Watch the other hand: Immigration reform advances under cover of scandals
While some of President Obama's most outspoken critics are working overtime to expose details of the various scandals plaguing his administration these days, it seems there are games afoot on Capitol Hill -- specifically, the little-noticed advancement of the "Gang of Eight" immigration reform proposal.
Bloomberg reports that the perfect storm of scandals has created a "honeymoon period" for pending immigration legislation.
As Glenn likes to say, watch the other hand...
The congressional probes into various government agencies diverted attention at a critical time, allowing the Senate Judiciary Committee a respite from the spotlight as it reached critical compromises on the measure and approved it on a bipartisan 13-5 vote on May 21. The bill would allow the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the U.S. without authorization a chance at citizenship.
"It's like magic -- you distract the audience while the real trick is being done -- and I think right now, while Americans focus on President Obama's unending difficulties, it's good news for the Gang of Eight working on immigration," said Republican strategist Alex Castellanos, referring to the four Republicans and four Democrats who crafted the bill.
The proposed legislation is under the radar now, but that will change when it comes up for a high-profile vote in the Senate next month.
Nevertheless, the lack of attention focused on the Judiciary Committee's markup may still have significant consequences:
