Republicans for Amnesty
Yesterday, a majority of the Republican caucus voted against stripping the amnesty portion of the immigration bill. Among those supporting amnesty were several Senators who are up next year, including Senators Coleman, Collins, and Smith. This is perhaps the most troubling development so far. A majority of Senate Republicans oppose enforcing the laws of the United States.
Politically, this is a disaster. While immigration is not a make-or-break issue for me, it is for many, and it is entirely possible that hundreds of thousands will sit out next year’s election on the issue, more than enough to swing the election. Simply put, Republicans could have removed the amnesty portion of the bill, as several Democrats voted for the Vitter amendment, and did not to do so.
The open borders crew got everything they asked for in this bill. We got nothing. Senate Republicans sold out. If the GOP wants to reinvigorate the base heading into next year’s elections, they will have to do much better than this. Filibustering this disaster of a bill would be a good start.