Amnesty Bill Set To Become Even Worse; But Will This Make Its Prospects For Passage Worse?

Sadly, no, I think. It's going through, the worst the better.

An already bad deal will amost certainly become worse as Democrats and RINOs pump up chain-migration:

Perhaps the one bright spot is that a number of conservative Republican senators who support the bill have made statements suggesting that they want to give themselves "wiggle room" to vote against it if the Senate's open-borders majority acts to make the legislation even more objectionable -- a virtual certainty given the current composition of that chamber. Two of the worst ideas could be voted on as early as tomorrow. One, Senate Amendment 1183, introduced by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York Democrat; along with Sens. Chuck Hagel, Nebraska Republican, and Robert Menendez, New Jersey Democrat; would perpetuate and expand the current destructive practice of "chain migration" -- that is allowing someone who has already immigrated to the United States to bring many of his relatives into the United States -- regardless of whether these people can support themselves. Senate Amendment 1194, introduced by Mr. Menendez along with Mrs. Clinton; Sen. Chris Dodd, Connecticut Democrat; and Sens. Barack Obama and Dick Durbin, Illinois Democrats; and Mr. Hagel would reduce the "backlog" of family-sponsored immigration applicants by increasing the number of green cards beyond the 600,000 additional ones agreed to by negotiators of the "compromise" -- who included Mr. Menendez.

Do not be surprised if these amendments are accepted by Sen. Edward Kennedy -- the Massachusetts Democrat whose fingerprints are all over the bill -- and are rammed through the Senate. Then those Republicans who had thought they could vote with Messrs. Bush and Kennedy and spin their way out of trouble with their angry constituents by talking tough about "enforcement" will have an even more difficult political decision to make.

Stanley Kurtz lays out the likely scenarios about what happens next. Do the amendments pass? (Probably, I think.) Okay, now that they've passed and have made a horrible deal even worse, do the bill's Republican supporters still support it on grounds that "it's the best deal we can get"? Probably yes again too.

What the Republicans are holding out for in exchange for this horrible capitulation is a completely meaningless "touchback" provision -- everyone still gets their amnesty, and gets to bring over up to a dozen family members, many of whom will be too young, too old, or too sickly to work to support themselves and will thus do a job many Americans are willing to do (i.e., live off of taxpayer subsidies) -- but it's supposed to appease enforcement-firsters that prior to this bonanza, they have to take a meaningless trip back to their home country before immediately coming back to America.

What the hell is this touchback provision supposed to accomplish? Well, it's supposed to convince you morons (and they must think you're morons, to sell you this crap) that this is 1, not an amnesty bill (we require a two hour bus ride back to Oaxaca!) and 2, we're serious about enforcement (see, we make people take unnecessary bus-trips, that's how tough we are!).

Your GOP in action.

posted by Ace at 04:57 PM

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