Dean: President Bush and Republicans Failed the American People With Their Lack of Leadership on Immigration Reform
June 28, 2007
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement after Republicans blocked comprehensive immigration legislation in the Senate:
"Today's immigration vote is a reminder of why the American people voted Republicans out in 2006 and why they'll vote against them in 2008. After using the immigration issue to inflame people with divisive rhetoric, the Republican Party, led by President Bush, had neither the capital nor the political will to work with Democrats on a reasonable compromise that would have delivered on the promise of immigration reform. The Republican election year strategy to scapegoat immigrants to win elections not only backfired in 2006 but today reveals a fractured party in disarray.
“Senator Reid and the Democratic leadership in Congress deserve a lot of credit for listening to the American people, for listening to the experts, and after participating in countless hearings, fighting to work in a bipartisan manner to deliver a comprehensive immigration reform package that would be tough and restore order to the border, but would also be smart and practical. Today's vote doesn’t end the immigration debate. It’s an issue that won’t go away. It was, however, a failure to address what’s needed at our borders, and it fails to address 12 million immigrants, most of whom are hard working and law abiding, and who will not go away by virtue of Republican obstructionism. Democrats will continue to look for ways to address the issue. The American people deserve better, and America is capable of better."
