Tamar Jacoby Quotes on Government (5 Quotes)

The tough-talking swagger of the kind we're hearing from people in Congress who want enforcement only is not a political winner. It won't solve problems, and it won't win votes.

Is comprehensive reform a slam-dunk in Congress Obviously not. This is a hard battle, but it makes a lot of difference to have the president with us instead of against us.

They are watching very carefully what's going on in Congress and I think they are prepared to encourage the right kind of program ... as it comes out of Congress. He understands he's going to have a big role to play in persuading the public that whatever the answer is, it isn't an amnesty.

When you combine this speech with the raids of last week and the talk in the Senate of adding enforcement money to the supplemental, they're saying you can enforce the border and have a guest worker program at the same time, in tandem.

This is like the gun you shoot at the beginning of the race or the bell that you ring at the beginning of a classroom discussion, ... This is the president saying, 'OK, we're going to get serious about this now. Congress is going to work on it. I'm going to put my political capital behind it.'