Democrats Should Let Immigration Bill Die

According to this report from the Washington Post in the June 12, 2007 edition, Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader, is considering allowing the immigration bill to go back on the Senate's calendar. Our advice, for what it is worth, is "Don't."

Democrats need to focus on trying to get white working class families to support its 2008 nominee. This group, especially white males, is important to our party. We should have their support because on economic issues we are far ahead of the Republicans, but we often lose their support because of our party's stand on social issues.

Although cast as an economic issue by its sponsors, the status of illegal immigrants is a social issue because it affects the social make-up of our country. By siding with Bush and his corporate buddies to pass this bill, we run the risk of alienating millions of working class males who see this bill as threatening the economic well being of their families. We run the risk of giving the Republicans another populist issue to use against Democrats in 2008.

Right now it is clear to Americans of Hispanic descent who is responsible for this bill's defeat and that is the Republican Senators, most of whom voted against cutting off debate on this bill. There is a good possibility that the Hispanic backlash will be against them and not against Democrats. Continuing to push this bill, however, runs the risk of identifying our party with Bush. Given his horrible poll numbers, this would be a mistake.