Mavericks Need Not Apply
by digby
Jesus H. Christ. The spin has completely taken hold that poor little Huckleberry Graham got stabbed in the back because mean old Harry Reid decided to switch the immigration and climate change bills to save his own skin and it's just so terribly terribly partisan. Poor Huck had been way out there on a limb working so darned hard to pass climate change and now he's stuck with this icky immigration bill that he ordered the president to start working on just a month ago.
Ezra Klein says that Huckleberry has a right to be angry because he was promised that immigration would come after climate, and maybe he does. But why should I or any other Democrat give a damn? It's not like he's someone who has shown much integrity in the past. If he feels screwed, maybe it will be an object lesson to him.
And anyway, I supposed to believe that the party of "drill, baby, drill" was going to vote for this climate change bill before the election? They can't even bring themselves to be bipartisan on financial reform, the one issue people expect at least a few of them to finally cross over on due to the fact that everyone in America is pissed beyond words that the arrogant Wall Streeters just can't seem to show even the tiniest bit of humility in the face of their near destruction of the global economy. We're supposed to believe that Graham could get a handful of the recalcitrant Republicans to come over on the "job destroying, climate hoax" bill this year? I'm not sure they can even get the usual conservadems.
I think Graham has learned that the designated maverick chair in the GOP is no longer available. The teabaggers have made it clear that they won't stand for it. He has a doddering old pal who is in a lot of trouble and the lessons of that can't be lost on him.
Here's Frank Sharry from America's Voices:
Here’s my theory: Senator Graham wanted to do immigration reform, but it became clear this spring that his friend, Senator John McCain, was in a fight for his political life. In a state where the Republican Party has become consumed by nativism, McCain is in a close primary battle against anti-immigrant fire-breather J.D. Hayworth. With the primary scheduled for late August, Graham does not want to subject his friend to a ‘tough vote’ this summer.
So he decided to blame the President, slow walk the immigration bill, and gear up on climate change. Now that the ‘perfect crime’ isn’t working out the way he wanted, Graham is threatening to take his marbles and go home – refusing to work with Democrats on either issue.
Meanwhile, Senators McCain and Kyl, both of whom fought for comprehensive immigration reform in the past, are threatening to filibuster a bill if it is brought forward. They, too, seem determined to head off an immigration reform debate, even though their state is ground zero for the issue. Senator McCain went so far as to embrace the Arizona state law that is eerily similar to a 2005 Congressional bill he once denounced as “anti-Hispanic.”
So, let’s review. The President and Democratic leaders do what Senator Graham asks of them. They embrace a bipartisan framework drafted by Graham and similar to bills championed by McCain and Kyl in the past. All of this is being done in the name of securing additional Republican support and preparing for a legislative debate… and now, Senator Graham accuses the Democrats of playing politics with the immigration?
Tell me again, Senator, who exactly is engaged in a ‘cynical political ploy?
From what I'm reading and seeing from the MSM kewl kidz, they are all being deafened by the hoarse whispers of both Democratic and Republicans staffers insisting that nobody wants to take up immigration. I don't know that they are going to have an option. Arizona just threw this issue to the top of the agenda whether these short-sighted, unprincipled politicians like it or not. If the Democrats don't step up, they will end up giving Latinos a good reason to believe that since there's not a dime's worth of difference between the two parties, they might as well give the GOP another look. Very, very dumb.
.