House Passes Immigration Enforcement Bill

I should be really happy tonight about this news that the House passed a fairly tough immigration enforcement bill. Here is a link to the story. My happiness is tempered though by the knowledge that this is only the first scene of a play that is just getting started. It's tantamount to moving your pawn up in an opening chess move. House members now have something to take back to their districts and pound their chest that they finally got a tough enforcement bill through the House.

It's not much of a secret what the Whitehouse hopes will play out in the next few months. They know that the Senate is more predisposed to vote through a guest worker amnesty bill. This will have to be reconciled with the House version. Then ....PRESTO, a bill comes out of conference with a guest worker amnesty provision.

If what I just described actually happens, then Republican members will have a huge vote looming. Sure they'll be able to make motions urging the conferees not accept any amnesty provisions, but if the amnesty parts get included in a final bill, you will have yourself a showdown vote on passage. It will all come down to one huge vote. Will John Campbell have the courage to vote against it? We will see. I'm not very confident right now about it.

Lastly I want give huge props to J.D. Hayworth of Arizona. This past week, Mexican Presidente Vicente Fox called the idea of a border fence “disgraceful and shameful.” This didn't sit well with Hayworth(or me for that matter). In lieu of Fox's statement, Mr. Hayworth made this statement...“I’m going to step away from diplomatic rules and offer President Fox some straight talk: President Fox should shut up". Right on. This is what we need more of. This is what this last election was about. California needs a J.D. Hayworth and Tom Tancredo.