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President Obama's approach to immigration policy has always been quite transparent: he would focus heavily on enforcement and border security at the outset, which would, in theory, engender goodwill from Republicans and create some legislative breathing room for comprehensive reform.
The results haven't been constructive, at least not with any regularity. Even when Obama cracked down on illegal immigration and deportation rates soared, Republicans spent the last few years pretending reality doesn't exist. All the while, the deportations themselves hurt countless families and communities, and caused hard feelings between the White House and its ostensible allies.
But quite recently, something interesting happened: Obama's strategy started to work. Just yesterday, one of his fiercest critics effectively admitted as much.
Sen. John McCain said Tuesday that the improving situation on the country's southwestern border has been critical to making immigration reform possible -- and that Republicans will demand additional enforcement alongside reform measures such as a pathway to citizenship.
"There has been real improvements in border security," McCain told reporters in the Capitol. Asked if that helps the politics of reform, he said, "Sure. I think it helps a lot." He argued that the situation has considerably improved "over the last five, six years" and called some of the concerns "over-hyped."
To be sure, McCain isn't going to give Obama credit. In fact, by saying "five, six years," the senator seems eager to give the impression that this pre-dates the president's term, but substantively, McCain is grudgingly acknowledging what is plainly true: Obama did what the right hoped he'd do, and in turn, the progress "helps" the prospects for reform "a lot."
It is, however, a detail Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is reluctant to accept.
Posturing like this just isn't helpful.
Senator Marco Rubio, the Florida Republican seen as an influential party voice on an issue that cost Republicans in last year's voting, said he was "concerned by the president's unwillingness to accept significant enforcement triggers before current undocumented immigrants can apply for a green card."
"Without such triggers in place," he went on, "enforcement systems will never be implemented, and we will be back in just a few years dealing with millions of new undocumented people in our country."
It's hard to know the extent to which Rubio is confused, but the senator's rhetoric makes it sound as if Obama is unconcerned with enforcing current laws, and Congress needs some kind of legislative remedy to force the administration's hand.
Maybe Rubio can have a chat with McCain?
The facts are indisputable: the increased border security Republicans wanted to see has happened, as have the deportations Republicans hoped for. Rubio doesn't need triggers; he needs to open his eyes.
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So McShame is like Grandparents (sort of) allowing that the things their grandkids do and get away with - cause now they're closer to "Heavens Gate"; even though they never let their own children (now the parents) do the same things when they were that age.
And Rubio is the loud-mouthed teenager that always has something to say - and he's wrong.
Got it.....
The problem is that people just keep assuming that Rubio has independent thoughts. He is handed his talking points and will not deviate from them, even when confronted with the truth, because he wants to be the next hairdo that the republicans nominate for president.
Because that worked out so well for the last "hairdo"?
Grudging acknowledgement is better than no acknowledgement, I suppose.
Rubio is the drugsters puppet and will dance to whatever tune the drugster plays.
I have some land in Arizona, do some business there. Lots of decent people, but it's a different world in many ways. Backwards, long stretches of road that need help. Maybe the money went into the NAFTA highway. My point is that McCain isn't well thought of, seems to be an acceptable annoyance. Why he's considered a senior/wise senatorial counselor boggles my mind. I guess it's because the rest of the repubs are more like a litter of barn cats.
Look at the flaky Governor! What a piece of S***! She makes Sarah Palin seem like a reasonable person!
Giving a fool a microphone is like giving a young child a drum set. Lots of noise without substance will ensue.
No matter what, the Republicans lose in this immigration battle, and they know it. Either they enrage the foundation of their hatefull base, or they further alienate immigrants who already don't like them. Thats the unknown, which poison pill Rush will have them swallow...
Thank you so much for describing how long the legal path to citizen ship / green card takes, so many people don't know that. I have been here legally for almost 20 years, still waiting for my green card, at the risk of running into someone that may just feel like denying it just because, as it happened on first try.
I am a year away from my date to come up, meanwhile I cannot get promoted, I cannot get a better job, I cannot change jobs and if my company goes out of business.. well I am out of luck.
"McCain finds wisdom in Obama's immigration policy". Really? That was yesterday. McCain is so fickle, he'll be opposed to reform before the week is out.
DAY 1 - The Team Gathers comprised of 8/100ths of the most powerful political body ever in the history of the world.
The eight senators who will likely endorse the bill are Democrats Charles Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Michael Bennet of Colorado; and Republicans John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marco Rubio of Florida, and Jeff Flake of Arizona.
DAY 2 - The Team starts fragmenting and backing into indefensible corners. Needing reinforcement that the issue is best solved as quickly as possible, but they will not see that it is the entire Senate (the most powerful political body ever in the history of the world.) might lose its image and its lofty perch.
DAY 3 - The gullible media fails to see historic failure looming, everybody wins or everybody loses, except the Senate (the most powerful political body ever in the history of the world.)
DAY 4 - Start again at DAY - 1.
Sorry to snark out here but the words "McCain" and "wisdom" and any suggestions that "McCain" "finds" "wisdom" is in a single sentence, more than my heart can bear.
So many people say immigration is a good thing. Try telling that to the Native Americans. Immigration is one of the most destructive forces in human history. It needs to be strictly controlled.
Why is Steve talking about facts? Let's talk political calculus instead.
Republicans are losing Latinos in increasing numbers. The party can't hope to ever win elections honestly without winning more Latino voters. At the same time, individual Republican politicians can't hope to win primaries if they don't maintain an ultra-hardline stance on immigration.
So, this is what I think is going on with Rubio and most likely other Republicans: To win over Latinos, they are willing to support and maybe even pass immigration-reform legislation, but to placate their rabidly nativist base they will insist on a self-destruct mechanism that will prevent the reforms from ever going into effect. In this way, Rubio and similarly-minded Republicans (probably) hope to be able to brag to Latinos that they enacted reform while simultaneously being able to brag to Republican primary voters that they stopped reform in it's tracks.
The latino community, like the black community, is actually very conservative. The Republicans hope to appeal to the large segment of church-going, traditional values, latinos and blacks.
A good example is California, where Obama won with a huge majority, but so did Prop 8's ban on gay marriage. Prop 8 probably wouldn't have passed if it wasn't for the large turn-out of blacks and latinos.
What I find really funny though is that the Democrats have a much tougher track record enforcing immigration law than the big business Republicans, yet the average latino hasn't quite figured that out yet.
Latinos really should be Republicans.