Like that Boris the Blade in Snatch, immigration reform is the policy that is almost certainly not going to make it through Congress, but keeps staggering on despite a tremendous amount of abuse. The latest news is John Boehner adding a new staffer who is something of an immigration expert, which could signal New Seriousness, no really guys:
Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, is taking on a new and formidable immigration policy director, a sign that he could be more serious about passing immigration legislation than his critics suggest.
This is basically ancillary to the main question, which is whether Boehner will risk his speakership by passing the Senate reform bill through the House with mostly Democratic votes. That’s the whole game.
He doesn’t need a new policy director to do that, and while it’s possible to imagine him using this hire as some kind of cover with his Republican colleagues, House GOPers aren’t exactly known for their deference to policy experts. Maybe he’s just psyching himself up to make the move, but I’ll believe that when I see it.
