So what’s up with that sweeping immigration reform bill that President Joe Biden submitted to Congress? The applause from progressives and socialists across the land was deafening when Uncle Joe originally announced it. Since then, however, some cracks have appeared in that wall. As Ed reported yesterday, the Republicans from the Gang of 8 have all indicated that it’s a non-starter. And now, Democrats, including Biden’s own Press Secretary, are changing their tone in discussing the measure. Last night, the Associated Press picked up on the more “cautious” spin that Jen Psaki is putting on the prospects for any big changes to our immigration laws, and she’s not the only one.

It’s taken only days for Democrats gauging how far President Joe Biden’s bold immigration proposal can go in Congress to acknowledge that if anything emerges, it will likely be significantly more modest.

As they brace to tackle a politically flammable issue that’s resisted major congressional action since the 1980s, Democrats are using words like “aspirational” to describe Biden’s plan and “herculean” to express the effort they’ll need to prevail.

A similar message came from the White House Friday when press secretary Jen Psaki said the new administration hopes Biden’s plan will be “the base” of immigration discussions in Congress.

When Biden initially announced his plan to grant amnesty to eleven million illegal aliens, he was using phrases such as “we’re going to…” and “help is on the way.” Now his Press Secretary is talking about the Biden bill as being “the base for discussions.” The “help” that was on the way may have lost the password for the GPS. Expectations are being lowered by the day, with some of the plan’s most ardent supporters admitting that the final product – if there even is one – will probably be “significantly more modest.” The Director of the pro-illegal alien group America’s Voice is quoted as describing total amnesty as “the stake at the summit of the mountain,” while admitting that he’s willing to look at steps along the way as at least representing progress.

Is anyone really surprised? The “bill” that Biden submitted isn’t really a bill at all. It’s the same as when presidents submit their own budgets every year. Lest we forget, the executive branch isn’t allowed to write legislation. It only approves or vetoes bills. Congress has to write all of the new laws being considered. The White House only gets to submit outlines indicating what the President would like to see. He can’t just issue commands.

The polling has shifted gradually on the subject of immigration reform, but it hasn’t shifted that much. Pretty much everyone is fine with people who immigrate to the United States legally and become naturalized, with majorities believing that their contributions to the nation are of significant value. But when it comes to illegal aliens, the numbers dip significantly. Members of Congress from red and purple states are obviously aware of this, and that’s particularly true of Democrats from marginal states and districts. They’re not going to hang themselves out to dry just so Joe Biden can fulfill a campaign promise.

I won’t be terribly shocked if some sort of immigration bill makes it through this year. The most likely win that Biden might scrape through is probably some sort of formalization of DACA, offering a pathway to illegal aliens brought here as children with clean criminal records. That seems to enjoy enough broad support around the country that it could be managed. But blanket amnesty or a permanent end to deportations of criminal illegal aliens just isn’t going to fly, and Joe Biden probably knew it before he’d even spoken the words.