That dosnt mean that losing 1 vote will make no difference. If you saw the healthcare, it came down to the last vote. If people refuse to help citizens of their own nation, what makes you think they will help outsiders ?!

If healthcare could turn a solid blue state to red imagine the shivers it would be sending down democrat states in tossups.

It is highly unlikely immigration reform would be taken up in this climate, however for them to ignore immigration would be to lose the hispanic vote.

Basically it boils down to, do they value the hispanic vote or independants. At this stage they cant aim for both, they are bound to piss of someone unless they pass smaller measures (Dream act), and annoy but not majorly piss of independants and give the hispanics something to be happy about.