Lindsey Graham working with Chuck Schumer on amnesty; rounding up other Republicans

From this:

Senate Democrats have found a Republican in Sen. Lindsey Graham to help them push for passage of a comprehensive immigration overhaul this year.

But the lag in getting prominent support from a Republican -- more than two months after Democrats first announced their push -- shows how complicated prospects for passage could be this year, as immigration remains a wedge inside an increasingly divided GOP.

Democrats and Republicans say Mr. Graham of South Carolina is working behind the scenes with Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) to gain support from other GOP members. Mr. Schumer is quarterbacking this year's campaign for an overhaul.

One complicating factor this time around is the recent ascendancy of the libertarian/strong fiscal conservative wing of the rightwing, exemplified by the tea parties and groups like FreedomWorks. Some of those in that wing will no doubt end up supporting amnesty; that might cause a schism, or those who are basically paid off by corrupt businesses may end up getting their way. It's also worth noting that the leaders of the supposed opposition to Obama are incredibly incompetent. All of that makes fighting against amnesty more difficult than it was before.

Sun, 08/09/2009 - 05:10 · · Importance: 4