Health fight arouses immigration battle

Politico
Health fight arouses immigration battle
By: Gebe Martinez
September 10, 2009 04:50 AM EST

Regardless of how the stormy health care debate ends, the lingering question will be whether the rest of President Barack Obama’s legislative agenda was swept away in the political debris.

One priority that has become entangled in the messy health care discussion is immigration, a reliable lightning rod for conservatives who habitually try to confuse any issue by playing to xenophobes’ fears.

In recent town hall meetings and media interviews, conservative Republicans falsely claimed illegal immigrants would get free health insurance under the president’s plan. Though blatantly untrue, the statement has taken on a life of its own and compounded headaches for some Democrats who are wavering on Obama’s health care proposal.

But the renewed immigrant-bashing has served to strengthen the determination of immigration reform advocates to advance their own initiative after the health care issue is resolved and to not let their bill’s destiny be determined by the twisted politics of health care.

Both issues present the most vexing dilemmas for politicians, but there is a key strategic difference between the two: The battle over health insurance has become fiercely partisan, while the immigration debate has previously allied Republicans and Democrats, business and labor, and other unusual partners.

Republicans also have come to realize they may be better off dealing with immigration and getting it off the table than being blamed for the angry anti-immigrant rhetoric that turned Latino voters off from the GOP ticket in 2008.

Democratic leaders predict Republicans will co-sponsor the immigration bill, something that has eluded Obama on health care and other major legislation he advanced this year.

“There’s strong interest from the Republican side in coming up with a balanced, down-the-middle approach on immigration,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee’s immigration subcommittee.

Schumer had promised to have an immigration bill drafted by the time Congress returned to work this week, but he has delayed unveiling any proposal in order to draw input and support from both sides of the aisle. The Obama administration also has been meeting with key Senate and House members from both parties to find consensus on a plan.

To say that immigration is at least as tough a political issue as health care is an understatement. Twice in the past four years, the Senate tried and failed to approve a comprehensive package of reforms, and the House was too timid to take it up.

But the seasoned veterans of those legislative battles are more confident that they can overcome attacks against legal and illegal immigrants and get a bill done by spring.


“Immigration, unlike health care, has been discussed over and over. The angry voices that we are hearing on health care, we have been hearing on immigration for years and years. We have been able to absorb that hate and the anger,” said Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.), the vice chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

“We have gone through this. We have heard the harsh voices, and we have discussed the different solutions. We are not going to go through this airing of anger, so much, on immigration that we will not be familiar with,” Becerra added. “We know what we are going to face.”

Still, the long fight over health insurance already has affected immigration.

With many items on the agenda after health care and ahead of immigration — Afghanistan troop funding, climate change legislation, overhauling financial services — there is concern that the president will not have sufficient political capital to push immigration to completion.

The immigration movement also suffered psychological setbacks this summer. Its longtime champion, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), died 15 months after being diagnosed with brain cancer.

And despite Democrats’ expectations that Republicans will co-sponsor an immigration bill, key allies from earlier fights will not be there the next time around.

Kennedy’s Republican ally on the 2006 immigration bill, Arizona Sen. John McCain, voiced his disapproval of the new immigration plan being pushed by Democrats and is not expected to play a leading role. Taking his place will most likely be Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who worked side by side with McCain in the 2006 and 2007 immigration negotiations.

Another key Republican negotiator in those battles, Florida Sen. Mel Martinez, retires from the Senate on Thursday, with regrets that immigration reform was not accomplished during his brief time in office.

Taking Martinez’s seat until the start of the next term, in January 2011, will be George LeMieux, a longtime adviser to Republican Florida Gov. Charlie Crist — who is running for the seat himself. LeMieux’s immigration position remains a question mark.

Still, immigration advocates say they are ready to “tee up” their plan.

“We saw where people landed on this issue before. We have a better sense of the landscape on immigration and on how to get it done,” Becerra said. “Running at a soft speed on this gives you a chance to ramp it up.”

Assuming health care does not suck up all of the political oxygen.

Gebe Martinez is a longtime journalist and a frequent lecturer and commentator on the policy and politics of Capitol Hill.

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