Sessions on the Republican Senate’s immigration plans
If Jeff Sessions has anything to say about it, the Republicans will not be caving on this:
More from Sessions here.
One of the problems with Obama’s plans over the next two years, and the options open to Republicans, is that Obama is fully intent on playing whack-a-mole with them till the day he leaves office. Far from accepting any lame duck status, he is going to focus on pushing through every single initiative he can by means of executive action, and they won’t be minor ones either, they’ll be as transformative as he can possibly make them. Nor will they necessarily be popular with the American people.
The Republicans will have a hard time keeping up, even if they have the will to do so. He is likely hoping that his flurry of executive actions will cause them to drop their defense on several important fronts in order to concentrate on others.
Obama is a very, very dangerous lame duck.
Chairman O does not care about the Country, his party, the people or a number of things he should. The most dangerous part of his “legacy”, I believe, will be the people that he grants pardons to on his last day in office. This list could be very long stifle investigations and prosecutions indefinitely.
Sessions is one of my favorite senators. A no-nonsense kind of guy who sticks to his laurels. Unfortunately, there are only a few with those qualities…
President Obama still has quite a few vulnerabilities. He may be the most thin-skinned President I’ve seen in my lifetime. He has a closet full of skeletons. He is inherently incompetent, and surrounds himself with incompetents. He is nowhere near as intelligent as he thinks himself to be. He is a small, insecure man with a tremendous yet fragile ego. And he has littered the political landscape with former adherents, each with a different ax to grind.
If the Republicans are clever, they will exploit these (and other) vulnerabilities to keep the President from stepping out of bounds. The President plays hardball; hopefully they will be willing to do the same.
You might want to take a look at history if you think repubs will rescue you from the very real scourge of illegal immigration. The only president that granted amnesty to 5 million criminals in 1986 was Reagan.
Thanks for nothing Ronnie.
Google “Illegal hiring rarely penalized” to get the Washington post article that shows how the Bush admin sold America down the river to the illegal immigrants.
The republican base needs to show zero tolerance to this.
Oh, yes. He will go ahead and issue all the EO’s he wants.
Why? He sees himself as Lincoln. He annouced in Springfield.
Amnesty for illegals is the Hispanic Emancipation Proclaimation.
Obama secures the Hispanic vote for 50 years with a stroke of the pen.
And if the Republicans oppose it, well, they are just mean people. Constitution be damned.
Sessions is a hero and he will pull out all stops on this.
I fully expect cutting off all money and major litigation. Give it to him with both barrells.
The other thing Obama has going for him on immigration is the short attention span of the media and general public. Combine that with scandal fatigue and it just slips right through.
What better time, what greater opportunity, for anyone wishing to make known that Obama’s transformational schemes equate to Obama’s political nature, i.e., autocrat, socialist, anti-American, anti-Constitution, anti-Christian, demolisher; and even more – his obsidian soul. What had been a smudge on the radiograph in 2008, alerting/alarming only a large contingent of the few, may now be delineated as a malignancy. If it does not slow him down, if he cares not about his legacy — as I believe he does not, much — then it will still have served a double purpose: it will instruct those millions who’d been taken in to be more leery of the next great prodigy, and more importantly, it will be the truth — no matter who will or will not have a dose of it.
I would think the regulars on this site are old enough to remember that the 1986 IRCA fiasco was not Reagan just randomly giving amnesty but a Lucy-and-the-football-esque travesty in which a “one-time” amnesty was granted up front in exchange for immigration enforcement that – surprise, surprise – never happened:
“Public Law 99-603 (Act of 11/6/86), which was passed in order to control and deter illegal immigration to the United States. Its major provisions stipulate legalization of undocumented aliens who had been continuously unlawfully present since 1982, legalization of certain agricultural workers, sanctions for employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers, and increased enforcement at U.S. borders.”
http://www.uscis.gov/tools/glossary/immigration-reform-and-control-act-1986-irca
One of the Cloward and Piven strategies (or is it Alinsky?) is to overwhelm the system. He’ll do so many outrageous things in quick succession that nobody will be able to respond or react in a coherent manner to ALL of them. And he’ll get away with it.
What McCain, Rove, Rubio and their ilk do not realize is that any ‘comprehensive immigration’ reform that is passed is subject to Obama ignoring (i.e., refusing to enforce) the parts he doesn’t like, so having a bill with border security and amnesty becomes an amnesty bill. Sad that you have such a dishonest negotiating partner in the President, but he’s already told you he’ll ignore the law when he doesn’t like it, or you don’t vote the way he wants to change it.
