IMMIGRATION TURNABOUT
Within two days last week, House Majority Leader John Boehner changed from sunny optimism about prospects for passing an immigration bill this summer to a bleak, negative outlook. The reason was that Boehner got the word from House Speaker Dennis Hastert.
Boehner on Tuesday was upbeat in addressing a breakfast forum at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which supports a guest worker program. He indicated he would resolve differences between the restrictive House bill and the much more liberal Senate bill by the Fourth of July.
But at a closed luncheon Wednesday at Charlie Palmer's restaurant, attended by financial contributors to House Republicans, Boehner declared that the immigration bill was all but dead. That change followed Boehner's conversation late Tuesday with Hastert, who made clear he did not want to pursue the issue that splits the Republican Party.
So the amnesty bill will not happen. I was sick and tired of hearing that the House had to compromise and go along with the Senate plan. The question arises, how does this affect the 3rd District race between Chris Cannon and John Jacob? John Fund's article was based on the debate over this bill occurring on, or around, June 27th.
But, here is my favorite quote of the entire debate:
"You all know it's not amnesty." Said John McCain, addressing Vitter (Senator from Louisiana), "Call it a banana if you want to"
I am glad that this amnesty, or banana, bill will not pass. This would have alienated many Conservatives from the Republican Party. We would have no place to go. Could this be a start of a re-alignment with the Republican Party moving leftward and another party coming into play? Probably not.
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