SALON

Friday, Jun 28, 2013 2:00 PM UTC

Now the House will destroy immigration reform

Senators were very pleased with themselves yesterday for passing a major immigration bill that the House GOP hates

By

Topics: Opening Shot, Immigration Reform, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Republican Party.John Boehner, Immigration,

Now the House will destroy immigration reform (Credit: trekandshoot via Shutterstock)

Much of the nation rejoiced yesterday when the United States Senate passed the comprehensive immigration bill a bipartisan group of senators have spent months crafting and selling, by the impressive margin of 68 to 32. For once, when writing about the Senate, the bigger number represents the senators who voted with the winning side. Even Marco Rubio, a “Gang of Eight” member who lately has been sounding shaky in his support of the final product, voted yea. (Rand Paul voted nay, because he decided he couldn’t support a “path to citizenship” despite basically endorsing the idea a few months ago.)

Yesterday was the fun part, with Joe Biden banging the gavel and the gallery chanting “yes we can” and so on. Now comes the part where we are reminded of the existence of the House Republican Caucus, which is made up primarily of angry idiots. While it’s true that something closely resembling the Senate bill could probably pass the House with a majority of votes, those votes would include far more Democrats than Republicans. Speaker of the House John Boehner would probably stop being speaker of the House if he pursued that approach. And, indeed, he’s basically promised not to.

As National Review reporter Robert Costa — who you can definitely trust on these things — reports, Boehner is dedicated to “regular order” in the House, which means not putting the Senate bill up for a vote in the House and instead putting immigration reform in the hands of conservative Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte. Goodlatte wants to pass a bunch of smaller bills, instead of a big “comprehensive” one. He wants to do this so that the House can beef up border security and make deportation even easier without also having to vote for citizenship.

So…

In divided government, Boehner is concerned far more with cohesion within his ranks than about becoming a bill’s cheerleader. When he has broken the “Hastert rule” over the past year — on the fiscal-cliff vote and on Sandy relief — there’s been pain.

This isn’t to say that immigration reform is dead. Boehner appears open to bringing a bill to the floor if, months from now, a conference-committee report somehow wins backing of a majority of the House GOP. In the meantime, don’t expect much from the man who eats at the same stool each morning at Pete’s.

“Months from now” and “conference-committee report” are not really encouraging signs, for people who actually want a bill that makes it possible for undocumented citizens to ever earn citizenship.

The senators responsible for the bill were all quite self-congratulatory after their big, still potentially meaningless victory, mostly because senators are self-congratulatory when they do anything, and often when they don’t do anything, but they know that “months from now” and “conference-committee report” are bad news for reformers. (“I just wish now I could go over to the House for a few months and work this out over there,” Republican “gang” member Jeff Flake said.) Nate Cohn has some realism for these happy senators, saying at the New Republic that reform is dying basically the same way it died in 2006, when the Senate passed a bill that went nowhere in the House. As Cohn says, “If the Senate bill can only attract 30 percent of Senate Republicans, it has no chance of earning 50 percent of the more conservative House GOP caucus.”

There’s still the conference-committee report, though! Might we get something eventually? Perhaps, but it probably won’t be anything anyone actually likes.

The point of getting a big bipartisan vote in the Senate (the entirely arbitrary goal was 70 votes, a stupid goal that led conservatives to crow about the vote falling “well short” at 68) and then putting that Senate bill up for a vote in the House as close to unchanged as possible was to avoid the situation that is now practically inevitable: The Senate bill, carefully crafted to win conservative support, is now the “left-most” edge of the immigration debate, and the House will produce the right-wing version, and commentators and some legislators will expect the final product to be somewhere directly between the two. Which means we’ll end up with a “reform” package so punitive, and so security- and deportation-based, that it will probably lose liberal support.

Goodlatte opposes citizenship for those currently here without visas, and he’s already passed a bill officially making undocumented immigration an actual federal crime. His “reform” looks like this: giving all manner of law enforcement in the United States the power and authority to enforce immigration law against people who are now properly felons. Giving those felons no opportunity to become citizens, obviously. And also an agricultural guest worker program, so that these guys can continue picking our crops for sub-market wages, and then go back to wherever they came from. You put all these together with the Senate bill, in a conference committee, and it’s hard to see the final product ending up looking like something Democrats would want to vote for. It may not even be something the president wants to sign.

Remember, House Republicans both don’t believe that supporting reform is crucial for the future of their party, and believe that supporting citizenship is disastrous for their own immediate political futures. They are probably more right than wrong, especially on the second count.

Alex Pareene

Alex Pareene writes about politics for Salon and is the author of "The Rude Guide to Mitt." Email him at apareene@salon.com and follow him on Twitter @pareene More Alex Pareene.

