Rubio, McCain, other Senators reach deal on immigration changes

Who cares? 90% of politics is self interest. Just be glad they're getting something done.

 

I don't care what their motives are, this looks like genuine good news coming out of Congress, something we haven't seen in two forevers. I hope they manage to pass something, and I won't even insist it be perfect.

 

True. It's better to flip-flop late in the game than to not flip-flop at all. 71 to 27 got these results.

But we'll see what the kook element in the House GOP has to say.

 

I'm not sure why you'd say Republicans "caved" in this anyway. McCain has wanted to do this for a decade, Graham has been on board, Rubio has said it since he got elected, etc. On top of that, plenty of Republicans have said they would compromise "if we secure the border."

We'll see where the house stands with it's crazies that have to run for re-election every 2 years.

Apparently Obama isn't ready to cave and will oppose the plan today on the premise that he doesn't want to tie the border to immigration policy.

Honestly I think Republicans want to fix immigration now because it hurts them and I think Democrats DON'T want to fix immigration because they love having it as a campaign issue. Just like Republicans love gun control being talked about.

 

The problem with Republican party is that they made so many congressional districts so safe that any deviation from the playbook will result in primary defeat for the incumbent. They painted themselves into a corner.

 

That might be a negotiating ploy to get the House behind the Senate bill. Obama comes in with a less palatable proposal than the Senate so the House is more willing to go along.

 

Perhaps. I personally think he doesn't want to solve the problem under his watch. Having the immigration issue out there still will help the next democratic candidate in a big way.

 

Ordinarily, on some issues (like abortion), I tend to agree. But on this, I don't think that's the case. If immigration reform passes in the next 2 years, Democrats are going to get ALL the credit, right or wrong. Right now, the Latino vote is solid Dem but swayable. If Dems accomplish this, they have a chance to lock in the Latino for a generation and turn that vote into something similarly reliable to the black vote (at lower percentages, of course).

This is especially a problem for Dems if the GOP appears willing and Obama or the Dems kill it for not being "good enough". The Latino vote is not reliably Dem right now to the extent that they can take it for granted.

 

Also, Obama laid out his approach to comprehensive reform today and it includes border security as well:

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/obama-lays-out-key-principles-for-immigration-reform


Continuing to Strengthen Border Security: President Obama has doubled the number of Border Patrol agents since 2004 and today border security is stronger than it has ever been. But there is more work to do. The President’s proposal gives law enforcement the tools they need to make our communities safer from crime. And by enhancing our infrastructure and technology, the President’s proposal continues to strengthen our ability to remove criminals and apprehend and prosecute national security threats.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/29/obama-senate-immigration_n_2575433.html

WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - A bipartisan Senate proposal for comprehensive immigration reform is "very much in line" with principles proposed by the White House, President Barack Obama is due to say on Tuesday.

"The good news is that - for the first time in many years - Republicans and Democrats seem ready to tackle this problem together," Obama said in remarks prepared for a speech he is slated to deliver in Nevada later on Tuesday.

"At this moment, it looks like there's a genuine desire to get this done soon. And that's very encouraging," Obama said in excerpts provided by the White House.