Senate GOP Caving In On McCain-Kennedy Immigration Reform Measure

by Steve

The more GOP senators get lit up by their base, the more they want to walk away from a comprehensive immigration reform measure this year. The Post reported this morning that more and more GOP senators are listening to the House GOP’s demand that reform of the guest worker program and implementing an earned citizenship program be deferred for several years until after the security measures are implemented first. Such an approach would undermine McCain-Kennedy, and goes against what Bush himself wants. It would be against what the corporate wing of the party wants, as it would start restricting the flow of cheap labor. And as the Post notes, such an approach and the House GOP’s road blocking of the Voting Rights Act extension will cost the GOP and Bush the support of Latino voters this fall. But this approach also will set the GOP on a collision course with the Catholic Church and other faith communities as they see the harsher measures aimed at immigrants first and those who assist them.

The GOP assumes that they will be in power next year to guide this to their satisfaction, when in fact the Democrats may gain as well from the GOP’s walk away from McCain-Kennedy.