If Congress passes spending bills to restrict Obama’s lawless behavior, can he veto those bills? Would a veto proof majority be required to control his spending?
Any EO by Obama on immigration is reversible by the next President unless the GOP passes an immigration ‘reform’ bill, which they have said they will do. Sen. Sessions will be stabbed in the back by his own party.
Cornhead,
Other than wishful thinking, upon what basis is there to “fully expect cutting off all money and major litigation”? What the GOP should do and what they have done, haven’t aligned since Reagan.
Wes Dorman,
If Obama has “already told you he’ll ignore the law when he doesn’t like it” (and he has repeatedly demonstrated exactly that) upon what basis can we assume that McCain, Rove, Rubio and their ilk do not realize that any ‘comprehensive immigration’ reform that is passed is subject to Obama ignoring (i.e., refusing to enforce) the parts he doesn’t like…? Wes… of course they realize it.
Mr. Frank,
Yes, any legislation passed has to go to Obama’s desk. The Republicans are far from having a 2/3rds veto proof majority in the Senate. Last I heard, the republican majority will consist of 53 Senators.
GB,
So that means that Obama can do whatever he wants and he can refuse to enforce any laws.
GB
Lots of buzz to do both.
And the best thing is that the lawsuit could be the Marbury v. Madison moment. An injunction to stop ICE from issuing green cards. A judge would decide what constitutional powers the president has to make his own law and ignore existing law.
Historic.
Mr Frank,
Pretty much, as long as the republicans don’t have a 2/3 majority to impeach and the democrats place ideology above allegiance to their oath of office. Even impeachment would prove ineffective as long as a majority of white Americans fear accusations of racism. As things stand, America would be guilty of racism, if it impeached any non-white President, for any reason.
Cornhead,
“DHS quietly stripping Border Patrol agents of weapons”
There’s theory cornhead and then there’s the real world.
As for “A judge would decide what constitutional powers the president has to make his own law and ignore existing law”
History has already been made on this issue; “Well: [Chief Justice] Marshall has made his decision: now let him enforce it!” President Andrew Jackson’s response to Chief Justice John Marshall’s Supreme Court Decision in Worcester v. Georgia
Constitutional crisis if Obama goes the Jackson route.
One thing that Congress can do:
Fund the border states inre border controls.
Give the relevant states BLOCK GRANTS.
Label these grants as ebola containment, etc. emergency funding.
Also, grand Block Grants to prosecute alien criminals.
Illegal aliens are violating state laws at every turn of the screw:
Driving without a license
No insurance
No registration
Clown house zoning violations
Fake ID
False witness/ testimony/ oaths
Fake social security ID
Digital logic makes it possible for LEOs to spot fake IDs faster than ever.
Just removing the welcome mat would have a major impact.
It’s not an accident that Barry is targeting Arizona and Texas.
Block Grants for extra policing are going to be impossible for Barry to veto — and sustain that veto. Even the Democrats want those dollars.
Congress could provide a compensation fund for LEO against aliens that leaked through.
Namely, Federal funding would be triggered — rather like Medicaid — such that the Congress refunds local expenditures that turn on illegal aliens:
Prosecution
Prisons
Transport
Manpower
Medical
Illegal alien expenditures are simply beyond the budgets of the various states — especially states like California.
Congress can also shut off chain migration, limiting relations to that of spouses. The elderly and minors should be generally excluded. The only immigrants that make any economic or social sense are of young adult age who can already speak English.
The de facto economic result of Barry’s open border is the re-institution of slavery/ serfdom/ second class citizens/ a caste society.
For those who remember: back in 1986 — Reagan’s amnesty — caused wholesale termination of employment for those so granted. They had no economic utility the moment they attempted to draw even a minimum wage.
Illegal aliens are THAT low in terms of economic production.
On construction sites it’s common as dust to discover the new guys don’t know how to use an outhouse. How basic can you get?
Many of these Latinos have just left the iron age. They really are from the sticks.
For so long as the border is wide open, blue collar wages will continue to fade, drop and erode. This happened in the late 19th Century, too.
Once WWI cut off the flood, blue collar wages exploded upwards. For some reason this history is never brought up by pundits.
The desperately poor ruin the wage negotiating power of the common man. This is so even if the illegal alien is a total boob and can’t perform worth a damn. Employers just figure that if they run through enough ‘fresh ones’ they’ll finally get a hard working ‘slave’ for peanuts.
Something like this dynamic is the source of Red China’s nightmare. Prices are held too low. Wages are held too low. Gross margins are held too low.
