Boehner to Obama: Immigration reform might still be on the table next year, you know

Via Breitbart and DrewM, who notes that Hugh Hewitt’s guest host here is Rep. John Campbell — i.e. Boehner had one of his own guys pitching him this question, presumably because he wanted it to be asked. You can read that one of two ways, either as a threat to O not to go ahead with the executive amnesty he’s been planning if he wants comprehensive immigration reform to happen or as begging O not to go ahead with it. I read it as the latter, just because Obama holds all the cards once the midterms have passed. He’s leery of amnesty now because he fears a backlash at the polls, but come the morning after election day, those worries will melt away. Instead, at that point, he has every reason to do it and get Latinos jazzed about 2016. And once he does, Boehner will be in a terrible bind: Conservatives will be furious at O’s power grab and resolved not to reward him by passing any amnesty bills while moderates and the business lobby will be terrified that O just locked up the Latino vote for Democrats for decades to come unless Republicans pass an amnesty bill before 2016 themselves. If I were a pro-amnesty centrist like Boehner, my instinct after Obama called my bluff and issued his order would be to pass a bill ASAP next year, or even in the lame-duck session this year. That’ll reassure the donor class while giving conservatives the maximum possible time to get over their anger at him and the GOP leadership for selling them out. Again.

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Something to chew on while you listen:

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Either way, I hope we have some resolution soon. This endless amnesty flirtation between Boehner and Obama has dragged on longer than the David-and-Maddie build-up on “Moonlighting.” Which, of course, only makes it sexier.

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Duane Patterson 11:00 AM | December 26, 2024
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