McConnell Predicts Passage Of Immigration Deal

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell predicts passage of the Senate immigration deal soon after lawmakers reconvene. The Senate will be back from a week-long break for the Memorial Day holiday on June 4. McConnell is less certain the so-called immigration reform will pass the House.

According to the Minority Leader, the immigration bill in Congress won't cost "a single member of either party:"

Most Americans want Congress to fix a system they regard as broken even though they have reservations about the proposed legislation, McConnell said in an interview on Bloomberg Television's "Political Capital with Al Hunt." Public opinion, he predicted, will trump such specific concerns as whether it amounts to amnesty to grant eventual legal status to the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.

"This is a divisive issue" for both parties, said McConnell, a Kentucky Republican. But, he said, "I don't think there's a single member of either party next year who is going to fail to be re-elected over this issue."

I think McConnell is correct.

UPDATE: Guest blogging at Right Wing News, my RedState colleague, Rob Bluey wonders if McConnell has lost his way:

What a tremendous disappointment. McConnell, who is up for re-election next year, should know better. He's won accolades among conservatives for his steady leadership and savvy work blocking Democrat-sponsored legislation. But his support for the amnesty bill will undo much of that.

Like Rob, I have appreciated McConnell's leadership in the Senate. It's not surprising that McConnell would support the Senate immigration deal. Leader McConnell was among 23 Republicans who voted for the immigration reform bill, which passed the Senate last year. McConnell sees the current bill as an improvement over last year's bill. Senator McConnell isn't seeking perfection and would rather act than not act.