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Bipartisan House immigration group reports “incredible progress”

Lawmakers know the rollout of an immigration bill can be nearly as important as the substance and are trying to draw lessons from the failed push to overhaul the immigration system in 2006 and 2007.

One major takeaway, according to one veteran of that era, is that once a bill is introduced, it has to move quickly, because delay will allow critics to chip away at the proposal and unnerve the fragile coalition holding it together in Congress.

“The longer there is between the time you unveil the proposal and the time you vote on the proposal, the greater the likelihood that it will wind up not making it all the way through to passage,” said a former senior Bush administration official deeply involved in that effort. “Once you’ve got this thing baked, you’ve got to get it out of the oven and into the refrigerator and start eating it pretty quickly. Because if you let it sit on the table — I’m going to beat the metaphor to death — the ants will start eating the cake up.”

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One major takeaway, according to one veteran of that era, is that once a bill is introduced, it has to move quickly, because delay will allow critics to chip away at the proposal and unnerve the fragile coalition holding it together in Congress.

In other words they don’t want the average person to have any say in what Their Lordships decide to do in the halls of power.

sharrukin on February 23, 2013 at 1:28 PM

Why don’t y’all just pass another fill in the blank Bill like Obamacare, that’s worked out well?

Cindy Munford on February 23, 2013 at 1:28 PM

once a bill is introduced, it has to move quickly, because delay will allow critics to chip away at the proposal the American people to get a sense of how outrageously awful and unfair the law is likely to be, and they’ll start making phone calls to the spineless wussies on Capitol Hill.

Far better to ram it unseen down the public’s throat, a la Obamacare, and let the plebes find out just how bad it really is after it has safely passed, eh “former Bush administration official”?

AZCoyote on February 23, 2013 at 1:37 PM

They will all Fluke you, royally, and the land too.

May they all go to Hades, pronto.

Schadenfreude on February 23, 2013 at 1:39 PM

I hate the Rs more than the national socialists, incredibly.

They enable the latter.

Schadenfreude on February 23, 2013 at 1:40 PM

the ants will start eating the cake up.”

“Ants” – Well, yes, that has pretty much been the GOP establishment’s attitude towards conservatives.

Wethal on February 23, 2013 at 1:41 PM

Hope Y’all got a good stock of K-Y or other lubricant. Gonna need it.

LegendHasIt on February 23, 2013 at 1:56 PM

Bipartisan House immigration group reports “incredible progress”

In a major compromise, they agreed to start the next meeting at 1015, vice the GOP 1000, and the Democrat preferred 1030.

“This is a victory for the American people, and we expect by next week we even reach agreement on which restaurant will provide lunch.”

BobMbx on February 23, 2013 at 2:00 PM

One major takeaway, according to one veteran of that era, is that once a bill is introduced, it has to move quickly, because delay will allow critics to chip away at the proposal the general public to discover the absolute BS thats in it and unnerve the fragile coalition holding it together in Congress.

“What if someone reads this thing, Harry?”

“Well John, we’ll just have to pull the same trick we did with ObamaCare….just not release it before I call the vote”

BobMbx on February 23, 2013 at 2:03 PM

:shudder:

gophergirl on February 23, 2013 at 2:10 PM

They call it bipartisan because we’re about to get screwed twice as bad.

xblade on February 23, 2013 at 2:21 PM

The political class sees the American people as ants threatening their La Raza-approved amnesty cake. No surprise to see that Bush-43 flunkies are mixed up in this. These people really suck.

Travis Bickle on February 23, 2013 at 2:27 PM

One major takeaway, according to one veteran of that era, is that once a bill is introduced, it has to move quickly, because delay will allow critics to chip away at the proposal and unnerve the fragile coalition holding it together in Congress.

Oh hell yeah. Sixty years of letting a problem fester and worsen and you brilliant a-holes are going to suddenly solve it.

arnold ziffel on February 23, 2013 at 2:56 PM

The GOP will betray you

And you will vote for them next election

Why complain?

True_King on February 23, 2013 at 2:57 PM

The GOP so-called leadership is dying to go the way of the Federalists and Whigs.

Travis Bickle on February 23, 2013 at 3:32 PM

…said a former senior Bush administration official deeply involved in that effort.

That right there told me that this bill must be defeated.

RoadRunner on February 23, 2013 at 3:45 PM

George P Bush will be running on the next round of “comprehensive immigration reform” in 20 years after the illegal alien population has replenished itself back to another 10 million.

Wigglesworth on February 23, 2013 at 4:06 PM