Inside-the-beltway conventional wisdom, which is usually wrong, is way off on immigration reform.
Pundits and unnamed politicos have long been arguing that Congress won’t deal with reform in 2010. But, according to an article in today’s Politico, not only is immigration reform in the mix, it’s got a pretty fierce champion in the Senate:
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is heading for a collision with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) over whose pet issue will get top billing in the Senate later this year.
Schumer is taking a lead role in immigration — and is pushing Democrats to prioritize a potentially toxic issue leading up to the November elections. Kerry is a lead negotiator on climate change and is demanding that a climate bill get pushed to the front of the line.
Kerry and Schumer — who have a history of competitive tensions — are maneuvering behind the scenes to get White House and Senate leadership to promise to give their respective issues time this spring.
At America’s Voice, we don’t know if the premise of the article – a conflict between two leading Democrats on two crucial progressive priorities – is true. We do know that Chuck Schumer has taken the lead on pushing comprehensive immigration reform legislation.
And, that should capture the attention of pundits.
Schumer is well-known for his political acumen. He helped lead the Democrats from a caucus of 45 in 2006 to the majority of 60 they now have. Last year, one of the geniuses at FOX News regurgitated the blatantly inaccurate, yet widely held, assessment of the issue:
This radioactive topic always lights the Republican fires as well, a dangerous political weapon against Democrats.
But, since that "fire" was lit back in 2006 Schumer led the Democrats into their majority, Democrats took control of the House and Barack Obama was elected with the help of a huge Latino turnout in formerly red states of Florida, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico. Some fire. But, that’s what D.C. insiders – and Fox News -- think.
Then there are the Republicans who get the political dangers of the immigration issue for the GOP, as one unnamed aide told Politico:
"The whole reason some people on the Democratic side view immigration as a great issue is because there is a side of the Republican Party that frankly cannot help itself on the issue," said a senior Republican aide. "They go ballistic, and it comes across as anti-Hispanic — that’s not what they intend, but that’s the way it is perceived."
There’s plenty of polling, that shows the majority of the American people want Congress to solve tough problems like immigration reform with comprehensive solutions—and quite playing politics with the issue. And, there’s plenty of anecdotal information to shake up the entrenched beltway wisdom, but that, again, involves looking outside of the beltway.
This week alone, Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) spoke to a"large crowd" rallying for immigration reform rally in Denver. The Omaha World-Herald reported on "new voices" speaking out for reform in Nebraska. And, a headline in the Cleveland Plain Dealer stated "Local Latinos gain allies in their quest for immigration reform; rally in Cleveland spans cultures."
But, there’s one other player who indicated support for immigration reform this week: Sarah Palin. Yes, that’s right. And, she said it on the Glenn Beck show no less – and Beck agreed. Marcelo Ballve at True Slant caught the exchange:
Both Beck and Palin quickly agreed that the immigration system needed to be "streamlined." It’s interesting that two of the main opinion-makers for the conservative wing of the Republican Party and Tea Party movement seemed so hip to the idea of making it "easier to bring people in," as Beck put it, which perhaps isn’t the stance they would be expected to take.
Sarah Palin seemed particularly irked that Democrats had been allowed to portray their party as the party of immigration. She said: "(We) are at fault when we allow the other side to capture this immigration issue." She also said, "We need to continue to be so welcoming."
If that doesn’t make the pundits think twice, not sure what else will. On the other hand, we’re not holding our breath for major breakthroughs from the beltway pundits on this. We’re too busy getting ready for the bill.
Cross-Posted at America's Voice.