Democrats clash on immigration policy

Source: Boston.com

WASHINGTON -- As the Democratic Party prepares to take power on Capitol Hill in January, tensions are surfacing over the details of plans to overhaul the nation's immigration policies. Statements by incoming members such as Claire McCaskill, the Democratic senator-elect from Missouri, could provide an early warning of the difficulties ahead. In a September television spot, McCaskill sat at a kitchen table and looked directly into the camera. "Let me tell you what I believe in," she said. "No amnesty for illegal immigrants." Democratic leaders presented a largely united front on immigration this year, providing crucial support for a measure that would have allowed illegal immigrants to gain citizenship -- a bill critics attacked as "amnesty."

At the risk of being yelled at by our good friend Digger again, I do believe I called this one.

Now, here's my take...Any bill we get from Washington right now will be so watered down as to be worthless. I have had several people tell me recently that a "win" for immigration reform would be to get a bill out of Washington.

I would ask if they thought the bill would do any good, the standard response was "no."

So why get your knickers in a twist screaming for a bill to pass that won't address the problem? It's a puzzler to me.

So, what do we want to see happen IMHO? Frankly we are no where near Washington being a useful ally at this point. My hope is that Washington stalemates allowing towns like Hazelton to continue moving forward, as each day we see a new city, and state added to the list of those dealing, or at least attempting to deal with immigration reform.

At some point this impulse will break through to the general populace possibly allowing us to vote in folks who will actually do what the American people want, rather than their corporate masters and the elites want.

If you know your history you will recognize this as the precise manner in which the restrictionist legislation in the twenties came to pass. Not top down but from the grassroots. That is how real change comes to Washington.

Recognize that democracy is working. The voice of the people is being heard and the last place that voice is always heard is Washington. So don't assume that if we don't get the legislation that we want out of Washington right now it means we are losing, we're not. It is following a pattern that is almost preordained and unfortunately tends to move at a glacial pace.

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