16 February 2018

Cogito Ergo Non Serviam

Four Senate Immigration Measures Lose Filibuster Vote

The US Senate held an open debate yesterday on four different measures that would address immigration. All four failed to get passed the 60-vote filibuster limit. They are dead. There is no real appetite in the Senate for further discussion. The House has no intention of touching the topic this side of the November election. The extremes have combined to crush the center on this issue.

Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) lied, "This does not have to be the end of our efforts to resolve these matters. I would encourage members to put away the talking points to get serious about finding a solution that can actuanlly become law." He has accomplished his purpose. He kept his word to Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) that the Senate would consider immigration legislation that addressed the DACA participants, people whose parents brought them to America as children and who lacked the appropriate papers. It serves no purpose for the Republican Party to "solve" the immigration problem because so much of their political success, both in votes and in funds, stems from their base fearing immigrants so much.

Ironically, Mr. Schumer got what he wanted, too. He got his debate. He stated, "This vote is proof that President Trump's plan will never become law. If he would stop torpedoing bipartisan efforts, a good bill would pass." This sets the table for the Democrats to pick up even conservative Latino votes in November, and it gives him room to separate the administration from the GOP Senators whose votes he may yet need in this effort, next year.

The Coons-McCain bill offered a path to citizenship for DACA participants but no money for Mr. Trump's southern wall. It failed 52 in favor and 47 against; the US Senate now requires 60 votes to end debate on all issues de facto, though not yet de jure. Some believe this proves the wall will never be built.

Next, there was the Toomey Amendment, that got 54 votes in favor and 45 against. This would have withheld federal funds from sanctuary cities, those municipalities that don't enforce federal immigration rules.

Third was the Common Sense Caucus plan, a bipartisan group who actually talked to each other and worked on something for everyone. There was a path to citizenship for DACA participants, but they could no longer sponsor their parents (the parents are, after all, the people who broke American immigration law). Also, there would have been $25 billion for more border security. The White House threatened a veto, so the bill came up short 54 in favor, 45 against.

Finally, there was the Grassley bill. Again, there was a pathway to citizenship and $25 billion for border security. The bill would also have cut back on family reunification immigration and ended the diversity lottery. This was the bill the White House wanted. It got 60 votes, but they were 60 against. Only 39 supported it.

So, there it is. Four measures, four failures. So long as the Senate maintains the automatic filibuster that the Republicans used to thwart so much of the Obama agenda, nothing on immigration is going to get done. There is not a super-majority consensus. Nor can one expect a change after the election. The idea of the Democrats picking up enough seats to reach 60 is beyond science fiction, yet the Republicans are not much better positioned to get that many.

Meanwhile, everyone gets to raise funds from the "intransigence" of the other side.

© Copyright 2018 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.