Graham Uses Health Reform as Excuse to Back Out of Immigration Reform

by Alex DiBranco · 2010-03-25 11:00:00 UTC
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Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) claims that the "well has been poisoned" by the Democrats' passage of health reform. In retaliation, he will sever his role in bipartisan efforts to work toward vital comprehensive immigration reform, and is threatening to pull out of discussions on climate change legislation as well. Talk about a sore loser.

Maybe if Republicans weren't constantly threatening to filibuster every piece of important legislation that comes up, the Democrats wouldn't have shoved this (actually quite Blue Dog conservative, anti-choice) health reform bill through. Then again, maybe they would have. Hey, Democrats put up with a lot while the Republicans were in office. President Obama played very nice with his calls for bipartisanship instead of just getting the job done when he had a Senate supermajority: fat lot of good that did him. Almost nothing got done, and instead of civil discourse and bipartisan collaboration, we have an increasingly powerful, increasingly violent conservative Tea Party. (That's turning vehemently nativist to boot.)

Honestly, the immigration reform bill Graham had been proposing with his partner from across the aisle, Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wasn't even all that great. (Maybe Graham realizes this and is just looking for an excuse to back out of the shoddy legislation.) Fellow Immigrant Rights blogger Lauren Markham might have it right in calling upon Democratic California Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein to take the lead on immigration reform. If all we can get from Republicans is one sub-par suggested bit of legislation, and then have the sponsor cut and run as soon as he doesn't get his way on one unrelated thing, it might be better to stay focused on the Democratic Party for now.

Once we get a decent bill proposed to deal with our broken immigration system and keep families united (and if Republicans are done throwing temper tantrums), we can come together and try to work out some of the disagreements. But we shouldn't begin with compromise: The first step is the creation of a good, strong bill. Then everyone can start tearing it to pieces.

Photo credit: World Economic Forum

Alex DiBranco is a Change.org Editor who has worked for the Nation, Political Research Associates, and the Center for American Progress. She is now based in New York City.
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