While the debate over the fiscal cliff set the stage for further reform, President Obama is strongly defending his position on domestic policy.
An anonymous Obama administration official told Huffington Post Latino that the deficit stalemate will not sideline other White House priorities. A Senate Democratic aide said, “The negative effect of this fiscal cliff fiasco is that every time we become engaged in one of these fights, there’s no oxygen for anything else … It’s not like you can be multi-tasking – with something like this, Congress just comes to a complete standstill.”
Republican advocates are also committed to change, and to reflect to members of Congress on the lack of Latino and Asian voter support during the presidential election, all of whom support immigration reform. Good news for immigration advocates may have come when House Speaker John Boehner broke the so-called “Hastert Rule” and allowed the fiscal cliff bill to come for a vote without support from a majority of his Republican conference. Given opposition to immigration reform by many Tea Party Republicans, the proof that Boehner was willing to bypass them on major legislation is a good sign, the Democratic aide said.
Frank Sharry, executive director of the pro-immigration reform group America’s Voice, is optimistic that an immigration bill will be passed. He views the fiscal cliff debate as a refreshing opportunity for the House to, “to legislate through regular order on immigration reform might have leaders in both parties working together and singing ‘Kumbaya.”
