After working overtime to kill a push for a bipartisan DACA fix that stood a solid chance of passing the House, House Speaker Paul Ryan is now admitting that the GOP-only alternative unveiled Thursday is just a “show vote” exercise in futility. The Hill writes:
Ryan on Thursday said he doesn’t know if the bill has the support to pass the House, but suggested the real goal is simply to allow those Republicans seeking to vote on immigration ahead of November’s midterms the opportunity to do so.
“We won't guarantee passage,” Ryan told reporters in the Capitol. “But we want to give members their ability to express their positions.”
The 293-page "compromise" bill supposedly intended to find the elusive sweet spot between GOP immigration hardliners and Republicans facing tough re-elections in swing districts landed with a thud.
Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.), a Freedom member and immigration hard-liner facing a competitive reelection battle, described the compromise effort as “hasty political maneuvers pasted together at the last minute.” [...]
Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a reform-minded Florida Republican who’s been at the center of the GOP negotiations, said he’ll seek changes.
The conservative Heritage Foundation also trashed it for being "predicated on codification of amnesty." So yeah, looking pretty bad, not to mention the fact that even if—if!—they managed to pass it through it the House, it would never get the 60 votes necessary in the Senate. In order to do so, it would have to be reasonable enough to attract Democratic support.
What might have gotten enough bipartisan support to clear the Senate was the original effort to force a DACA vote that would have attracted “Ayes” from both sides of the aisle. Paul Ryan could have facilitated passage of that bill by putting it on the floor and freeing up his caucus to vote their conscience. Instead, he actively worked to suppress that vote. Mission accomplished.