Home > Our Blog > Once a DREAM Act Supporter, Republican Leader Orrin Hatch Now Fears the Tea Party

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Once a DREAM Act Supporter, Republican Leader Orrin Hatch Now Fears the Tea Party

Posted December 8, 2010 by Patrick Young, Esq.
Categories: Federal Immigration Policy

Politico has a telling piece on why the DREAM Act has not gotten traction with Republicans in Congress this year. It amounts to two words: “Tea Party.”

The Tea Party has shown that while it may not always be able to elect its candidates, it can pretty much knock off moderate Republicans.

Politico uses Orrin Hatch as a case study. Hatch was the principal sponsor of the DREAM Act when it was first introduced in 2001. With Tea Party activists threatening to force him into a primary race in 2012 if he votes for the DREAM Act, he is running scared. Not only is he abandoning his own legislative baby, his office is actively denouncing attempts to bring it to the floor for a vote as playing politics. I can’t think of any other example of a law’s author attacking his own legislative creation as it comes up for a vote.

With such cowardice afflicting the old pro-immigrant Republican caucus, we can expect the impact on immigrant America to be dire over the next two years, and possibly beyond.

Tags : dream act, dream act vote, gop, orrin hatch, republicans, tea party

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