Ramifications for Generations

Now What???

This morning, The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act failed to receive the necessary 60 votes to invoke cloture. With a vote of 55-41, debate was censured. No super majority = no debate, in these days of unending Republican obstructionism.  

I spent much of the morning watching the television commentary on Univision, headlined by anchor Jorge Ramos. A few comments:  

We desperately need filibuster reform. This country was not designed to be held to the will of a super-majority. And it is decidedly anti-intellectual. The failure of a cloture vote means simply, that debate does not happen. It means ideas are never discussed in the public forum known as “The Floor of the Senate.” It means we do not get to turn on C-SPAN and hear our elected representatives do the work of the American people. We are talking about cynical moves that in part, work to keep everyone uniformed -- the decision-makers included.  

The Dreamers are amazing! Muchas gracias, Jorge Ramos for sharing the anchor desk with so many of them this morning! They are angry, but they will not stop fighting They will continue to employ the best, grassroots political strategies to make sure their voices remain heard – from rallies, to hunger strikes, to prayer vigils to charity drives. And they know full well who needs to be targeted in the next election, Democrats and Republicans alike. If these young folks have their way, heaven help the five Democrats who did not hold rank this morning. There could be particular ramifications for Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Bob Nelson of Nebraska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas, all from states with fast-growing Latino populations. And the Dreamers made it clear this morning that they plan on making life hell for the two Republican Senators from Texas, Kay Bailey Hutchinson and John Cornyn and for Mark Kirk, the newly elected Republican Senator from Illinois. Both states have large, voting Latino constituencies.  

There is an underlying sense that the Democrats and the White House did not push hard enough to make this happen. I am sure some of this is about the fact that the Democrats splintered on this one. I think it might be more about the fact that no one is willing to stand up for comprehensive, immigration reform. And let’s face it. The expectation is that the Democrats should be on the forefront of this one. While it’s pretty clear Latinos will not crossover to vote Republican in 2012, Democrats might have to work harder than they think to get out the vote, next time around.  

A nice round-up from the Washington Post right after the vote, emphasizing compromise and miscalculation:

Deporting almost 800,000 illegal immigrants might antagonize some Democrats and Latino voters, Obama's skeptical supporters said the president told them, but stepped-up enforcement was the only way to buy credibility with Republicans and generate bipartisan support for an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws. 

On Saturday that strategy was in ruins after Senate Democrats could muster only 55 votes in support of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, a measure that would have created a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were brought to this country as children. Under Senate rules, Democrats needed 60 votes to overcome Republican opposition to the bill.  

And more, from Illinois Democrat, Rep. Luis Guiterrez:

"It is a strategy which has borne no fruits whatsoever," Gutierrez said. "This administration has unilaterally led the march on enforcement, yet the other side has not given one modicum of compromise."

"If you really want to bring Republicans to the table," he added, "so long as they are getting everything they want, every piece of enforcement, why, why would they come to the table?"  

So no, increased enforcement did not force the Republicans to compromise on The Dream Act. And the outlook on compromise leading to real, immigration reform is no better.

On the political front, the ramifications of this failure will be seen for generations to come. Latinos will not forget the message they were sent today. We don’t care about your children.

But, in the words of Sen. Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois:

“Thousands of children in American who live in the shadows and dream of greatness,” he said. “they are children who have been raised in this country. They stand in the classrooms and pledge allegiance to our flag. They sing our star-spangled banner as our national anthem. They believe in their heart of hearts this is home. This is the only country they have every known.”

La lucha continua. The good fight goes on.