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bobbyw24
04-22-2010, 05:09 AM
Democrats Revive Immigration Push

Pelosi, Reid Agree to Put Issue Ahead of Energy Bill as Hispanics, a Key Voting Bloc, Grow Frustrated About Inaction

By LAURA MECKLER

Democratic leaders in Congress have agreed to try to pass immigration legislation this year, placing the explosive issue ahead of an energy bill on their agenda and upending conventional wisdom that it was dead for now.

Democrats hope the measure will quell frustration among Hispanic voters at inaction on immigration in advance of the fall elections, where those voters could be crucial in many races. A comprehensive bill would include a path to citizenship for those in the U.S. illegally, a priority for immigrant advocates but something opponents deride as amnesty.

"It's a moral imperative and a political imperative," said a Democratic leadership aide.

For Republicans, the issue presents both opportunities and perils. Some Republican strategists argue that an immigration battle will divide Democrats, which could help the GOP. The issue could be damaging to some conservative House Democrats who face tough races this fall in swing districts.

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-BF588_IMMIGR_D_20100421172912.jpg
A U.S. Border Patrol agent in March near a fence along the Mexican border about 15 miles east of San Diego. An immigration bill being drafted would try to better secure U.S. borders.

"If Democrats want to add to an already unpopular agenda by bringing up an issue that highlights divisions in their own caucus, they will be making a bad political environment even worse," said Paul Lindsey, a spokesman for the National Republican Campaign Committee, which works to elect Republicans to the House.

In a leadership meeting late Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he would bring immigration legislation to the floor this year, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said she would try to move the bill if it passed the Senate first, according to three Democratic officials. With limited time available for action this year, both leaders said they would put immigration ahead of energy on their priority list, the officials said.

Previously, leaders were noncommittal on when they would bring the bill up.

Hispanic lawmakers and advocacy groups have begun complaining loudly that the issue keeps getting put off. "It's important for Democrats in the long run to retain the support of the Latino community," said a Democratic Senate aide involved in the conversations. "If you don't move on immigration and don't make a good-faith effort…I don't think you get anywhere. You disillusion a base that is yours to lose."

Democrats eyeing the Hispanic voting bloc include Mr. Reid, who faces a tough re-election race in his home state of Nevada, where 15% of voters in 2008 were Hispanic. Democrats running in other states with large Hispanic populations include Sens. Barbara Boxer of California and Michael Bennet of Colorado.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703404004575198601410995496.html?m od=WSJ_hpp_sections_news

bobbyw24
04-23-2010, 04:56 AM
By Russell Berman and Ben Geman - 04/22/10 08:52 PM ET

A trio of key senators on Thursday pressured Democratic leaders not to let immigration reform displace a global warming bill.

Moving the immigration bill first, as House and Senate leaders have discussed, threatens the rare chance of winning passage of climate change legislation, said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).


“It destroys the ability to do something like energy and climate,” Graham told reporters in the Capitol. He called the suggestion to move on immigration first “the ultimate CYA politics” — as in “cover your a—.”


Graham and his partners in writing climate legislation, Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) met with Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Thursday to discuss their bill and the Senate agenda.

Kerry and Lieberman separately told reporters that Reid was committed to bringing their legislation to the floor, but they did not appear to have received a firm commitment on timing.

Asked if he’s requested that Reid bring up a climate bill before immigration, Kerry said: “I asked the majority leader to do what he thinks is best, but he told us that he would [bring up climate change first].”

Pressed further, Kerry said Reid should be asked about the order of the agenda.

A spokesman for Reid had no comment on the timing, but said the senators had had a productive meeting.

A climate change bill had been seen as holding the pole position in the Senate until this week, when momentum appeared to swing to immigration reform.

With the Senate also having to take up the confirmation of a Supreme Court nominee, there’s little chance of covering all the issues before the August recess, when Congress will turn almost all of its attention to the midterm elections.

Graham is in the unique position of being the sole Senate GOP negotiator on both climate change and immigration legislation, but in dismissing the immigration-first proposal, he made his priority clear. The South Carolina Republican has been working with Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on immigration.

Graham was responding to reports that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told Reid in a meeting Tuesday that she would be “fine” if immigration reform jumped over climate and energy legislation in the Senate queue.

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/93943-climate-leaders-push-back-on-immigration

RM918
04-23-2010, 04:58 AM
They need more voters, why not just make them?

DamianTV
04-23-2010, 05:03 AM
They are, by rewarding bad behavior. The Democrats want more immigrant voters as they tend to vote for more social services and democratic nominees than non immigrant voters. They are making voters out of non voters for the sake of keeping power.

Off topic, I found out something interesting today, about what I thought was a racial slur. Wop. WOP apparently was actually an acronym and did not singularly indentify any specific race above any others. It also was not limited to just US immigrants. Wop stand for "With Out Papers". So it can refer to any immigrant in any country that doesnt have "proper paperwork". Immigrants With Out Papers used to be forced to wear signs that said WOP while trying to be processed thru immigration on Ellis Island. Just thought that was interesting...