I guess the most surprising thing about the Senate passing comprehensive immigration reform is that every single Democrat voted for it. What that tells me is that the Democrats see no real downside to supporting reform even in states like Alaska, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, West Virginia, Arkansas, and Louisiana. I admit that I didn’t think that the Democrats could craft something that they could unanimously support.
What does that mean for the House? I think it means that there is no real political advantage in opposing reform. The Democrats in the House will support a decent Conference Report without fear of repercussions.
It also means that the House Republicans may oppose reform but that they can’t seriously think that they’ll benefit from their opposition.