House Republicans believe they may have an opportunity to push Democrats into a corner, and they’re taking full advantage of the situation. Earlier this month. Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), and Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) took the left’s rhetoric about abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and put it into a bill.
Whether they were merely playing to their Hispanic/socialist constituents or they really thought this bill was going places, the Democrats may soon find themselves blocked in by their own extremism. Turns out that Republican leaders in the House think a floor vote on the measure is JUST the ticket; they want Democrats to finally put their stamp of approval on one of the most ridiculously lawless bills the left has ever come up with.
“Democrats have been trying to make July 4th about abolishing ICE, which is a radical, extreme position that would lead to open borders and undermine national security,” said House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) in an interview with The Hill. “I think it’s the wrong approach. I think everyone ought to be on the record about where they stand on that issue.”
This is a brilliant gambit on the part of Republicans…and really, it just fell into their laps. The Democrats were bound to hem themselves in like this eventually, and it seems to have finally happened. They worked overtime trying to make the so-called family separation crisis at the border into a politically winning issue, but they made the crucial mistake of going WAY too far with it. Americans have a heart, no doubt about that, but that heart is braided into an abiding love for law and order. 30% of the country – the leftists of the leftists – may want to throw America’s doors open for every Juan, Jose, and Pablo that comes crawling over the fence, but the majority of the public wants to see the law enforced.
The Democrats are going to have to choose: Do they vote to satisfy their rabid base of socialist crazies…or do they admit that their rhetoric went a little over the line?
According to Politico, even the bill’s authors realize they’ve been caught in a bluff:
Pocan and the bill‘s other authors, Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), say they won’t be part of a GOP “political stunt.” Pocan said he expects other Democrats to follow suit in voting no but said they’d relish the opportunity to debate immigration on the House floor.
“If Paul [Ryan] really wants to give us time, we would love to have time on the floor,” Pocan said in an interview. “We’ll be glad to capture floor time to talk about family separation, to talk about ICE, to talk about DACA, all the stuff that they haven’t given us floor time on.”
Yes, you heard it right: They are going to vote no on their own bill so as to thwart the GOP’s “political stunt” of bringing THEIR OWN BILL to the floor for a vote. Wow.
It’s not often we get to see Republicans play politics at this level. Good job, boys. Do the same with “Medicare for all” and the Democrats will be climbing the walls to get away from their own angry base.
