Disagree strongly. The Dems want this bill while an accommodating Rep President is still in the WH. They want Rep fingerprints on it. Their main objective is to legalize the status of the 12 to 20 million illegals already here. Once that is done, there is no turning back. They can change the provisions they don't like in subsequent Congresses. The Rep elites want it now because they believe that they can get a better deal for business in this WH. Both sides want to make it appear bipartisan and not amnesty.
The immigration reform group I am a member of, lobbied the Senate the two weeks prior to the recess. It appears that it is a done deal in the Senate. Our only hope is the House. We will be up on the Hill this coming week going to lobby various House representatives. It is 50/50. The House will make some modifications friendly to the labor unions and groups like La Raza. Then they [the Dems] will hammer out the final bill in conference. Whatever comes out of conference will make or break the bill in terms of biparitsan support.
This is far from being "a show." This is going to be very close. The WH will sign anything that comes out of Congress. If the Senate is any indication, I am pessimistic about our chances to stop it.
The politiicans are banking on the short attention span of the American public. By the time November 2008 rolls around, they think that the public will not care anymore and the MSM will be praising this bipartisan measure that finally got the illegals out of the shadows and secured our borders. They believe that they can make it a non-issue in 2008.
If the Reps are smart, they will distance themselves from this deal. You can put all the spin you want on it, but the reality is not going away. The invasion will continue in even greater numbers as the problem continues to metastasize around the country. The public will then have to answer this question: "Whom do you believe, the political elites or your own lyin' eyes?" If this bill passes in its current form, it is game, set, and match. We are finished as a nation.
Huge, huge error in judgment. There has never been a more unpopular bill opposed by so many. Voters have longer memories than these idiots think.
But again, I said this was my personal viewpoint. I was actually giving them credit for being smart enough to manipulate the public. In reality, they are dumber than a bunch of Georgia rocks.