As told to us, Wasserman Schultz asked Shuler if he’d sign the [GOP dischage] petition. Shuler said, “You’re damn right I would sign it, it’s about time we did something on immigration,” adding that “we need to get our heads out of the sand.” The diminutive Wasserman Schultz yelled that Shuler he was doing this for “political cover.” And Shuler said, “I wouldn’t have worked on this for damn near a year for political cover.”
I’ve written on this several times lately — including one Democratic representative comparing immigration officials to gestapo agents. It’s beginning to look like a Greek tragedy — one the Democrats can foresee a mile away, but are unable to avoid. That’s because there’s a basic tension between red state Democrats who want to boost re-election prospects, and liberal Democrats who regard the whole topic as race-baiting. With Republicans preparing to force a debate on the Shuler bill, things may be coming to a head:
Mindful of the splits among Democrats, House Republican leaders met Tuesday night to discuss a potential discharge petition aimed at forcing Pelosi to allow a floor vote on the Shuler measure, first introduced last November. A final leadership go-ahead could come as early as Wednesday, with the goal of beginning to collect signatures next week and thereby elevating the issue prior to the spring recess beginning March 14. The strategy is designed to force Pelosi’s hand on immigration, assuming whatever option the speaker chooses will pose problems in the fall. “That’s going to be a problem for us, because it is such a volatile issue,” said House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.). “I don’t think the Republicans are interested in good policy. They’re interested in good politics right now, and they think the discharge is good politics.”
The Politico reports that it’s unclear that Republicans will get the signatures they need to force a debate — at least right now. But painful as the debate might be, Speaker Pelosi ought to consider getting this debate out of the way. After all, if a discharge petition falls short today, it isn’t going to go away as the pressure of election day draws closer. Do House Democrats really want to let a difficult issue like this fester, if it may come back to haunt them later?
