Dems Unveil Immigration Proposal

So the Democrats are on the immigration reform tip, and I just love the WaPo's lede:

Senate Democrats officially unveiled a proposal to reform America's immigration system on Thursday, looking past the fact that no Republican has offered support for the effort and President Obama a day earlier played down the chances of legislation passing this year.

OMG the Democrats are defying the Republicans! And President Bipartisan! IT'S LIKE THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO THEY ARE ANYMORE!

Seeking to woo Republicans, the 26-page framework, which has not yet been written into a formal bill, emphasizes first taking steps to limit illegal immigration before offering new rights for those here illegally. But the REPAIR (Real Enforcement with Practical Answers for Immigration Reform) proposal, as Democrats dubbed it, also would create a pathway to legal status for an estimated 10.8 million people who are already in the country illegally, an idea opposed by many conservatives.

You know what would be a great story for the WaPo to do…? Interviewing prominent rightwingers to see if they think the Democratic Party should change its name. Or possibly disband altogether. Because every day, I wonder: What do conservatives think of the Democrats and their policies? If only someone would write an article telling me whether conservatives tend to oppose or support Democratic initiatives.

Anyway...

Under the proposal, illegal immigrants currently in the United States would be eligible for legal status in eight years, as long as they learned English, had not committed a crime and paid their taxes. The federal government would increase funding for border security and require all American workers get a new version of their Social Security card that would include a biometric identifier to protect against the creation of counterfeits.

I love the smell of conditional amnesty in the morning!

I remain unconvinced that someone should have to learn English to live in the US, and I don't see why it should take eight years to attain legal status (when other countries, such as Brazil, have successful amnesty programs that don't require such rigmarole), but I'm definitely in support of an amnesty program of some description, and this frankly sounds better than I would have expected. I'll withhold final judgment until the actual bill is written, though…

Meanwhile, in totally depressing news, Gallup has found that of the three-quarters of Americans who have heard about Arizona's new immigration law, more support it than oppose it, 51%-39%.

What. The. Fuck.