© 2010 Capitol News Company, LLC
Posted on 03/12/2010 5:35:47 PM PST by neverdem
A pair of White House meetings Thursday designed to chart a path forward for immigration reform instead spotlighted the daunting obstacles ahead — and showed why many Capitol Hill insiders believe it’s quite unlikely an immigration bill will happen this year.
“This is not ... going to pass without strong bipartisan support. So the president is anxious today to get an update from [lawmakers] on the progress that they’ve made on seeking and gaining that bipartisan support,” Gibbs said. “My guess is, we’re more than one Republican away from immigration reform.”
After meeting with President Barack Obama, the leading Republican backing a comprehensive approach warned that a Democratic health care push could scuttle any chance of action on immigration in this Congress.
“I expressed, in no uncertain terms, my belief that immigration reform could come to a halt for the year if health care reconciliation goes forward,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said in a statement issued just after he and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) met with Obama.
“For more than a year, health care has sucked most of the energy out of the room. Using reconciliation to push health care through will make it much harder for Congress to come together on a topic as important as immigration.”
Obama is facing a political squeeze play on the issue. As Graham was warning that health care reform could derail immigration reform, members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus were arriving at the White House to discuss their threat to drop support for health care reform legislation if illegal immigrants are not permitted to buy insurance through new federal exchanges.
And in fact, the White House’s public nods toward immigration reform in recent days could be intended, in part, to keep Latino members from breaking out in full-scale revolt over the health care bill’s treatment of undocumented workers.
Graham’s comments also fit into a larger GOP effort now on display to try to make life uncomfortable for Democrats as they push ahead with health reform through reconciliation — in this case, by trying to pit health reform advocates against those who say immigration reform should be a top priority.
In his statement, Obama did not mention any time frame for passing a bill but offered general encouragement to senators and community leaders to keep pressing for reform.
“I told both the senators and the community leaders that my commitment to comprehensive immigration reform is unwavering and that I will continue to be their partner in this important effort,” Obama said.
While many on Capitol Hill have privately declared immigration reform dead for the year, advocates for an immigration overhaul used a White House meeting to plead with Obama to jump-start the process.
However, after an hourlong session with the president, they acknowledged he can do little to address one of the biggest obstacles to legislation: the lack of Republican support aside from Graham.
“He’s a lonely man right now, it seems. That’s the problem,” said Roman Catholic Bishop John Wester of Utah. “I don’t think we can assume that the president — that he can work miracles, that he can just pick up the phone and [solve it]. He can do a lot, but there are limits to what he can do.”
At a briefing earlier in the day, press secretary Robert Gibbs did not sound upbeat about the legislation’s prospects and suggested there was little for Obama to do on the issue until there were signs of more GOP backing.
And in his statement, Schumer said one of the two priorities for him and Graham was enlisting Obama’s support in rounding up more Senate support.
“We asked the president for his help in two specific areas: to help us gain increased support in the Senate and to help us work out the final aspects of a potential agreement between business and labor on the future flow of lower-skilled labor,” Schumer said.
Advocates came to the White House with obvious impatience but modest demands. Most had expected the Schumer-Graham measure to be formally introduced in January. Now, pro-immigrant groups are simply asking for a “framework” or “blueprint” of the bill to be made public in time for a march on Washington later this month. Then, they want Obama to publicly endorse the proposal.
“It is undeniable that presidential leadership, greater presidential leadership, is needed,” said Clarissa Martinez of the National Council of La Raza. “The president is committed to do that. ... They’re committed to immigration reform. It’s like, ‘OK, but what does that mean and by when?’”
Advocates laid out no deadlines for a bill to pass or even be introduced; but when asked, they said they were hopeful that it could happen this year. However, there was increasing talk about holding members of both parties “accountable” and about using this fall’s election to do that.
“One of the things that we are going to be telling the immigrant community is that they have a vital stake in the outcome of this debate, and they need to make their voices heard in November,” said Eliseo Medina of the Service Employees International Union.
As for the chance of getting a bill through, he said, “I think it’s going to be hard. I don’t think it’s impossible. ... I think we’ve got a shot.”
There was also a palpable frustration that Republicans who backed the unsuccessful reform effort in 2007, including Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), were now shying away.
“Many of them are already on record on this issue,” Martinez noted. “Some of them have done it before, and they need to do it again.”
Gibbs echoed that sentiment. “We can all name many Republicans that have been for immigration reform at different parts in their career,” he said, in an apparent reference to McCain. “The question is, where are they?”
McCain, who is facing a primary challenge from an immigration reform opponent, told POLITICO earlier this week that he was unaware of any action Obama had taken on the issue and that a reform bill would be “very, very difficult in this environment.”
Republicans also indicated they would paint any White House movement on immigration as a betrayal of unemployed U.S. citizens.
“If President Obama is serious about addressing the immigration issue, he needs to focus on the millions of Americans who are out of work or worried about losing their jobs,” said Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa). This is the time for the Obama administration to accelerate enforcement of immigration laws to make room for unemployed Americans — not grant amnesty.”
© 2010 Capitol News Company, LLC |
The country is in deep recession ... NOBODY but the parasites wants it anymore.
When is this stupid, worthless, POS up for election? I want to send about a grand to his opponent and work for the campaign to defeat lindsey.
Looked it up, answered my own question...2014...geeesh. I hope I make it long enough to work against him then. He isn’t even that senior. Shows to go you that he is a media darling and we know why...rino, rino, rino.
2014...maybe she’ll get involved in a sex scandal or something
Good point. If conservatives are smart they should invest in some good private eyes.
Headlines Across the USA:
“Immigration Reform in Peril”
Most Americans Oppose Amnesty
Man Attacks Pit Bull
Crack Found On Governor’s Daughter
M-O-O-N: that spells Linseed
They should both be in jail.
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The only immigration reform Lindsey Graham wants to see passed is amnesty. If amnesty is in peril, then that’s good news to me.
Graham is a tool. These illegals, upon becoming legalized, will not support him or his party’s interests.
The nit wits who voted to re-elect this idiot make me feel ashamed to live in SC. I’m sorry SC has let us down.
He always seemed a little “light in the loafers” to me [...not that there’s anything wrong with that...]
When is Grahamnesty coming out of the closet?
Bear in mind this was pre-Tea Party. The pubbies couldn't come up with a really strong conservative candidate. They ran Buddy Witherspoon against Limpy and Limpy won.
Today I think the outcome would be a lot different because the dynamics have changed so much. I am very much looking forward to tossing Lindsey out on the sidewalk come 2014.
Uber RINO Lindsey Ping
"Republican by day, Democrat by night."
Want on or off this ping list?
Just FReepmail me.
Thank you.
I wish we could call a spade a spade! “Comprehensive Immigration Reform’ is nothing more that code for amnesty for 15 to 20 million criminal illegal immigrants,
I am sick of the misleading euphemisms for the purpose of misleading the citizens of this country!
We don’t need 15 to 20 to 30 million more illegal illiterate peasants that the taxpayers foot the bill for!!!!!
You got it! LOL!
We can hope. This guy is an insult to Republicans everywhere.
I sure am getting tired of seeing his wimpy mug all over the news saying how he wants to advance Barack the Kenyan’s communist agenda.
Graham is a traitor to his country, because he is willing to see it turned into Nuevo Mexico against the consent of the majority.
Graham is a traitor to his party (and really anybody right-of-center), because the majority of Mexicans are never going to vote for anyone who is not a big government Democrat.
When are Republicans going to learn that amnesty will be the absolute death-knell of their party?? Are they trying to commit suicide??
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