White House Joins Democratic Senators to Appease Joe Wilson

On Friday I explained how Rep. Joe Wilson’s controversial heckling during President Obama's joint Congressional address last Wednesday laid bare the ugly-as-ever, Republican illegal immigration wedge strategy for the nation to see.

What’s more astounding, I argued, was that key Democrats, Senators Baucus (D-MO) and Conrad (D-ND) to be specific, seemed to be validating Wilson's outburst.  Republicans were scaring up a fake bogeyman – the undocumented immigrant who would benefit from taxpayer funded health insurance – and rather than pushing back with the facts, Baucus and Conrad told the American public to take them seriously.

Raising red flags, the White House took a similar tack late Friday evening, as ABC's political blogger Jake Tapper reports:

And within this conceit, the White House has declared the following:

• "Undocumented immigrants would not be able to buy private insurance on the exchange. Those who are lawfully present in this country would be able to participate.


• "Undocumented immigrants would be able to buy insurance in the non-exchange private market, just as they do today. That market will shrink as the exchange takes hold, but it will still exist and will be subject to reforms such as the bans on pre-existing conditions and caps.


• "Verification will be required when purchasing health insurance on the exchange. One option is the SAVE program (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) which states currently use to make sure that undocumented immigrants don’t participate in safety-net programs for which they are ineligible.


• "There would be no change in the law that requires emergency rooms to treat people who need emergency care, including undocumented immigrants. There is already a federal grant program that compensates states for emergency room costs associated with treatment of undocumented immigrants, a provision sponsored by a Republican lawmaker."

As a friend of mine remarked incredulously Friday night, "Wait, wait. We're going to say you can't BUY something in America?"

Look, if there's one thing that this debate over immigration in health care reform makes painfully clear, it's that any meaningful legislation that the President or Congress is looking to pass is going to continue to get hijacked by the Joe Wilson's of the world-- who, yes, are now feeling validated by all this scurrying around by Democratic leadership to make the bill "tougher" on immigrants. It will continue to get hijacked until meaningful immigration reform is passed. Period.

This bears repeating: we're never going to be able to have a rational policy debate in this country until we pass fair, comprehensive immigration reform.

We need real reform that repairs our dysfunctional immigration system to get people here legally, cracks down on employers who are gaming the system, and creates a pathway to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants currently living and working in the shadows of our broken laws.

We can get reform that actually makes us money, to boot.

It's time for Democratic leadership to take half the time they currently devote to appeasing the likes of Joe Wilson and spend it winning the votes for real reform.

Note: Cross-posted at www.AmericasVoiceOnline.org/Blog.

Follow Frank Sharry on Twitter: www.twitter.com/americasvoice

Comments

[Brittanicus]

Of all the Immigration enforcements laws that really works E-Verify has settled in to removing illegal immigrants from the workplace. But there is a "Sunset Provision" that could determine its future, since it’s specially working for the millions of jobless Americans? Supposedly E-Verification expires on September 30, only days after a Federal judge turned down a desperate delay from the despicable Special interest lobbyists led by the US Chamber of Commerce. On September 8 E-Verify, a contingency of the SAVE ACT was fully implemented mandating that all federal contractors and sub-contra­ctors--MUS­T--use this computerized identification system.
The American people must understand their is tremendous pressure on anemic members of both political parties to dismantle, store or hinder the E-Verify process as they are the puppets of rich business enterprises. Then Rep. JOE WILSON R-NC) opened the proverbial humongous can of worms in the full house chamber.

[Brittanicus]

We must endeavor to continue on raising our voices against the powerful forces that think nothing more than to destroy this valuable commodity called E-Verify. Overtime it will rid from every workplaces of millions of illegal workers, who think they are safe from government intervention. It will save billions of dollars being exported to other lands and sever the tolerant welfare programs, health care, education accessed by illegal low wage earners. E-Verify could introduced in all medical facilities, to check a persons national identity. The expedited message will spread and these lawbreakers will realize that it's fruitless to keep on applying for jobs. Eventually families will start to pack-up and depart for every corner of the earth. But it's up to the American voter to keep relentlessly calling the Washington switchboard 202-224-31­21contacti­ng their politicians.

Evaluate each lawmaker at NUMBERSUSA or JUDICIAL WATCH and command them to enforce E-Verify permanently. Not Voluntary for every business, but a mandatory addition for each employer. Fulfill their obligation to build the fence according to Rep. Duncan Hunter R-CA. Keep training the regular police according to the Federal 287 G directive,. Not to Rescind the No Match letter or desist ICE raids or weaken any other enforcement law, such as the 1986 Immigration Control & Reform Act. Fed's should restrict SANCTUARY CITY & STATE policies. NOW IT'S UP TO YOU? STARTLING WEBSITE! GOOGLE---I­MMIGRATION­COUNTERS.

[BobLablah]

The Canadians have it right. Anyone who can invest a certain amount of cash here should get citizenship. More people want to get into the US than any other country because we're the best country. I say let 'em, as long as they pay. There's your reform.

[mmerose]

This reminds me of the scene in the Yul Brynner/Deb Kerr "The King and I," in which she's been instructed to always keep her head lower than his, and he tests her by going lower and lower until she's groveling flat on the floor.

Meanwhile, I certainly feel completely demoralized. I'm out here standin' up while "Fearless Leader" seems to be figuring out how to get lower. Bummer.

[Plus15]

The President and his fellow Democrats constant pandering and lack of fight and kickback at the Republican insanity is exactly what has damaged his poll numbers so disasterously. The absence of fight, the quick capitulation and acceptence of GOP frames. The people see the same fear in the Democrats we saw for the last nine years. It's not what they were elected to do. That the people elected Obama and got Max Baucus and Kent Conrad instead is a scandal.