No More Excuses

As of late, all eyes in The Beltway have been focused on Syria... And what The White House & Congress decide to do to resolve the crisis there. This has inadvertently moved the bulk of the domestic issues to the legislative back burner, though some in the G-O-TEA gang are still demanding another manufactured crisis. That should be fun (not).

And now, Congressional Republican "leaders" are hoping their plan is finally coming to fruition. Late last month, they were hoping more manufactured crisis drama would provide the perfect excuse for preventing any House vote on comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). Today, they're trying to use this and the actual Syria crisis as excuses for killing CIR.

No really, they're back to the "We're Too Busy!" excuse. So what exactly are they "busy doing"? Sure, Syria is a serious issue in need of deliberation. Derailing Obamacare, passing more unconstitutional abortion bans, and worshiping at the altar of Ayn Rand, however, are not .

But what can CIR advocates do in the face of G-O-TEA obstructionism? Organize. And that's exactly what they're doing.

“We believe they can walk and chew gum at the same time,” said Eliseo Medina, who leads the immigration campaign for theService Employees International Union, referring to members of Congress. “The more they delay, the worse it will be for them.” [...]

The organizations plan a mobilization in early October, with rallies in at least 40 cities on Oct. 5 followed by a march and rally in Washington on Oct. 8. Convinced that a majority exists in the House for the legislation, they will press for Mr. Boehner to allow a vote before the end of the year. Leaders said the Syria debate and the fiscal fight should not become “excuses” to set aside immigration.

“We’re gearing up for late October — we’re going to push really hard for votes this fall and negotiations with the Senate,” said Frank Sharry, the executive director of America’s Voice, an advocacy group. “We never figured we’d have an opportunity in September because of the budget stuff and with the debt ceiling.”

Immigrant rights activists are now aiming for an October House vote. By then, Syria and the federal budget should be resolved. And there should be no more excuses for delay.

It's always truly been a question of whether enough Republicans were willing to put the well-being of millions of American families and the health of the American economy above the irrational demands of their extreme base. What happens in the coming weeks will really put this to the test. They can't expect to get away with silly excuses for killing serious (and badly needed) policy.