Immigration Taking Center Stage
Based on this AP article, I’d say that Nancy Pelosi and her House leadership team are caught betwixt and between. Here’s what the AP is reporting:
Republican leaders hope that by pushing the bill — endorsed by 48 centrist Democrats and 94 Republicans — they can drive Democrats into a politically painful choice: Backing a tough immigration measure that could alienate their base, including Hispanic voters, or being painted as soft on border security in conservative-leaning districts.
The plan is fraught with political risks for both parties. A full-blown immigration debate could call attention to Republicans’ divisions at a time when their expected presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, is fighting to gain the trust of the GOP base.
McCain, R-Ariz., played a prominent role in failed legislative efforts to grant some of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already here a path to legal status, which conservatives deride as “amnesty.” He now says he would consider such a plan only after the borders have been fortified.
House Republicans are eyeing a bill by Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., that would do just that, as well as mandate that employers verify that their workers are in the U.S. legally.
Leaders are expected as early as Tuesday to use a parliamentary tactic that would eventually force a vote on the measure if 218 lawmakers — a majority of the House — demand it. Republicans are pressuring Democratic backers of the measure — including several first-termers and dozens from swing districts, all facing tough re-election fights — to defy their leaders and sign the petition.
“Lots of Republicans and lots of Democrats would like to see something done,” Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., the No. 2 whip, said Friday.
The move would be a rebuke to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who opposes the Shuler bill unless it’s paired with measures to allow undocumented workers a chance at legal status and allow legal immigrants to bring more family members to the United States. Democratic leaders have been working behind the scenes to craft an alternative that could dissuade their more conservative members who back Shuler’s bill from joining the GOP effort to press forward on it.
This is a big deal. If this coalition can get 218 signatures on their discharge petition, then Pelosi’s hands will be tied. They’ll have to debate the bill.
Pelosi doesn’t want to get caught in this situation because it’s a lose-lose situation. That’s also why the AP is reporting that this would be a rebuke of Ms. Pelosi. (BTW, the fact that the AP is reporting it that way is telling by itself.)
With poll after poll showing that 70+ percent of the people demand that the border be secured first with the fence, this is a big issue that has the potential of splitting the Democrats and embarrassing Ms. Pelosi. It’s both good policy and good politics.
Technorati Tags: Nancy Pelosi, Immigration, Discharge Petition, Roy Blunt, Election 2008
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog
March 11th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Pelosi doesn’t have much choice, the best she could do now is quietly pull it, if she can. This was supposed to be a sly end run around the voters while they were stupified by the primaries, but a couple grass roots blogs got wind of it last week and the faxes and phonecalls begin flying again.