Dems vow hard line in immigration reform’s next phase

freshh. · 06-07-2013, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Senate Democrats have privately decided that the amendment offered by Senator John Cornyn to strengthen border security — the latest high-profile effort by Republicans to shift the bill dramatically to the right — is too onerous and is unacceptable to them, according to an aide to a Democratic member of the Gang of Eight.

The move is important, because Cornyn’s amendment has emerged as a key new demand among Republicans as part of their effort to make the bill acceptable to conservatives — which ultimately can be seen as a challenge to determine just how much Dems are willing to give away to get broad support for the bill. If Dems stick to their vow to kill the Cornyn amendment, it will send an encouraging sign that Dems really do intend to hold the line against any Republican efforts to undermine the core of the bill, i.e., the path to citizenship.

Senate Dems have decided that two key aspects of Cornyn’s amendment — which are designed to create enforcement “triggers” that must be met before the path to citizenship is operative – are unacceptable, the aide tells me. In particular, Cornyn’s demand for at least a 90 percent apprehension rate along the southern border, and the “Biometric Exit System” being fully operational at all air and sea ports of entry, are both unacceptable as triggers for citizenship, the aide tells me.

As for Cornyn’s demand that the bill provide for the hiring of 5,000 border security agents, the Dem aide notes that Republicans have not explained how this would be paid for, so the idea is unworkable on its face. (This echoes some of David Drucker’s recent reporting.)

This is a key marker from Dems. It is intended to send a signal to Republicans that they are not willing to allow them to undermine the most basic aspect of the bill — that the path to citizenship not be contingent on unreasonable demands or triggers. It complicates matters for Marco Rubio, a member of the bipartisan Gang of Eight, who is trying to demonstrate that he is pushing the bill to the right — and has said he is broadly supportive of Cornyn’s efforts as part of that process.

All of this comes as Senate Democrats are preparing for a bruising few weeks, in which Republicans are expected to offer a series of new amendments designed to move the bill to the right (or, in some cases, to kill it outright). Advocates on both sides are trying to determine how hard a line Dems are genuinely willing to draw.
Some aides have fastened on to Chuck Schumer’s suggestion on the Sunday shows that Dems should try for 70 votes in the Senate in order to project broad bipartisan support, in hopes that this will force the House GOP to act. Some worry that setting this goal projects a willingness up front to make concessions and could put Dems in a weaker position later, and ask whether the vote total in the Senate will even make a difference to the House GOP, given the enormous hostility among Republicans toward reform.

“If the House passes anything, it’s likely to be a very bad bill and we’ll have to go to conference with our bill and their bill, so our bill should be the strongest possible starting point for those negotiations,” one senior Senate Dem aide tells me. “We will put enormous pressure on Speaker Boehner simply by passing a bill. Passing it by 70-plus votes would be a nice cherry on top but it’s not worth giving away major concessions to get it.”

The flip side of this argument is that it may be a false choice. Perhaps Schumer is merely making a prediction that it can win 70 votes, not arguing that Dems should give a lot away to achieve them. In any case, the bill is going to be changed throughout the amendment process, and some amendments strengthening border security — provided they don’t undermine the path to citizenship — might be desirable, since it could give Republicans a way to say to conservatives that they achieved border security concessions for them. In this sense, Dems are engaged in a very delicate dance, in which they need to signal that they will not give an inch on anything that undermines the path to citizenship, even as they do permit the process to give Republicans a way to argue to conservatives that their interests are being advanced.

Also, it’s very possible that House Republicans won’t pass anything, and that there will be no conference negotiations. If that happens, the question will be whether House GOP leaders are willing to allow a vote on the Senate bill — perhaps even letting it pass with mostly Dem votes. That could perhaps be more likely if the Senate bill passes with broad support (though that’s not clear).

If Dems hold fast against Cornyn’s amendment, an important message — that anything that compromises the path to citizenship is unacceptable – will be loud and clear. And it will mean that immigration reform’s prospects turn on one thing, and one thing alone: Can Republicans accept a path to citizenship with reasonable conditions, or not?

