After 3 years, Joe Biden says now, “I am ready to solve the Problem, I really am.”
Now, let me say at the outset that I don’t think House Republicans should, just accept any deal that comes out of the Senate regarding border security. The one absolute requirement should be a cap on parole.
The President has the power to allow an alien, through the use of parole, to come into the country, but Biden has been abusing this power to allow about 95 percent of the aliens to get in, get welfare and remain indefinitely.
The administration is supposed to review each parole case individually before granting parole, that certainly that has not been happening. To give you an idea of how Biden has abused parole as way to keep our border open, in the last year of the Trump administration there were 5,623 paroles granted, last year the Biden administration granted parole to about 802,000. Do you think those cases were reviewed? Of course not, and not reviewing them violates federal law. Biden is abusing the law, could he be acting dictatorially? No, only Trump could be a dictator, says are mainstream media.
So, any border deal must include a cap on parolees. How much should it be, well, I would round down to zero and I am sure House Republicans would as well. But I think we should still accept splitting the difference. I know it would be distasteful to border security conservatives to agree to a cap at say 400,000 but still it is a positive step, and there will be other helpful things in the bill, such as restarting deportations and adding limits migrants’ ability to claim asylum.
These changes would not solve the crisis, but at least by capping the number of parolees we can slow the invasion and give relief to cities and several states. Solving the crisis will ultimately take a Republican President, most likely Trump.
On Friday, Biden finally admitted that there was a problem, telling a group of Mayors at the White House, “I am ready to solve the problem I really am.” As they say the first step to recovery is to admit that there is a problem.
Why after 3 years of inaction did Biden, and Democrats wake up, and express a desire to move to the center on this issue? In all my years of following politics I have never seen such a course correction. Or at least a desire to reverse position by the leadership of a party. It is quite remarkable, perhaps it is just political positioning or a change of thinking, but either way it is a great opportunity for Republicans.
Joe is very vulnerable on the issue. A number of red state Democrats are up for re-election. The blue state cities are being overrun and Biden’s disapproval rating on the issue, according to a new CBS poll is at 68 percent, 32 percent approve. The other significant thing is that for the first time that I can remember Senate Democrats are willing pass a bill without amnesty or a pathway to citizenship attached to it.
And topping it off Biden wants something from Congress. He wants money for Ukraine. So, a trade is natural, with Border security largely on Republican terms and Ukraine aid.
Republicans have leverage like never before. Republicans can’t lose, so you might think.
When you have leverage and get nothing you lose. Leverage can’t be stored; it is either use it or lose it. Biden is willing to move our direction and we may never have such a favorable situation in a Democrat controlled Senate.
But on the cusp of victory, there is doubt, there are obstacles. One big concern among House Republicans is that the compromise won’t go far enough to secure the border, well they are right it probably won’t but that is not reason to vote against it.
They may think we should wait for Trump to retake office and get a great deal, well, Trump might not win, and in any case without a deal, we will go on with the status quo for another year. And once Trump takes office Senate Democrats will work to block all his initiatives. They will dust off the filibuster, which two years ago they sought to get rid of and use it against Trump and Republicans bills.
House Republicans have to do what’s right now, not postpone dealing with the crisis, by delaying with the hope of getting a better deal with the next President. Or a perfect deal with Biden’s signature.
The other concern, which I think is silly, is that such a deal with Biden gives him a political lifeline. That it might defuse the border issue in the upcoming election. Trump has even suggested that for House Republicans to work with the senate on a compromise would be “stupid.”
Rep. Troy Nehls, Freedom Caucus member (R-Texas) told CNN that he’s “I will not help the Democrats try to improve this man’s dismal approval ratings. I’m not going to do it. Why would I?”
Help Biden politically? Honestly, the only thing that can help Biden politically would be a miracle from God. Biden is beyond human help; he is one of the most inept candidates I have ever seen.
I don’t think any deal now, after 3 years of inaction is going to give Biden much of a political boost. It may marginally help some red state Democrats who vote for a border security deal, but Biden’s political vulnerabilities extends beyond border security. And a compromise border deal, while it may help, won’t end the crisis at the southern border. The issue will not be neutralized no matter how tilted to Republicans this compromise may be.
It is also quite possible, and I believe more likely, that such a border deal will hurt Biden politically. Such a deal with Republicans will cause anger with progressive Democrats. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear many progressives denounce him as a traitor for agreeing to so many of the Republican demands. And no doubt such a deal will cause some Democrats to vote 3rd party or stay home on election day.
House Republicans should take the eventual senate deal, provided there is at least some cap on paroles. The cap may be higher than we would like, but it would still be a huge win.
