Amnesty bill taking on water?

Is the Senate immigration amnesty bill losing steam? Well, let's hope so. As far as public opinion goes, Rasmussen has the latest national polling numbers as follows:

Initial public reaction to the immigration proposal being debated in the Senate is decidedly negative.

A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey conducted Monday and Tuesday night shows that just 26% of American voters favor passage of the legislation. Forty-eight percent (48%) are opposed while 26% are not sure. The bi-partisan agreement among influential Senators and the White House has been met with bi-partisan opposition among the public. The measure is opposed by 47% of Republicans, 51% of Democrats, and 46% of those not affiliated with either major party.

Did you get that? Half of the country, whether Republican, Democrat or independent, is opposed to the plan...and only a quarter of the country is in favor. Now THAT'S what I call bi-partisanship. The report continues:

The enforcement side of the debate is clearly where the public passion lies on the issue. Seventy-two percent (72%) of voters say it is Very Important for "the government to improve its enforcement of the borders and reduce illegal immigration." That view is held by 89% of Republicans, 65% of Democrats, and 63% of unaffiliated voters.

Advocates of "comprehensive" reform have taken to arguing that those who want an enforcement-only policy must explain how they would deal with the 12 million illegal aliens already living in the country. The public reaction to that question appears to be "Why?" Only 29% of voters say it is Very Important for "the government to legalize the status of illegal aliens already in the United States."

Exactly. "Why?", indeed. I've been saying the same thing myself. If we actually get serious with the border, and fining the heck out the businesses that hire them (turning off the magnet, so to speak), then we'll not only have fewer entering the country, but many who would no longer be able to get a job will simply leave. George Will has an excellent take on this in his column today, pointing out that we've been burned on this issue before, and there's no need to legalize the illegals...just ignore them.

Americans are skeptical about the legislation, but not because they have suddenly succumbed to nativism. Rather, the public has slowly come to the conclusion that the government cannot be trusted to mean what it says about immigration.

In 1986, when there probably were 3 million to 5 million illegal immigrants, Americans accepted an amnesty because they were promised that border control would promptly follow. Today the 12 million illegal immigrants, 60 percent of whom have been here five or more years, are as numerous as Pennsylvanians; 44 states have populations smaller than 12 million. Deporting the 12 million would require police resources and methods from which the nation would rightly flinch. So, why not leave bad enough alone?

Concentrate on border control and on workplace enforcement facilitated by a biometric identification card issued to immigrants who are or will arrive here legally. Treat the problem of the 12 million with benign neglect.

Again, exactly. Look at it this way, the law of supply and demand created the problem, because the government allowed both the illegal demand on the part of business to exist (by generally looking the other way where enforcement was concerned) and as well as the supply to follow demand by not enforcing the border. Reversing course on both aspects puts the law of supply and demand back on the side of a sane immigration policy.

The editors at National Review put out the following today:

The immigration bill, according to its critics, hands out amnesty to illegal immigrants as soon as some ineffectual steps toward enforcement are taken. Don't believe it. The bill provides amnesty as soon as it is enacted.

Read the whole thing.

"Comprehensive" immigration reform proponent Lindsey Graham has sent out an email linking back to this web site, point out what he calls myths and facts about the bill, which have already been largely debunked here. I'm told that it looks like Graham's office got access to the White House's email list in order to send this out, (I personally got 3 different copies at the same time).

The party base is ticked off. Grassroots ire among local party officials is rising. Just yesterday, the SC York County GOP leadership sent out an "action alert" against the bill to their people, urging them to contact their senators and the White House in opposition. The State GOP Chair in Arizona has Republicans tearing up and mailing in their GOP registration cards...saying they'll re-register as Independents.

Meanwhile, the President continues to push it. I'm at a loss. And what's Trent lLott up to?? And MSNBC reports on the "Gang of 12" (or as Jeff Sessions refers to the "the Masters of the Universe") who sit in judgment just off the Senate floor regarding proposed changes to the amnesty plan.

h/t Robert Bluey - Captain Ed - Outside the Belway - Malkin - WAPO - Wizbang - Right Wing - Polipundit