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

7 motorist-friendly camping sites

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Sponsored Post

  • White River National Forest via Lower Crystal Lake, Colorado
    For those OK with the mainstream, White River Forest welcomes more than 10 million visitors a year, making it the most-visited recreation forest in the nation. But don’t hate it for being beautiful; it’s got substance, too. The forest boasts 8 wilderness areas, 2,500 miles of trail, 1,900 miles of winding service system roads, and 12 ski resorts (should your snow shredders fit the trunk space). If ice isn’t your thing: take the tire-friendly Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway — 82 miles connecting the towns of Meeker and Yampa, half of which is unpaved for you road rebels.
    fs.usda.gov/whiteriveryou


    Image credit: Getty

  • Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest via Noontootla Creek, Georgia
    Boasting 10 wildernesses, 430 miles of trail and 1,367 miles of trout-filled stream, this Georgia forest is hailed as a camper’s paradise. Try driving the Ridge and Valley Scenic Byway, which saw Civil War battles fought. If the tall peaks make your engine tremble, opt for the relatively flat Oconee National Forest, which offers smaller hills and an easy trail to the ghost town of Scull Shoals. Scaredy-cats can opt for John’s Mountain Overlook, which leads to twin waterfalls for the sensitive sightseer in you.
    fs.usda.gov/conf


    Image credit: flickr/chattoconeenf

  • Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area via Green Road, Michigan
    The only national forest in Lower Michigan, the Huron-Mainstee spans nearly 1 million acres of public land. Outside the requisite lush habitat for fish and wildlife on display, the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area is among the biggest hooks for visitors: offering beach camping with shores pounded by big, cerulean surf. Splash in some rum and you just might think you were in the Caribbean.
    fs.usda.gov/hmnf


    Image credit: umich.edu

  • Canaan Mountain via Backcountry Canaan Loop Road, West Virginia
    A favorite hailed by outdoorsman and author Johnny Molloy as some of the best high-country car camping sites anywhere in the country, you don’t have to go far to get away. Travel 20 miles west of Dolly Sods (among the busiest in the East) to find the Canaan Backcountry (for more quiet and peace). Those willing to leave the car for a bit and foot it would be remiss to neglect day-hiking the White Rim Rocks, Table Rock Overlook, or the rim at Blackwater River Gorge.
    fs.usda.gov/mnf


    Image credit: Getty

  • Mt. Rogers NRA via Hurricane Creek Road, North Carolina
    Most know it as the highest country they’ll see from North Carolina to New Hampshire. What they may not know? Car campers can get the same grand experience for less hassle. Drop the 50-pound backpacks and take the highway to the high country by stopping anywhere on the twisting (hence the name) Hurricane Road for access to a 15-mile loop that boasts the best of the grassy balds. It’s the road less travelled, and the high one, at that.
    fs.usda.gov/gwj


    Image credit: wikipedia.org

  • Long Key State Park via the Overseas Highway, Florida
    Hiking can get old; sometimes you’d rather paddle. For a weekend getaway of the coastal variety and quieter version of the Florida Keys that’s no less luxe, stick your head in the sand (and ocean, if snorkeling’s your thing) at any of Long Key’s 60 sites. Canoes and kayaks are aplenty, as are the hot showers and electric power source amenities. Think of it as the getaway from the typical getaway.
    floridastateparks.org/longkey/default.cfm


    Image credit: floridastateparks.org

  • Grand Canyon National Park via Crazy Jug Point, Arizona
    You didn’t think we’d neglect one of the world’s most famous national parks, did you? Nor would we dare lead you astray with one of the busiest parts of the park. With the Colorado River still within view of this cliff-edge site, Crazy Jug is a carside camper’s refuge from the troops of tourists. Find easy access to the Bill Hall Trail less than a mile from camp, and descend to get a peek at the volcanic Mt. Trumbull. (Fear not: It’s about as active as your typical lazy Sunday in front of the tube, if not more peaceful.)
    fs.usda.gov/kaibab


    Image credit: flickr/Irish Typepad

  • As the go-to (weekend) getaway car for fiscally conscious field trips with friends, the 2013 MINI Convertible is your campground racer of choice, allowing you and up to three of your co-pilots to take in all the beauty of nature high and low. And with a fuel efficiency that won’t leave you in the latter, you won’t have to worry about being left stranded (or awkwardly asking to go halfsies on gas expenses).


    Image credit: miniusa.com

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Related Videos

Comments

Loading Comments...

Alex Pareene surveys the burgeoning and bloated world of political news and opinion and explains the day's most essential story in Opening Shot, posted by 8:30 a.m. each weekday. Bookmark this page; follow @pareene on Twitter.

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

vote
Let's Stop Screwing Around and Impeach James Clapper: After lying to Congress about all the different ways the NSA's spying on us, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lies about how he lied. Call the White House at 202 456-1111 and Tell Obama to Get Rid of Clapper
332 points333 points | 16 comments
vote
Let's Stop Screwing Around and Impeach James Clapper: After lying to Congress about all the different ways the NSA's spying on us, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lies about how he lied. Call the White House at 202 456-1111 and Tell Obama to Get Rid of Clapper
193 points194 points | 25 comments
vote
Machiavelli doesn’t belong to the 1 percent | "The Prince" is oft-quoted on Wall Street, but its author was a hero of the working class who despised elites
90 points91 points | 33 comments
vote
Let's Stop Screwing Around and Impeach James Clapper: After lying to Congress about all the different ways the NSA's spying on us, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lies about how he lied. Call the White House at 202 456-1111 and Tell Obama to Get Rid of Clapper
51 points52 points | 7 comments
vote
“Whistle-blower” now means “homegrown terrorist” And other definitions from the new dictionary for our post-9/11 security state
40 points41 points | 2 comments

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "The Joker": Laughing at life's deepest sorrows