Tom Tancredo. They are caught between their base and their desire to do something reasonable. |
There will be no bill passed without robust immigration enforcement. |
There's a bipartisan majority in favor of reform, and there's a president who says he's willing to sign it. And if they cannot figure out how to get from here to there, shame on them. |
There's lots of signs of the growing drumbeat for reform. We think there is a bipartisan majority with presidential leadership that can actually get across the finish line this session. |