The result is that Red China can make all manner of goods — but can’t afford to buy what its producing. The top few percent are irrelevant to the maturation of the Red Chinese economy.
This destabilization has reached the far corners of the world — yet rarely draws comment.
blert Says:
November 12th, 2014 at 11:50 pm
One thing that Congress can do:
Fund the border states in re border controls.
Give the relevant states BLOCK GRANTS.
Excellent ideas; the GOP will never implement any of them.
Also great info in your other comment.
If the Republicans weren’t anticipating BO to be a vindictive, petulant child after this election, they are doomed as a party. The “leadership” better have been working out their responses in advance to what everyone with a casual interest in politics knew he was going to do if they took over the Senate.
And as they were predicted by most to do just that, there’re no excuses for not having strategies in place to deal with his actions in substantive way.
If the plan was to compromise and horse trade on all the issues that conservatives have been outraged over since his election, they will be wiped out in 2016. I won’t be going to the polls for any of them in 2016 if they cave on immigration, global warming, etc. The argument that they’re better than the alternative, will have lost what little credibility it still enjoys. At least the Democrats are willing to fight for their misguided ideology.
Blert,
Lots of good ideas there, but wouldn’t Obama veto all of them that involved the federal government?
Looking at the laundry list of Obama’s proposals, I see a fatal flaw for us and open borders for gate crashers. There is nothing about enforcement beyond a pay raise. Any two illegals can make a baby and be home free. Giving millions amnesty will trigger another invasion.
“Constitutional crisis if Obama goes the Jackson route.” Cornhead
The term “constitutional crisis” is frequently bandied about without specifics. Since the republicans refuse to consider a government shut down and lack the leverage to impeach, (which would open a political minefield for the republicans…RACISTS!) if Obama goes the Jackson route, of exactly what will a ‘constitutional crisis’ consist?
Defunding? Obama will simply rob Peter to pay Paul. If he can ignore SCOTUS, why can’t he veto and ignore Congressional spending bills?
People can only take so much, just ask Nicolae Ceausescu.
Whack-a-mole can be thwarted by going to the source: funding. Without money, Obama can do nothing.
I think shutting down the government to prevent what would clearly be an unconstitutional executive action would be tolerated by the public. Too bad then, that McConnell is determined to remove that weapon from our arsenal (these are the fruits of weak leadership). At the very least, McConnell should preserve the option, even if he has no intention of using it.
But I’m not willing to jump the gun yet. I think Obama is bullshitting us again, in order to get the Rs to move first.
We should wait for his move, evaluate it on our own schedule, then respond appropriately.
Another thing to consider is the timeline. There are several big hits the administration is about to take: Obamacare rate hikes in a couple of weeks and probable insurer bailouts at the end of summer, Fed raising the interest rate and the probable economic slowdown as a result, etc.
These things will make the administration even less popular, and therefore vulnerable. Obama is making hay while he can, but his time is running out.
Block Grants for LEOs across the land and LEO-aid are spending bills that draw votes from both sides of the aisle — and are funds desperately needed by border states and BLUE states.
I contend that such legislation will be veto proof.
It’s ‘found money’ for big city mayors — even NYC.
As long as Washington DC is calling all of the immigration shots — DC should totally pick up the tab.
As it stands, DC is forcing EVERY state to spend large on policy matters (immigration) that no state (legislature) is allowed to vote on.
That’s taxation without representation, pure and simple.
And the spending is on and for souls that aren’t even American citizens!
&&&&
If you’re not aware, block grants to cities, emergency funding for disasters, etc. draw universal support in Congress.
Ebola at the border is just such a disaster.
Barry is simply going to have to roll over when the vote is by acclamation. A stinger should be added in reconciliation, too, say the continued production of !ellfire missiles and cruise missiles. Barry loves to shoot off both — like crazy — but has penciled them out of the DoD budget. (!)
One might even extend and up grade the border fence — as a jobs program during the looming recession/ massive contraction triggered by 0-care taxation.
( The bump in 0-care outlays has to come at the expense of the non-0-care economy. At this scale that means the real estate sector is going to be absolutely hammered into the ground.
This real estate effect is ALWAYS seen in wartime. America turns house production into weapons production and standing armies.
cf WWII, WWI, Civil War, Revolutionary War.
In every case, housing production/ construction collapsed for the duration.
The reason is economic. Resources have to come from somewhere – across the whole economy – to fund the war/ pay the war tax.
0-care is a war scale tax — without a corresponding war.)
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