The
latest installment in Republican rebranding:
"One thing I think is pretty clear," Priebus told CNN. "We wouldn't have been in this place without Republicans being at the table pushing for immigration reform. And I think this conversation would never be happening without Marco Rubio."
There's a germ of truth there, but c'mon, Reince. Immigration reform passed the Senate on a 68-32 margin, but among Republicans it was 14 in favor and 32 against. Democrats supported the bill by a 54-0 margin. And the only reason Republican votes were essential in passing the legislation through the Senate is that it only would have taken 41 Republican votes to kill the bill.
So maybe a handful of Republicans should get a little pat on the back for not being jerks and blocking immigration reform, but the real question now is what will Boehner (and House Republicans) do? Priebus says, "We need comprehensive immigration reform," but adds:
"My understanding is that the House is going to draft its own version of an immigration bill that they see as either a better fix for comprehensive immigration reform, or something that is reflective of the Republican majority of the House, and then potentially go to conference, and potentially have a conclusion," he said.
Another way of saying that is that Reince Priebus believes there's a chance that House Republicans will eventually get out of the way and let a comprehensive immigration reform bill pass, but only after throwing a fit. If enough of them do end up supporting a path forward on reform, some of them will deserve credit, just like the 14 Senate Republicans who voted for reform deserve credit.
But make no mistake: At this point, Republicans are the only reason there's still a question about whether comprehensive immigration reform will make its way to President Obama's desk. And that's not something Reince Priebus should be proud of.
