Once the secretly drafted bill is actually made available to the public (which I believe is still required), the pushback will become less gentle. Republican voters are already strongly opposed to amnesty and don’t trust the Obama administration to enforce the law after granting one — they know that amnesty without enforcement guarantees the emergence of another large illegal population.
What’s more, the bill will be loaded with outrageous provisions inserted by sophisticated Democratic staffers running rings around hapless Senate GOP staff who know little about the nuts and bolts of immigration policy. These provisions — whether special immigration rights for gay couples or the designation of no-go areas for immigration officers or something I haven’t imagined yet — will spark significant opposition, and not just from conservatives…
And such passage hinges on whether Rubio will “grow” in office, as have so many of his predecessors, succumbing to the preferences and worldview of the bipartisan Washington establishment. Or will he remain true to the conservative voters who helped him upset RINO (now Democrat) Charlie Crist and sent him to the Senate? Soon enough, Rubio will have to choose the Tea Party or the cocktail party. The decision will tell us a lot about the man.
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