Key players in immigration debate step back

El Caminante · 07-18-2013, 11:59 AM

Pressure, pressure, pressure. The only way to get the House to act on something:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...1.story?page=2

Pianoswithoutfaith · 07-18-2013, 03:39 PM

Quote:

The president is expected to host more of these not overtly partisan events, traveling to communities where he can stand with a coalition of business, farm and faith leaders who support the immigration overhaul.

One congressional aide referred to it as using the pulpit, rather than the bully pulpit.

Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles) was among those in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus who met with Obama recently at the White House, where the president made his stand-to-the-side approach clear. "He said, 'You all know the House better than I know the House. Let me know how I can be helpful. I'm ready to go,'" Becerra said of the president.
Many Democrats, including several top advisors to Obama, believe the party has nothing to lose no matter what happens. If House Republicans allow a bill with a pathway to citizenship to pass, the president fulfills a campaign promise. If not, Latino voters could be further alienated from the GOP.

But Obama's top advisors say he does not want to keep the immigration debate alive simply to use it as a wedge issue. "The president says his metric for success is what he gets done," said Dan Pfeiffer, a senior political advisor. "How do we make progress on our agenda? That's the only thing that matters."

House Republicans, however, may leave for the August recess without voting on any immigration bills.

At the Capitol meeting this week, the senators told those gathered that they needed to deliver a unified message to House members over the break. "The message was: Let's band together and push for overall immigration reform in the House," said Kristi Boswell, director of congressional relations for the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Blair Latoff Holmes, a U.S. Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman, said business leaders planned to meet with lawmakers to communicate "why this is important from an economic and business perspective."

"Rest assured," she said, "we will be engaged in the districts that matter to ensure the House takes up immigration reform."

[email protected]

[email protected]

Brian Bennett in the Washington bureau contributed to this report.

There we go

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Key players in immigration debate step back