By James ShihThe Daily Northwestern
Bipartisan. The word appears few and far between in today’s national politics, especially on prominent issues that stir the passions of voters. Even as American troops in Iraq face a dire shortage in funding, Republicans and Democrats continue to bicker about timelines and benchmarks. The middle ground, thoroughly discredited with accusations of representing weakness and indecision, is as elusive today as WMDs in Iraq.
Which makes it all the more laudable that a group of senators seems to have escaped the default mode of partisan animosity, if only temporarily, to come to an agreement on a sweeping immigration reform bill. From the liberal Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., to the conservative Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz., the bill has so far received bipartisan support. Touted as “the biggest changes in immigration law and policy in more than 20 years” by The New York Times, the bill would create a massive temporary worker program, give illegal aliens renewable visas and establish a path for them to eventually become citizens.
A similar bill last year was stifled in the pre-November elections political climate. Then-Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., had instituted a policy of voting on key bills only when the majority of Republicans agreed, ensuring that only partisan policies were on the agenda and essentially hacking cross-party consensus to pieces.
With the new Congress in town, the prospect for the bill’s success this time around may be a bit brighter. Where the bill has been panned, it has been from both sides. The left has complained that the merit-based immigration system, which rewards job skills and English proficiency, would rip apart families. The right has said giving visas to illegal aliens would amount to amnesty. Despite all of its potential faults, the bill has taken the first step in overcoming the unwillingness of the left to step on anyone’s toes and that of the right to acknowledge that the staggering 12 million illegal immigrants are a reality that needs to be dealt with pragmatically.
More important is how politicians harness this emerging common ground for larger issues. With a new political climate, the Congress and presidential candidates have a brief window of opportunity to set aside ideology and party loyalty to engage in a sincere discussion about Iraq. Instead of squabbling about what they think Americans want, politicians would do well to examine the cold, hard facts they have at their disposal to inform Americans how best to stabilize Iraq before bringing the war to an end.
As the immigration reform bill has shown, Congress hasn’t lost its ability to handle complexities and compromises. To fall back into the well-worn ideological grooves now would be to spoil the chance for reconciliation and constructive dialogue. After six-and-a-half years of having to falsely worship so-called strong leadership, that’s the least Americans deserve.
