Immigration Influence-Does GWB Have any?

The Weekly Standard ^ | 6/13/07 | Fred Barnes

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A SIMPLE DISTINCTION explains why President Bush is unlikely to alter the outcome of the Senate debate on immigration reform, his visit to a Senate Republican luncheon yesterday notwithstanding. Despite his relatively low presidential approval rating, Bush has plenty of power. There's the veto and the executive order. He's commander-in-chief and boss of American foreign policy. What he lacks is influence.

Presidential power--the veto in particular--allowed the president to ward off Democratic efforts to attach timetables for withdrawal of American troops to the Iraq funding bill last month. Democrats didn't have the votes to override his veto of a bill with timetables.

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President Bush's Influence over his party may be waning, but this is still a bad piece of legislation.

All in all though this is a win-win proposition for the Democrats, in my humble opinion. On the one hand, you have Reid not giving it back to the floor and using the excuse, "The Republicans blocked it or screwed up their side of the aisle, and I couldnt get them to agree to help push it through." Or he can put it back out there giving the majority of the Republicans a chance to vote it down, knowing that it is a bad idea. He can then point to it and say, "AHA! See, the Republicans are Racist, they are against Immigration Reform! They don't want it! Even though their President tried to work it out!" Damned if they do...you know the rest...

[tflabo]

He already signed the ‘Secure Fence Act of 2006”
...He needs to Shut up and Put up.....in his own words read the link...

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061026.html

[blackbart.223]

"Reid not giving it back to the floor and using the excuse, "The Republicans blocked it or screwed up their side of the aisle, and I couldnt get them to agree to help push it through." Or he can put it back out there giving the majority of the Republicans a chance to vote it down, knowing that it is a bad idea. He can then point to it and say, "AHA! See, the Republicans are Racist, they are against Immigration Reform!"

Reid's approval ratings are lower in the toilet than Bush's are.

[Cacique]

This is not over yet. Bush refuses to give up this easily. It's his stubborn character. He will try to resurrect it and call it something else. We have to keep our guard up. We need to keep the pressure up.

STAGE TWO is to go after the people who hire illegals. Start giving them fines and arresting them. Just catch ten or 100 of them on the nightly news. The magnet will dry up and most of the 12 million will go home by themselves.

As an addendum, we should anonymously call the IRS, people working "off the books" means taxes ain't being paid. Make anonymous fliers and hang them around the neighborhood, name names. It's time to embarrass these bustards, whether they give to the GOP or Rats, we don't need them.

CALL! CALL! CALL! CALL! AND KEEP CALLING TILL THE LINES FRY!

WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! TILL YOU RUN OUT OF INK IN YOUR PEN!

Bombard the Democrats as well, especially the ones that ran on an anti illegal immigration plank and the ones in marginal districts who could be vulnerable. keep pounding on them. This is a bipartisan issue not a Conservative or Liberal issue BUT AN AMERICAN issue.

STOP AMNESTY NOW!! WE CAN DO IT!!

The best way to stop Shamnesty

[Neu Pragmatist]

I find it very alarming that Freddy Boy would even mention “executive order” in this article talking about immigration .
Is he trying to give a subtle hint to Bush ?

Just remember, Barnes and his beltway handlers at the Weakly Standard are in love with McPain, and want this bill to pass hoping that it will help save McPain’s doomed campaign .

[2ndDivisionVet]

Just say NO to Amnesty!! Keep calling!! It’s NOT OVER!!

U.S. Senate switchboard: (202) 224-3121

U.S. House switchboard: (202) 225-3121

White House comments: (202) 456-1111

Find your House Rep.: http://www.house.gov/writerep

Find your US Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Bush’s intense desire to press forward with this bill tells me one thing...the man is a fool.

And a dangerous one at that.

[TADSLOS]

Isakson said what's needed is an "emergency supplement" to finance the buildup of border security now, rather than waiting until the bill is approved by Congress and signed by Bush. That would show, he said, that Washington really intends to secure the border. If the lack of confidence "isn't addressed," he said, "you can't" pass the bill.

Classic bait and switch move.

ENFORCE THE LAW. SECURE THE BORDER. NO AMNESTY.

[Hardastarboard]

Despite his relatively low presidential approval rating, Bush has plenty of power.

Apparently Bush doesn't have that much power. He's unable to make the bureaucracy enforce the existing laws.

[noname07718]

Why can’t we petition the Supreme Court for redress in citing the President for not enforcing the law of the land? With all of the lawyers on this site, there has to be an angle where we can have the judicial branch of government exercise its oversight of the Executive branch of Government.
I mean, we can petition the court when a law as applied is thought to be unjust and unconstitutional. When that is found to be the case, then the Supreme Court overturns the law. Why won’t it work for when the law is considered part of the legal code of the USA and not enforced? Why can’t we seek redress for laws passed by the Legislative branch of Government, Signed by the Executive Branch; but not enforced? Wasn’t there also funding passed for enforcement of these laws?
Maybe we can set a long lasting precedent where laws that are passed by the representatives, signed by the Executive and funded by the representatives MUST be enforced in the most strenuous manner. What a hoot that would be!
I have since learned that there is a process where a valid law can be enforced through a “writ of Mandate” I don’t know much about it or how you go about having such a court order issued.

Any well versed Freepers out there that can shed some light on this??

[Paladin2]

"He's unable to make the bureaucracy enforce the existing laws."

Maybe W should fire AG AG and appoint someone who cares and is halfway competent? Nah, full speed ahead onto the rocks.

[Russ7]

It appears that enough money has been spread around to get this “give America away” bill passed. I don’t think it will be pratical to go after the employers heiring illegals because they’ll just say they had SS#s and all the papers were in order....that they are not an enforcement agency...blah blah blah. The answer might be to go after the guys providing the phoney SS# cards and make an example of them....sending them to jail for 10 years on the 1st offense...25 yrs for the second offense. Please tell me why this idea won’t work.

[Greg F]

I disagree that the immigration issue cuts to the Dems. How does a wedge issue help a political party? If they are with the majority, or if the minority is more passionate. In this case the majority opposes amnesty and is more passionate. It looks like a conservative winner as an issue. The media will try to spin it against conservatives, and it is easy to do since race is involved, but they are insulting the majority of the people when they do that. Bush got his head handed to him by the “base” when he attacked “us” as yahoos, or whatever it was he said.

[seemoAR]

Give him a break. He is trying very hard to please his father. :}

[gubamyster]

ping

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Greg F wrote: I disagree that the immigration issue cuts to the Dems. How does a wedge issue help a political party? It helps them by dividing Us, the Conservatives, from the Republicans. Mainstream Republicans might just go right along with Bush, toe the line and all that, but Conservatives dig down, and say NO! This is not OK... Dems have done it before, and they know the strategy. They divide the core Conservative base from the mainstream Republican party, expecting to play one off the other.

[Greg F]

I saw a stat that 86% of the Republicans voted against cloture on the immigration bill, 84% of the Dems voted for it, something along those lines. The sell-outs have the problem, not the conservatives in the party.

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No, believe me, I think you are right...

In the long run though I just hate to see the Dems using and twisting these things to be our fault (Republicans/Conservatives) when they fail. Usually using the Mainstream media as their accomplices.

[Greg F]

The old blame game. Why don’t we all just turn off the MSM TV programs and cancel our subscriptions to the local paper?

[WashingtonSource]

Satan?