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The Senate debate on immigration has begun and it's not good. Despite the promise from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that they would have as much as two weeks of free-wheeling, open amendment debate, he's already stated his desired outcome: Trump's complete white supremacist wish list in return for the Dreamers' path to citizenship. He's also creating a false threshold for legislation—something that will get 30 Republican votes.
And as for the two weeks of consideration? He sent out his number two guy, the odious Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), to renege on that, giving the Senate essentially two days.
"This is Sen. (Dick) Durbin and Democrats' opportunity and so far they kind of seem to be a little confused about what they're planning on doing -- but they better get it done quick because it's this week or not at all," said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn.
"We need to get it wrapped up by Thursday," Cornyn said.
A Republican aide said that this is intended "to light a fire under Democrats and get them to release their amendments. GOP leaders are worried Democrats want to drag out the debate for 'weeks and weeks.'" They were promised "weeks." Not that you can believe a thing out of McConnell's mouth, particularly the promises, but here's something Republicans seem to have forgotten. A real, substantive legislative process that doesn't have a preordained outcome takes weeks and weeks. They haven't done real legislating for so long they seem to have forgotten that.
To be honest, the Democrats here aren't doing a whole lot better.
Democrats, meanwhile, are still weighing how hard to push for a vote on some of their preferred ways to help the estimated 700,000 undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers, aware that any idea with a chance of success will have to offer concessions on border security and other volatile issues.
"There's a lot at stake here," Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told reporters, adding, "I just don't know at this moment that we'll have 60 votes. I don't know if we can get 11 of the Republicans to join the Democrats on anything."
Precisely because there is a lot at stake, Democrats have to push a clean Dream Act, that has to be their starting point. McConnell's laid out his—the full Trump monty. They have to lay out theirs. Some of them get it: "Up or down vote on DREAM. That's the whole point," said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
Democrats have already given away almost all of the leverage they have here. They have to force a clean DREAM Act vote, and they can't cut any deals that hurt immigrant families.