UPDATE: Some saw this action yesterday differently. They saw the lack of action as a good thing, meaning that Amnesty would not be granted to 20 million Illegals. That is certainly one view but I took the approach the momentum was with the “No Amnesty” Group with the House holding firm as the only road block to the Amnesty plan supported by the White House and passed by the Senate.
After hearing their side I still feel it is a mistake to not push to a No Amnesty, Secure Borders bill. But I might be wrong. We will have to just see now.
Looks like the Republicans are totally out of step with their base on this issue. In my opinion, one of the main issue to rally the GOP base and garner the moderates is the IMMIGRATION issue. Americans want border security and this is one of the key factors in President Bush’s dismal poll numbers. I admit many of us do not understand the GOP reluctance to listen to the American people and stop pandering for the future Latino vote.
As an alternative maybe they are doing this to get their way and use it for a platform issue in 2008. If the Defeatocrats take control of the house they will support the Senate’s massive amnesty bill and the one the President supports. Then they can have their cake and eat it too by blaming the Defeatocrats for Amnesty and yet get exactly what the Senate and President wanted months ago. It is a long term win-win for the GOP but a LOSE-LOSE for most Americans.
I predict the GOP base will not even turn out to vote with only the Iraq war as the issue the defines Defeatocrats vs Republicans. This will ensure the Democrats taking control of the house and possibly the Senate. With Hillary in charge in the Senate and Pelosi in charge in the House our taxes will be going sky high by 2008. Based on the past few years who believes a Republican President and Democratic controlled congress can get anything done except how to spend more.
As they prepare for a critical pre-election legislative stretch, Congressional Republican leaders have all but abandoned a broad overhaul of immigration laws and instead will concentrate on national security issues they believe play to their political strength.With Congress reconvening Tuesday after an August break, Republicans in the House and Senate say they will focus on Pentagon and domestic security spending bills, port security legislation and measures that would authorize the administration’s terror surveillance program and create military tribunals to try terror suspects.
Read the NYT article on the upcoming congressional agenda here.