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dado123 · 06-07-2013, 04:18 PM

Hopefully Latinos speak loud and clear, Republicans are dead on arrival in ELECTIONS if they don't support CIR !

Tonyhasadream · 06-07-2013, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dado123

Hopefully Latinos speak loud and clear, Republicans are dead on arrival in ELECTIONS if they don't support CIR !

People need to start threatening republicans with this, you either help pass CIR or you are done.

EditorInChief · 06-07-2013, 05:40 PM

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Originally Posted by freshh.

Source

Democrats FINALLY decide to play politics again. They do not want to pass CIR for undocumented workers. All they want is to continue to shift blame onto the Republicans!

We want CIR. We do NOT want Democrats who PRETEND to care about us!

EditorInChief · 06-07-2013, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tonyhasadream

People need to start threatening republicans with this, you either help pass CIR or you are done.

You are wrong. We should threaten the Democrats.

Tell Democrats that they are dead on arrival in election.

EditorInChief · 06-07-2013, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dado123

Hopefully Latinos speak loud and clear, Republicans are dead on arrival in ELECTIONS if they don't support CIR !

All undocumented works should speak LOUD and CLEAR. If the Democrats want to ruin the CIR efforts, they are dead on arrival in next election.

Those Democrats are playing politics AGAIN and AGAIN!

Chn · 06-07-2013, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EditorInChief

You are wrong. We should threaten the Democrats.

Tell Democrats that they are dead on arrival in election.

Stop with the dumb rhetoric, the vast majority of votes for CIR will be from Democrats. It has been repeated multiple times- it all comes down to wether Republicans want CIR to pass or not.

EditorInChief · 06-07-2013, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chn

Stop with the dumb rhetoric, the vast majority of votes for CIR will be from Democrats. It has been repeated multiple times- it all comes down to wether Republicans want CIR to pass or not.

You are absolutely wrong. Those Democrats are just cleverly fooling you around.

They vote for CIR because they simply want to shift blames to the Republicans.

They vote for CIR not because they want the CIR to pass.

All previous CIR efforts were passed by the Republicans in at least one of the two chambers!! When the Democrats controlled both chambers a couple of years ago, they did absolutely nothing about CIR

Wake up! We should request the Democrats STOP ruin the CIR efforts this time!!

dtrt09 · 06-07-2013, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chn

Stop with the dumb rhetoric, the vast majority of votes for CIR will be from Democrats. It has been repeated multiple times- it all comes down to wether Republicans want CIR to pass or not.

No, he/she has a point. Why do you think CIR is now at this point? The CIR 'Democrats' are the very same ones who signed IIRAIRA. They didn't even read it then, and they themselves ackowledged this.

They also signed DOMA and threw the gays under the bus. Both IIRIRA and DOMA were passed by a DEMOCRATIC administration. Obama is turning worse than Bush; look at all of his administration abuses; incarceration and prosectution of whistleblowers, killing of Americans, etc. Not everything is black and white. That's the reason the man who ordered me deported also had his OFA- before I flat out told them not to contat me again- tell me that he is against breaking up families and deportations. As if. They may not be racists, but their main priority is to keep their jobs in Congress. I believe they have gotten a pass by Latinos and immigration activists and we've done ourselves a disservice.

Tonyhasadream · 06-07-2013, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dtrt09

No, he/she has a point. Why do you think CIR is now at this point? The CIR 'Democrats' are the very same ones who signed IIRAIRA. They didn't even read it then, and they themselves ackowledged this.

They also signed DOMA and threw the gays under the bus. Both IIRIRA and DOMA were passed by a DEMOCRATIC administration. Obama is turning worse than Bush; look at all of his administration abuses; incarceration and prosectution of whistleblowers, killing of Americans, etc. Not everything is black and white. That's the reason the man who ordered me deported also had his OFA- before I flat out told them not to contat me again- tell me that he is against breaking up families and deportations. As if. They may not be racists, but their main priority is to keep their jobs in Congress. I believe they have gotten a pass by Latinos and immigration activists and we've done ourselves a disservice.

So the house is controlled by republicans and they said they won't support the bill at all and someone it's the democrats fault?

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Dems vow hard line in immigration reform’s next phase