The Curious Relationship Between Senate GOP And The DREAM Act

Much has been written on this blog about the political obstruction of the DREAM Act by Senate Republicans and it should be noted again, they have done much to block its passage recently.

However, what makes this all so frustrating is that there was a time, literally four years ago when President George Bush was in power that the Senate GOP were among the most vocal supporters of the DREAM Act.

Scott Wong of The Politico has a story up entitled As GOP Rises, DREAM Falters, that puts the current actions by the Senate GOP in a more historical context and highlights just how far the Republican party has moved to the extreme right on this issue.

A perfect example of this shift can be seen in those GOP Senators who were apart of writing the original DREAM Act some ten years ago, now refuse to vote on the legislation for fear that they will meet a Tea Party Primary opponent in 2012. Case in point Orrin Hatch, Republican from Utah:

To see how dramatically the immigration debate has shifted, look no further than Orrin Hatch. The Utah Republican was the chief sponsor of the DREAM Act when it was first introduced in the Senate in 2001 and, later, in 2003. But now, worried about a potential tea party challenge in 2012, Hatch is steering clear of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.

Hatch has not been a vocal supporter of the DREAM Act for some time so his recent refusal to vote on it is not so surprising. What is somewhat more perplexing is Republican Senator of Indiana Dick Lugar, who was a co-sponsor of the legislation in September of this YEAR.

Support from Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar, who co-sponsored a version of the bill as recently as September, is now uncertain, with his spokesman saying the senator “doesn’t like the political games being played” and is exploring his options.

Hatch and Lugar's movement to the far right on Immigration is a symptom of something that has come over their entire party after a bruising election cycle which saw many of the parties moderate members eviscerated for siding with the opposition party on anything.

It’s a remarkable turnaround from four years ago, when a Republican president and a Republican Congress pushed to liberalize immigration and create a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. But chastened by a grass-roots movement against illegal immigration, Republicans taking control of the House are lurching in the opposite direction, drafting a series of border security and enforcement bills cracking down on illegal immigration for 2011.

It is still possible that those moderate Republicans in the Senate who do not have to face re-election in 2012 will step forward and vote in the affirmative on the DREAM Act.