Immigration Bill Passes Cloture

The immigration bill passed cloture and that sound you heard was the storm getting started on the right side of the blog sphere. While I am a supporter of the bill, I understand the reason for the opposition. A large part of it is that, frankly, no one trusts President Bush any more. The bill was sold as amnesty (without using the word) coupled with enforcement. No one believes that there will be meaningful enforcement (though it could be argued that enforcement at the border has never been better). Furthermore, the behavior of some of the supporters of the bill has been horrendous.

The Daily Kos, the premier left wing blog, which you would think would be interested in the issue, seems not to care. The most recent post on immigration is one from June 25th setting forth a progressive case against the bill. The argument is that it will depress wages.

While current the immigration issue is tearing apart the GOP, the longer it goes, its effects will be felt by the Democrats also. One of the Democrats key constituents, African Americans, may find themselves in competition with recent immigrants and guest workers for jobs. And while the heavily immigrant unions such as the Service Workers support immigration reform, other unions may see immigration as a threat.

Immigration has no easy and good answers. Both parties need this to be over quickly.