Not a disaster

Meanwhile, Mark Krikorian writing at NRO says the exact opposite of Tancredo. The Democrats, he says, want above all other things to keep their House majority, not to have it taken away from them by an angry electorate in 2008. Therefore they will not seek to pass the Comprehensive Immigration Disaster, even though that is what they and Bush truly desire. I wish Tancredo and Krikorian would coordinate their messages.

* * *

Charles G. writes:

I sincerely hope Krikorian is right about this, but I have to think that the current set-up of a Democratic Congress and Republican administration is the worst possible for the immigration issue and will mean a quick route to passage for amnesty (when Clinton was in office and the Republicans controlled Congress in ‘96, on the other hand, we almost got a decent bill). I’m sure they don’t want to alienate any ‘08 voters, but the chance to permanently lock in so many potential Democrats will probably override these concerns. If it can be done within a year, they will have enough time to put it behind them before the next election cycle, anyways. Certainly they don’t have to worry about a Bush veto stopping them. Have to think Tancredo is right on this one.

JB writes:

I think the difference between Tancredo and Krikorian is disagreement over how much the Open Borders politicians will dare.

Krikorian believes that there will not be a comprehensive immigration bill, but rather many smaller specialized amnesties and immigration increases. He believes that the Democratic political calculation will be that comprehensive immigration will be too risky.

By contrast Tancredo believes there is nothing standing in the way of a massive amnesty and that Bush and the Democrats will go right for the jugular.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at November 09, 2006 10:29 AM | Send