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  1. #1
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    Immigration Deal Hits Political Reality

    Immigration Deal Hits Political Reality
    By RON FOURNIER 05.18.07, 3:43 PM ET





    One of the nation's most vexing political and social issues - how to deal with millions of illegal immigrants - can be solved only if Congress and the White House embrace the same can-do spirit that marked this week's tentative deal. Don't count on it.

    Forged in secrecy, the proposal now faces the harsh realities of the public arena, its fate in the hands of politicians averse to compromise or taking chances. In particular, the 2008 presidential candidates seem determined to play politics with immigration: They're changing their tone and positions, or hedging to meet election-year demands.

    "In terms of all the senators running for their parties' presidential nominations, this is sort of like receiving a mysterious package in the mail and trying to figure out what's inside. It could explode in their faces or be 10 pounds of fudge," said Ross K. Baker, political science professor at Rutgers University.

    A cross-party coalition of lawmakers _from liberal icon Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., to conservative Sen. Jon Kyle Kyl, R-Ariz. - signed off Thursday on a bill that would offer legal status to most of the nation's 12 million illegal immigrants while also toughening border security. The effort suggests that some politicians are adequately motivated to address the immigration crisis before the 2008 elections.

    It may be President Bush's last chance to claim a significant domestic policy victory before the end of a second term hit by scandal, war and plummeting approval ratings. It's the first major opportunity by the Democratic-led Congress to get something done. And it's the best chance Washington will get anytime soon to control the nation's porous borders and bring millions of illegal immigrants out of the shadows of the law, confronting economic and national security concerns.

    Immigration control is no longer an issue just along the nation's borders, but one that touches virtually every state. It tends to divide people more along regional and economic lines than by party - a maker of strange bedfellows. Business leaders and some Democrats are united to extend the flow of cheap labor into the country. Conservatives and some populist Democrats speak in unison about closing the nation's borders before doing anything else.

    Compromise on such a complicated issue would be tough any time in U.S. history. These are unusually divisive times.

    "The public's approval of Congress is very low, as low as the president's, and we think one reason is all the conflict there," said Carol Cassel, professor of political science at the University of Alabama.

    It is no accident that presidential candidates reacted so cautiously - and politically - to news of the deal.

    Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois said he wouldn't prejudge the bill, but worried that some provisions were not "just and humane."

    Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., said she'd study the package to make sure it "does not lead to the creation of a new underclass."

    Former Sen. John Edwards, who is running on a more liberal platform than he adopted in his failed 2004 race, expressed concerns about a "poorly conceived guest worker program."

    The leading Republican candidates seem even more tortured.

    Sen. John McCain of Arizona distanced himself from negotiations he once championed, then suddenly re-emerged Thursday to take part in the news conference.

    Former Sen. Fred Thompson flatly rejected the deal as a "bill of goods," while writing separately on a political blog that Congress needs bipartisanship. "Too often, what we are seeing isn't an effort to find solutions, but rather insults and purely partisan politics."

    Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's campaign issued a statement that placed his sole emphasis on border security. That's a far less nuanced approach than he took as mayor, when Giuliani billed himself as one of the most "pro-immigrant" politicians in America and argued against a GOP bill restricting immigration.

    What has changed? Giuliani is now seeking the support of anti-immigration Republicans.

    Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said Thursday he strongly opposed the deal because of its efforts to give illegal citizens a path to citizenship. A year ago, he left a different impression.

    "With these 11 million people, let's have them registered, know who they are," Romney told a New Hampshire newspaper. "Those who've been arrested or convicted of crimes shouldn't be here; those that are here paying taxes and not taking government benefits should begin a process toward application for citizenship, as they would from their home country."

    Romney once stressed what needed to be done. Now he stresses what he doesn't want done.

    It's a shift in tone and emphasis tailored for the presidential campaign trail, the last place you'd expect to find a can-do spirit.


    EDITOR'S NOTE - Ron Fournier has covered politics for The Associated Press for nearly 20 years.


    Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

    http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/05/ ... 37430.html
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    Re: Immigration Deal Hits Political Reality

    It may be President Bush's last chance to claim a significant domestic policy victory before the end of a second term hit by scandal, war and plummeting approval ratings.


    Oh, I think that ship has sailed............and sunk

  3. #3
    Senior Member SOSADFORUS's Avatar
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    Well if he thinks amnesty is going to help him he's barking up the wrong tree, he's not on the side thats 70 to 80 per cent against amnesty. How can they all be so stupid!!
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  4. #4
    Senior Member pjr40's Avatar
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    Hey, Bush is so stupid, when you look up the word stupid in the dictionary it shows his picture.
    <div>Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of congress; but I repeat myself. Mark Twain</div>

  5. #5
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    "My pledge to you and your government, but more important to the people of Mexico, is I'll work as hard as I possibly can to pass comprehensive immigration reform."
    President George Bush March 13, 2007 in Mexico.
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  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by 2ndamendsis
    "My pledge to you and your government, but more important to the people of Mexico, is I'll work as hard as I possibly can to pass comprehensive immigration reform."
    President George Bush March 13, 2007 in Mexico.

    Awwww, how sweet! President Jorge is talking to his people!
    I wish We had a president that cared so much about us!

  7. #7
    Senior Member SOSADFORUS's Avatar
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    Thanks for reminding us sis, thats enough to get your blood boiling !!
    Please support ALIPAC's fight to save American Jobs & Lives from illegal immigration by joining our free Activists E-Mail Alerts (CLICK HERE)

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by ProudAmericanFamily
    Quote Originally Posted by 2ndamendsis
    "My pledge to you and your government, but more important to the people of Mexico, is I'll work as hard as I possibly can to pass comprehensive immigration reform."
    President George Bush March 13, 2007 in Mexico.

    Awwww, how sweet! President Jorge is talking to his people!
    I wish We had a president that cared so much about us!
    And dear God I wish he had stayed there!

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