‘Top Line’ — Room for Immigration Reform on Agenda?

ABC News’ Rick Klein reports: As if the congressional agenda isn’t crowded enough, a group of Democrats today filed a comprehensive immigration reform measure, and are vowing to press to see it considered next year. That’s a tall order in a mid-term congressional election year — but the bill’s sponsors say they plan to hold President Obama to his commitment to taking it up. “I think it’s critical,” Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., one of the bill’s co-sponsors, said today on ABC’s “Top Line.” “For too long in America we’ve had those amongst us who are just back in the shadows unable to fully exercise their American dream. I think that we’ve reached a point, a critical point of understanding how important it is to integrate these folks into our nation as quickly as possible — have them pay a civil penalty but have them pursue that dream for the security and prosperity of our nation.” Asked about the dicey politics of immigration reform, Clarke said: “It’s a winner for the American people. You know, we have gotten to a point where we have accepted a status quo that is totally untenable. Bringing our folks, bringing people who are here out of the shadows, into an immigration [system] that works — yields dividends for this nation.” We also asked Clarke whether she has any sense of how quickly health care can get done: “If I had that answer I think that, you know, I would be like the ultimate guru on Hill politics.” Watch the interview with Rep. Yvette Clarke HERE. We also checked in with Republican strategist Kevin Madden about the latest in the health care debate — and the toll the lingering debate is taking on the president’s political standing. “The longer this bill has been litigated up on Capitol Hill, it’s driven away independents because of the cost,” Madden said. “I think one of the reasons that they have to be worried is they have to look at what their core support was. Their base is absolutely the middle in order to win, but their core support … that they can count on no matter what has started to erode as well. So it has to be a very troubling trend line that they’re losing independents at the same time that they’re losing their core support.” Watch the “Top Line” segment with Kevin Madden HERE.