You are describing 99.9% of politicians. More to the point, you are describing 99.9% of people.

It is naive to pretend that Ted Cruz or Justin Amash would take exactly the same positions if they were representing different constituencies. Culture matters. Votes matter.

Why do we demand that our politicians act as "leaders" while the Dems manipulate cultural institutions and then demand that their pols follow the "trends?"

Because we are incompetent cultural warriors and they aren't, that's why.

Ditto.

Depending on time, virtually anywhere in the Detroit ex-urbs works for me.

True. Regardless, Steve is right. This issue (which btw, is the only issue on the Obama legislative agenda since his failure on guns, thanks GOP) has had virtually no play on Ricochet in the last few weeks.

Who cares about the discussions we had when no bill was on the table? It matters now.

The thing that everyone (especially the "Kill the GOP Now" coalition) needs to understand is this: the "establishment" is split on amnesty.

Yes, there are tons of big-shots pushing it, but there are also plenty, plenty of tactical/strategic squishes who would love to vote "pro-immigration" as long as the bill drops dead. These people want zero responsibility for actually passing an amnesty. No incumbent wants a primary challenge, and an amnesty amounts to begging for one.

Give them an excuse, any excuse, to ditch it...  they will.

Even if you discount the potential long term electoral downside, the signal it sends to future prospective illegals, the likelihood of completely unnecessary primary infighting over seats that we should safely hold, even if all of that is a mirage... why give Obama a legislative victory like this? He doesn't have the votes unless we hand them to him.

What do we get? Rubio looking important? I'll pass.

Most of that support will disappear once Rush and the rest of the conservative talking heads stop wasting time yapping about the NSA.

Shine some light on this bill for voters and it's a dead duck.

How many fingers do you have on each hand Brent?

Anyway, here is your hero on it's prospects in the House:

"I think it's going to pass the U.S. Senate with a substantial margin," Cruz said. But "absent major revisions ... this bill will crash and burn in the House. And it is designed to do so."

This claim would be all the better for evidence Brent.

What is this nonsense?  If this is the best one of the lead sponsors of "comprehensive immigration reform" can come up with, can someone please help me understand why this whole thing is not already DOA outside of the Democratic Party?  Democratic support I wholly understand -- as Bill Maher admitted a week or so ago, the proposal simply mints "a lot of new Democrats."  But if you're not a Democratic Party apparatchik, what on earth is the rationale for supporting this?

There are two reasons Steve:

1. Some hotshots want a phony, bi-partisan, legislative "accomplishment" to run on
2. Business interests want amnesty (and the signal it will send for more illegal immigration) to expand the cheap labor pool

Regarding the dearth of discussion on Ricochet of this subject, most here dislike Obama so much (with cause) that they are focused on each new scandal to the exclusion of this garbage bill.

I think this is a bit overstated.

However, any prog with half an ounce of common sense would rightly view an amnesty as the proof of a second consecutive successful term for Obama. (Obamacare means that his first term was a success.)

We shouldn't.

And for the record, I don't think the House GOP will. Here's the thing, as details emerge any given amnesty package becomes less popular with voters generally and GOP voters particularly.

If Obama wants to run on an amnesty agenda against the House in 2014 we should welcome it.

48 hours. I think you are right, Brent.

Tim H. and his thread go down before 6 AM Central.

Secondary Bet: Pseud cites +/- 10 distinct sources.

Count me in this group.

I'll also note that insofar as they have been good candidates, they tend to be posture- rather than substance-driven.

I wouldn't worry about it, Fred. I've been on Ricochet for nearly three years and I've never seen one member call another a hypocrate.

Ricochet: The Apogee.

Place yer bets, folks. Let's try 330 as the comment over/under.

This is generally true. There are exceptions... but then there are always exceptions.

I find it incredibly depressing that so few mid-size retailers develop their farm league talent.  Instead they pick every other Ivy- MBA- RM from Target or Apple as CEO.

Are undereating and spreading the wealth mental disorders?

Cuz I'd like the DSM-V to take a good long look at... well, there's this guy who could use some help with his jump shot...

If Holder doesn't go the House will tie a tin can to him from now until 2014. And the press will cover it (unlike F & F) because:

1. the story is about the press
2. Holder is directly implicated

Bye Eric, please let the door hit you on the way out.