No deal is probably more of a loss for Republicans than Democrats. And more importantly a loss for our country.
5 comments
David,
It appears that you are lobbying us to come to the incompetent dark side, so to lobby us you must do much better.
Biden combined with Republicans sitting on their collective butts have already allowed and alleged 6,000,000 illegal aliens into America.
One could reasonably ponder
recent prisoner swaps and releases have sent bad actors back to work, maybe here
and God let’s hope not even 1% of them are the bad guys (not the traffickers) that want to inflict harm in a large scale, that’s 6,000
What harm could that many do in 30 minutes?
Now human trafficking;
January is Human Trafficking awareness month and as Virginian’s have seen Miyares and public service announcements by the Va. State Police on billboards and the news this month.
How much has Virginia spent combatting this just under Youngkin’s Leadership?
How much in the same time period has Virginia received from the Federal Government for this?
Now we also know of the three p’s in Human Trafficking; prosecution, protection and prevention.
Me being a simple man, a builder. I expect that my life is very different from yours based on my field of study vs yours so I must view this from my perspective;
You’ve offered me a plan yet the plan just provides me with the scope of work. I am in need of the specifics to provide an accurate estimate and the products used to achieve the customer’s desires (citizens) final completion.
At a sermon one Sunday a wonderful genuine Conservative Preacher in Virginia told a story;
“I was set off to college to major in business. I soon discovered that this had to much math and I don’t like math so I decided to change my major to something that didn’t have math and there was political science and seminary so I became a preacher. People this is a big part of the problem with our representatives;
they don’t know math.”
How’s it go?
For God For County For Family.
If we don’t immediately take this deliberate threat seriously to protect America it will be much harder to protect the other two.
David,
Please don’t take bipartisanship as good or genuine because 1/2 of one side of Republicans are just Bidenlite.
Now I cannot stray from the current history of Virginia Representatives placing Virginians at risk by passing Va.SB121 and allowing Joe Biden’s illegal aliens to operate as “independent contractors”
Back to the 6,000 bad guys;
Do you think just maybe 60 could be around our eastern shores or NOVA.
I’m sure that you sleep well tonight.
Try to lobby me a little better.
I’ll eagerly await the specifics on this bill to find the cloaked self serving agenda (like SB121) and I warn you I can squeeze a dime. Oh and let Youngkin know the America First Movement can and will win in November without his endorsement & the train doesn’t have a seat for RINO’s.
Today we should now set the less Government Regan talk aside and talk about the Regan that spoke inspirational words of Courage for Americans.
You should not be allowed to write this stuff for public consumption. You do not have a clue what is going on in politics. You cannot deal with Biden, or Trump. No matter the president, they abuse the office these days. Nothing but liars and used car salesman.
House Republicans should NEVER agree to this crap!
Republicans for years rode the the constant waves of illegal immigration to financial prosperity at the expense of Americans.
It it time for the opposition to the globalist wing of the Republican part to ride the wave of
Trump to crash ashore and like a hurricane wash out the sludge in the swamp.
In the article, the author states “The President has the power to allow an alien, through the use of parole, to come into the country, but Biden has been abusing this power to allow about 95 percent of the aliens to get in, get welfare and remain indefinitely.”
If the author believes that President Biden has been abusing his parole authority under existing federal immigration law, then what is the basis for the author to believe that President Biden would not abuse his authority to circumvent any parole cap set by a new border deal? And, even if President Biden were to abide with such a parole cap until after the November 2024 election, there would be nothing to prevent President Biden — if re-elected — from reverting to his practice of abusing his parole authority.
Given President Biden’s actions since January 2021 — which are tantamount to a prolonged and continuing open borders policy — any Congressional Republicans willing to try to negotiate a parole cap would have to ignore President Biden’s actions and place their hopes on the unlikely possibility that President Biden would view a new parole cap as something that limits his discretion more than currently existing immigration law. Wishful thinking and elevating hope over experience are not good reasons to adopt unenforceable compromises.
Come on Man.. The Democrats will not increase border security with their bill.. that is complete and utter nonsense David.
They will increase the ability to process people in and then they can say that the border is ok.. we’re increasing asylum officers, see David!!! That way they can claim that they have solved the crisis..
Plus another what..60 billion for Ukraine for what?? They are losing that war badly. You are going to trade off going more into debt for a bunch of crap about border security that won’t happen.. It never does David..
It is like Comprehensive immigration reform David…!!! that is an amnesty and no other enforcement.
So no don’t give that scumbag a penny for bogus border nothing nor Ukraine..