Immigration reform: The GOP’s dilemma
No sooner had Congress agreed to reopen the government than Obama was pivoting to his next priority—immigration reform.
The GOP brand is in tatters after the shutdown, said David Leopold in HuffingtonPost.com. But President Obama has given House Republicans a “clear way out of this mess”—an invitation to work on comprehensive immigration reform. No sooner had Congress agreed to reopen the government last week than Obama was pivoting to his next priority. “We should finish the job of fixing our broken immigration system,” he said. So why should the House GOP play ball? “It’s in their best interest.” Approving the bipartisan Senate immigration bill passed in June would do more than just keep our borders safe and give 11 million illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. It would also show the country that Republicans are serious about governing, are capable of compromise, and are not hostile to Hispanics. A majority of House members would vote for the Senate bill, said The Houston Chronicle in an editorial. Is it too much to hope that House Speaker John Boehner might defy his “rump group of ultraconservatives” and allow it to come up for a vote?
Yes, it is, said Ron Fournier in NationalJournal.com. Obama’s pivot to immigration is a nakedly partisan attempt to divide the GOP even further, and to reinforce his argument that the House Republicans are incapable of governing—and Republicans know it. It’s actually a “brilliant tactical move,” said Charles M. Blow in The New York Times. The president wants immigration reform as part of his legacy, but if Republicans stand firm against it, then Democrats will benefit from the votes of angered Hispanics in 2014 House and Senate elections. It’s a “win-win scenario for himself and the Democrats.”
That’s precisely why reform won’t happen—at least now, said Byron York in WashingtonExaminer.com.After the ugliness of the shutdown, the House GOP doesn’t trust Obama or Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to negotiate in good faith. Besides, conservatives don’t want any bill that provides amnesty for people who crossed the border illegally. But while comprehensive immigration reform “appears to be dead,” it will remain a possibility in the long run. The legalization effort has the backing of pro-reform Democrats and moderate Republicans. Most importantly, it has “money, money, money,” courtesy of powerful business groups on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley. Legislation with “that much money and that much clout” behind it will never truly be dead.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Leonora Carrington: Rebel Visionary – an exhibition of 'unearthly delights'
The 'captivating' show features over 70 pieces spanning everything from paintings to tapestries
By The Week UK Published
-
Patrick Bishop picks his five favourite books
The acclaimed historian chooses works by Ernest Hemingway, Richard Cobb and more
By The Week UK Published
-
Lady in the Lake: 'brooding' murder-mystery casts 'a potent spell'
Natalie Portman gives a 'scene-stealing' show in period thriller
By The Week UK Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published