This morning had a piece a Jamelle Bouie at the Plum Line which claimed that there are no real reformers in the GOP. As a general premise, I think he's right.
"The fact of the matter is there are no real reformers among the leadership class of the Republican Party. Not Bobby Jindal. Not Marco Rubio (who, despite his feints in the direction of immigration reform, is hewing to the NRA line on guns). And not Paul Ryan (who will soon be submitting a budget that supposedly wipes away the deficit in 10 years, with no new revenues, which would require savage and deep cuts to government programs that help the poor and elderly). At most, these leaders offer a whitewash: Underneath all the new rhetoric of change and inclusiveness lurk the same unpopular policies and priorities skewed in favor of the rich and against the middle class and poor.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/01/25/there-are-no-real-reformers-in-the-gop/
Who can forget that George W. Bush once ran as a "reformer with results?" Most of what the GOP "soul searching" since the November 6 debacle has been about cosmetics, ways to make the old win look better on the shelves by putting it in new bottles.
As a party the GOP still doesn't get it and likely won't before spending a good many years in the
wilderness. On immigration, there is some reason to hope that there will be some GOPers who will come to the negotiating table. Rubio is on the wrong side on many issues, however he has claimed to favor a framework for immigration which would put him in line with the President's agenda.
Of course, the proof is in the pudding: let's see him actually vote for it in the Senate. Jeb Bush has probably been the most consistently pro immigrant GOPer in the country. In his op-ed this morning with Clint Bolick, there wasn't much in the piece to disagree with.. The paragraph of his I was least excited by was this one:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323482504578229660442099732.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Why be so focused on "consequences?" Is it moralism or the need for a deterrent? I certainly don't agree that all adult illegal immigrants should be deported. However, most of what he says is on the money, certainly, his argument that immigration is a net economic and social benefit. His agenda is to bring more GOPers on board, the good ship Immigration Reform. Let's hope it's successful.
In any case, his work might help facilitate the concerted push both Obama and Senate Democrats are making on immigration reform-through separate efforts.
"The White House and a bipartisan group of senators will launch separate efforts next week to jumpstart negotiations to overhaul the immigration system, an issue that has languished in Washington for years."
"Obama will start his second-term immigration push during a trip to Las Vegas Tuesday. The Senate working group is also aiming to outline its proposals at about the same time, according to a Senate aide."
"Even before those plans are formally unveiled, there is emerging consensus on several key components, most notably the need for some kind of pathway to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants already in the United States. The White House and Senate Democrats favor addressing immigration through a broad package of legislation, while some Republicans lawmakers prefer to tackle the issue through several separate bills."
"The proposals will mark the start of what's sure to be a contentious and emotional campaign in the wake of 2012 election results that saw Latino voters turn out in large numbers to re-elect Obama – a signal to some Republican leaders that the party needed to change its posture on immigration.
The aim of the Senate group is to draft an immigration bill by March and pass legislation in the Senate by August, said the aide, who requested anonymity in order to discuss private deliberations. The Republican-controlled House would also need to pass the legislation before it went to the White House for the president's signature."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20130125/us-immigration/?utm_hp_ref=homepage&ir=homepage
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