From what I've read so far, the immigration bill really kind of sucks. Sure, there's one positive aspect--a path to citizenship--but on the whole I think Nathan Newman's take is essentially correct:
I'm unimpressed by a deal that delays citizenship for up to 14 years for those being granted new "Z visas";On the other hand, any bill that makes the wingnuts as angry as this (or this or this or this or this or this or this or this) has accomplished a worthwhile goal before it's even enacted.
At the same time, the deal brings in 400,000 new guest workers each year with NO option for citizenship, the perfect second-tier workforce to undercut worker solidarity since they have no long-term future here;
And the abandonment of most family reuninfication in future legal immigration undercuts one of the most admirable real "pro-family" aspects of our immigration policy.
I'm only partly joking there. If the 27 percenters are any indication, this will cause enormous damage to the Republican party. We're looking at a Tancredo surge--maybe into double digits--and a possible third-party candidate. We're looking at a lot of wingnuts staying home on election day. Yes, there's still the Vast Global Apocalyptic Struggle Against Islamofascist Terror to bring them in, but even that won't be enough for some. This is a direct affront to the xenophobia that is a core value of today's Republican party.
TIDOS Yankee signs off his post with this: "Goodbye, GOP." From his lips to the FSM's ears.
Update: Ezra Klein has more analysis of the bill. Atrios comments:
There's a lot of crazy in the current system, and amnesty-which-has-pointless-hurdles-so-we-don't-call-it-amnesty seems to add to the crazy. Border security is an expensive fantasy, and a guest worker program is just bad.That sounds about right to me.
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