About 62 percent of Americans disapprove of President Barack Obama’s performance on immigration, according to a Gallup report released today of two recent
“„But on this specific issue, I think there’s reason to believe that presidential leadership would actually be counterproductive. In Beyond Ideology, Frances Lee assembles some evidence—best read about on Ezra Klein’s blog—that when Presidents insert themselves into legislative debates, that induces partisan polarization. Immigration has always been an issue that scrambles both parties coalitions, and I don’t think that’s changed today. A more polarized dynamic is only going to make reform harder to achieve. Of course the president would have a role in pushing a bill over the finish line, but success requires a starting baseline of genuine cooperation on the Hill.