Obama is crowing that he's gotten some Christian Evangelicals (referred in this blog as Fundies) to support his new immigration policy. The catch (and you knew there is one) is that if gays are in the final bill then Fundies withdraw their support.
The reason why gays should be mentioned in the bill is that, unlike straight couples, a gay American cannot sponsor his or her foreign spouse for residency. Fall in love with a foreigner and you face a daunting choice. Either work out a work/student/tourist visa which has to be renewed frequently (and may not be) or don't live in the United States. It doesn't matter that one of ten countries around the world or one of five states here has issued a marriage license. For purposes of immigration the two of you are strangers.
Some gay leaders already envision various Dem leaders coming and saying, "Gosh, durnit, we tried to get you included. But we just can't. Please donate generously so we can try again sometime in the distant future." It's a song and dance we've heard too many times since Obama took office.
What does Obama get out of this? Well, the chances of immigration reform have been looking pretty dim and courting Fundies puts the squeeze on the GOP. Even so, this deal is insufficient to change the equation enough for a bill to pass.
And the Fundies? About 15% of Hispanics are evangelical, thus socially conservative and willing to support pro-life and anti-gay policies. Since the percentage of Hispanics is growing it makes sense to woo them into the conservative fold (as long as the racist elements of the party will tolerate it).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment