Good Cop/Bad Cop on Immigration
The continuing dust-up that started over the weekend between the White House and Senator Rubio over immigration is just political theater. The administration leaked a draft immigration bill which is identical to the Schumer/Rubio proposal in the only respect that matters -- both would give legal status -- a kind of green-card-lite -- on day one to the illegal population, providing them work cards, Social Security numbers, driver's licenses, etc. But there was one difference: the Obama draft did not include the "triggers" that are in Schumer/Rubio -- enforcement benchmarks that would have to be satisfied before the amnestied illegal aliens move from green-card-lite to full green card status (which would allow application for citizenship after a number of years).
That essentially meaningless difference allowed Rubio to denounce the Obama draft bill, making it seem as though support for the Schumer/Rubio version of amnesty was a way to express opposition to the White House. Mickey Kaus called this double kabuki: The White House shows solidarity with its leftist supporters by not making citizenship for illegals be contingent on enforcement goals, and pro-amnesty Republicans like Rubio and Ryan "get to posture by denouncing the President’s draft ... thereby earning themselves seeming-tough-on-illegals street cred that might serve them well when they sell out by endorsing an instant-legalization compromise".
This phony controversy is so transparent that observers both on the left and on the right have been mocking it. I don't want to sound conspiratorial, but it wouldn't surprise me if Rubio's chief of staff, Cesar Conda (who formerly did immigration for Spence Abraham and John McCain), and the head of the White House Domestic Policy Council, Cecilia Munoz (who formerly did immigration for the National Council of La Raza), worked this thing out between them without telling their respective bosses.
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Comments:
Jun '11
Re: Good Cop/Bad Cop on Immigration
Mark, sadly it's another show for the rubes. I tend to be sympathetic to a more liberal immigration policy, especially if we could get some net gains along the line of what Pethokoukis proposes for bad stuff that we'll likely get stuck with.
But if the facts were on amnesty's side, why do its supporters rely so heavily on name-calling, misdirection, straw men, appeals to emotion, etc.?
That's why Josh Trevino's performance during that immigration debate was so disappointing. He did far more to hurt his cause than help it. Such rhetoric reinforces our fear that any deal is just a way station to the next amnesty.
Jul '12
Re: Good Cop/Bad Cop on Immigration
I don't see what the Republicans get out of capitulation on this. You can't beat Santa Claus at his own game, I keep saying. And it's not like it makes the issue go away forever -- far from it. And it's not like pro-cheap-labor capital would throw support their way either. Any instant amnesty will be a huge boost for the Democrats and, most important, another crushing blow to the American middle class.
Mar '11
Re: Good Cop/Bad Cop on Immigration
"but it wouldn't surprise me if Rubio's chief of staff, Cesar Conda... and the head of the White House Domestic Policy Council, Cecilia Munoz worked this thing out between them without telling their respective bosses."
Wouldn't surprise me one bit. Wasn't one of McCain's big amnesty advisors one of those "play both sides of the fence" types? The guy that said we don't have a border or a country, but a region?