UPDATE: Send a fax to Republican Senators who have embraced reform in the past -- tell them to support our young people's DREAMs, not political schemes.
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Yesterday, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush (normally quite reasonable on immigration) had the audacity to say that the Democrats are playing politics with the immigration issue and "promising things that they’re never going to deliver, knowing they’re not going to deliver"—apparently referencing the upcoming DREAM Act debate in Congress.
Hang on. Let’s rewind a little.
As we recall, the Republican Party ran on a nationwide anti-immigrant platform in 2006, Republican Senators abandoned their President in his push for comprehensive immigration reform in 2007. Then, in 2008, it was Republican presidential nominee John McCain who opposed his own immigration bill and it was Republican senators who walked away from the negotiating table on comprehensive immigration reform in 2010. Sure, Democrats have had more than their share of weak moments, but come on.
It's not hard to see who's playing politics right now with the bipartisan DREAM Act.
Today Senate Republicans announced that they will block consideration of any bills, including DREAM, until votes are held on legislation they want passed. Wow.
We can't say we're surprised, but we can say that this latest move further proves that Republican leaders are searching for any way to get to "no" -- instead of doing their job and investing in America's future.
Let's not forget that there are are 11 sitting Republican Senators who once supported the common-sense DREAM Act, but only two who will currently speak up for it. Kudos to them, but what's going on with the GOP? This, after Sen. Reid changed DREAM to a stand-alone, up-down vote at Republicans' request and rewrote the bill to make it even more GOP-friendly.
But also, let’s not forget, Latino voters are following the immigration issue closely, and they’re not forgetting who's voting for DREAM and who's standing in the way of common-sense reform. If Republicans continue on this anti-immigration tirade, they will undoubtedly face grave consequences in 2012. The only way for the GOP to change its brand with Latinos is to do the hard work to forge a new one. No more excuses.
Some free advice to GOP leadership: start with putting aside this "no votes until we say so" nonsense and pass the targeted, bipartisan DREAM Act.
Cross-Posted at America's Voice.