Cong. Roskam's breathtaking cynicism on immigration reform

 

     

My Congressman Peter Roskam brought a new level of cynicism to the issue of immigration reform that tops previous cynicism he's brings to virtually every important issue facing Illinois' Sixth District. A week ago Roskam discussed the issue with reporters and its not possible to invent the foolishness he presented. As House Majority Chief Deputy Whip, Roskam is a prisoner of the ultra right tea party leadership philosophy that forces him defend refusal of the GOP led House to join 14 Senate Republicans who provided the difference in landmark Senate passage. This sensible, bi-partisan Senate bill is DOA in the extremist House but that refusal has to be spun to fool the electorate, including the Latino community, which has essentially deserted the GOP. 

According to Roskam, The White House really isn't interested in helping 11 million undocumented gain a path to citizenship, it merely wants the issue to both drown out attention from alleged current scandals, and not have it passed so Democrats can campaign on the issue in next year's Congressional elections. As Roskam put it: 

 

"If you're the White House right now,..and you have a signature law -- that is, Obamacare -- that is completely a legacy issue for the president, and it's looking like implementation is going to be a disaster, and if you're on your heels in terms of these scandals, and you're flummoxed by the NSA, there's one issue out there that's good for the White House. That's immigration. The question is: How much energy does the White House actually put into getting the legislation, or do they want to keep the issue for 2014?" Source: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/06/immigration-reform-driving-republicans-insane

This statement is 100% politics and 0% policy substance. The tens of millions being helped by Obamacare, something the very affluent Roskam would never need, are utterly ignored in dismissing it as a "legacy issue for the President,". And the 11 million undocumented, decent, hardworking folks vital to our economy, that are to be given a path to citizenship, are dismissed simply as pawns in the Democrats attempt to "keep the issue for 2014".

That is bunk, Mr. Congressman. Back in April, you had this to say about comprehensive immigration reform: "The longer I’m around, with the exception of tax reform — and I acknowledge that I’m speaking out of both sides of my mouth — “comprehensive” and “immigration reform” has not worked in the past and there’s a reason for everybody to vote against a comprehensive immigration bill. Source: http://roskam.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6545:roskam-tax-day-qaa-part-ii-comprehensive-and-immigration-wont-fly-in-house&catid=40&Itemid=100052. What truths Roskam ignores are: comprehensive immigration reform has not worked in the past because the Roskam led GOP does everything possible to derail it to please their anti immigrant, anti Hispanic base, and the "everybody" he refers to is that same ultra conservative and prejudiced base.

Another smart, but not cynically challenged former Illinois Congressman, once said: "You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time". Roskam has figured out if you fool enough of the people all of the time, you can earn millions staying in Congress for decades. Its a close call but between those two smart Illinois Congressmen... I'll take Abe Lincoln.