Andrew Friedman

Bad Politics

According to the New York Times, Democrats have a major advantage over Republicans in terms of intensity this election. This intensity, though, is nowhere to be seen when it comes to immigration issues. While it is easy to list many passionate, crusading anti-immigrant politicians from all over the country - Colorado's Tancredo, Wisconsin's Sensenbrenner, or New York's Peter King - we are hard-pressed to come up with any crusading, consistently pro-immigrant politicians with national stature.

Sadly, the energy of the anti-immigrant crowd has been translating into major policies victories, like the recently passed border wall. If that massive boondaggle failed to arouse opposition from key Democrats, it feels safe to say that the we should expect no real leadership on comprehensive immigration reform from either party in the near future.

This is a major missed opportunity. It will hurt our economy, it will hurt millions of families.

It is also a massive political blunder. The xenophobia and racism that characterize the Minutemen and other anti-immigrant cruaders should be used to discredit them, and to discredit the Republican Party that stands with them. The cover story in yesterday's Times Magazine explored how the far-right line on immigration was failing even to gain traction in Arizona. Still, the Democrats can't seem to stand together and articulate a clear pro-immigrant political line. More than half of the Senate's Democrats, including Schumer and Clinton, voted in favor of the border wall, despite it's 6 billion dollar estimated price tag, and the consensus among experts that it won't work. So, even though a majority of Americans favor comprehensive immigration reform, and despite an agreement earlier in the year with Senate Republicans that the Senate would only pass comprehensive immigration legislation, the Dems, and their "moderate" Republican allies, ended up selling out and passing legislation that was comprehensive only in its stupidity.

Notwithstanding the fact most Americans support comprehensive immigration reform, the Republican Party is divided on this issue, Latinos are a fast-growing demographic everywhere in the country, and big business is with the left on this one, the Democrats have no voice on this issue.

It is simply pathetic. And the consequences are tragic.

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Posted at 6:57 AM, Oct 16, 2006 in Immigration
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