Thread: Gutierrez' reform plan has no chance

http://www.suntimes.com/news/cepeda/195 ... 09.article

December 21, 2009

To give you an idea of how much impact Rep. Luis Gutierrez' immigration reform proposal made on the national agenda when he debuted it last Tuesday, this is the number of White House press corps questions asked on the subject at that day's press briefing:

None. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada.


The attention was on the President Obama's health-care meeting with the Senate and Illinois' Thomson prison -- the so-called "Illinois Gitmo" -- and what to do with those other pesky foreigners, with a few questions on climate-change talks in Copenhagen, a few on Iran's nuclear intentions and even an inquiry about an obscure Hawaiian government reorganization act that might get attached to the Pentagon spending measure.

But not a single question -- or comment from the White House press secretary -- regarding that day's immigration law reform proposal.

Yep, immigration reform, a topic the Obama administration vowed as recently as April would get much-needed attention -- and possibly a proposal for a comprehensive overhaul -- in 2009.

So why did the nation's news editors and the elite White House press corps completely ignore Gutierrez' proposal?

Because there isn't a snowball's chance for a plan to allow 12 million illegal immigrants to waltz out of the shadows and into the open arms of a United States that is breaking under the weight of 10 percent unemployment.

Hey, you can't blame Gutierrez for trying -- there are plenty of productive, nonviolent illegal immigrants who would be a tremendous asset to this country and should be allowed to make it better -- but he picked the wrong time and the wrong tactic.

There's never a bad time to figure out how to treat humanely people already illegally living in our country, but some moments are better than others. Now, as the White House deals with the economy, unemployment, health care, climate change, Afghanistan and about a million other things, is definitely not the best time.

What the Obama administration is doing at the moment is bending over backward to combine special humanitarian deportation exemptions -- i.e., star UIC student and DUI offender Rigo Padilla -- with a comprehensive worksite enforcement strategy and reforms to the sometimes horrifying immigration detention system. The idea is to demonstrate progress.

To the chagrin of some immigrant advocacy organizations, these efforts indicate that the issue does enjoy priority status in certain measurable ways and dilutes the "us-vs.-them narrative" that whipped up such a passion during the George W. Bush years.

Then there's Gutierrez' actual proposal: purposely dependent on mass legalization, lacking a temporary-worker program, and leaving completely unanswered the million-dollar question of how this plan is significantly different from the amnesty of the 1980s, popularly believed to have been the precursor to the massive influx of illegal immigrants that sparked an angry and frustrated backlash -- the "send them all home" Sensenbrenner Bill of 2005.

Gutierrez is right to push the reform envelope, but he must go back to the drawing board. And while he's there, here's my advice: Forget the prayer vigils and the sob stories and instead talk to people about this country's economic progress. If interested parties want to see productive, pragmatic -- and therefore humane -- immigration law reform come to pass, they need to break out the business case. Let's see the numbers. Get a truly bipartisan panel into a room with a team of statistical analysts tasked with creating an unbiased accounting of the costs and benefits of legalization.

Weigh in all the factors that scare the bejeezus out of the detractors -- increased education and health-care costs -- add in all the benefits we'd supposedly gain, like young, hardworking U.S.-loving citizens. Then make the airtight business case required to either propose a reform that actually has a chance of passing or relegate the whole thing to the waiting room until -- as one keen observer put it -- "the last unemployed American finds a job."

To give you an idea of how much impact Rep. Luis Gutierrez' immigration reform proposal made on the national agenda when he debuted it last Tuesday, this is the number of White House press corps questions asked on the subject at that day's press briefing:

None. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada




How much of an ass must he feel like right about now?

They made a whole huge production out of this.....even being "late" to the grand unveiling just so they could stage a procession hinting at some holy pilgrimage, had like a zillion people all standing up there,prop kiddies, and nobody cared enough to ask a single question?

Too funny........

Wonderful!

Yes, we know this. But news reports state that Obama (and the OBL) is working with Schumer (and Lindsey Graham) on what they will call (and the media will regurgitate) as the more "moderate" (mass amnesty) Senate proposal.

Even Pelosi has publicly stated that the Senate will have to go first.

So get ready to fight the much more deceptive Senate amnesty plan.

I'm glad that this amnesty plan has no chance.

Originally Posted by Populist

Yes, we know this. But news reports state that Obama (and the OBL) is working with Schumer (and Lindsey Graham) on what they will call (and the media will regurgitate) as the more "moderate" (mass amnesty) Senate proposal.

Even Pelosi has publicly stated that the Senate will have to go first.

So get ready to fight the much more deceptive Senate amnesty plan.

I agree Populist, I am more worried about this attempt at Amnesty then in 2007.

The Pro-IA's learned from 2007 and will now try to do it by stealth,behind closed doors and have the votes BEFORE revealing it to the public or bringing it to the Senate floor.

NumbersUSA has an analysis on their front page which is a very helpful insight to fight this attempt.

[quote="Populist"]


Yes, we know this. But news reports state that Obama (and the OBL) is working with Schumer (and Lindsey Graham) on what they will call (and the media will regurgitate) as the more "moderate" (mass amnesty) Senate proposal.




That's precisely what I posted about on another topic.....about suspecting that Gutierrez' bill was a distraction....something which was intentionally written to be so outrageous that the one Schumer comes out with is going to look mild in comparison.

And with the inclination of our government toward always making it sound as if everything is an unstoppable done deal so it's one or the other, they're probably hoping that people....believing that it's that one or the other....will be less likely to protest Schumer's proposal.

Gutierrez or Schumer, they're still going to have one hell of a fight on their hands because they're facing a population dealing with a whole host of issues not even comparable to the last time they tried this and also growing angrier by the day over the abuse of power by this administration.


So get ready to fight the much more deceptive Senate amnesty plan.


Absolutely......and our efforts need to be even bigger than the last time.

I know that last time I worked mainly online but this time I'm adding another layer of activism in the form of leafletting. The kid who works on my computer is working on the design for me and he and my two oldest are going to go out and plaster every windshield, telephone pole, bus stop....you name it...... with 'em.

Not everyone has access to a computer, and even if they do that's no guarantee they know about this at all, let alone any facts of just how devastating such a move will be if it's passed. I at least want to know that I did everything I could to make sure people are informed........

And, if leafletting was good enough for the colonists in their fight, then, by damned, it's good enough for us.

Originally Posted by wilro

I'm glad that this amnesty plan has no chance.

Dont be fooled. Everyone thought TARP and the Bailouts wouldnt go through and they did. Now it looks like the damn health care bill will succeed too. Obama and the democrats will do just about anything to make sure they control all of America. Giving amnesty to 30 million grateful illegal aliens will ensure they remain in power.

Originally Posted by azwreath

Absolutely......and our efforts need to be even bigger than the last time.

I know that last time I worked mainly online but this time I'm adding another layer of activism in the form of leafletting. The kid who works on my computer is working on the design for me and he and my two oldest are going to go out and plaster every windshield, telephone pole, bus stop....you name it...... with 'em.

Not everyone has access to a computer, and even if they do that's no guarantee they know about this at all, let alone any facts of just how devastating such a move will be if it's passed. I at least want to know that I did everything I could to make sure people are informed........

And, if leafletting was good enough for the colonists in their fight, then, by damned, it's good enough for us.

Great points and idea azwreath.

From the articles I've read, it doesn't appear that Cornyn is on board with Schumer and Graham, at least so far. We'll have to lobby Cornyn hard due to his position as the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Refugees and Border Security Subcommittee.

"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."

Thomas Jefferson