Posted on 05/20/2007 10:09:38 PM PDT by Rennes Templar
Fewer than 20 senators are publicly committed to supporting the immigration deal that hits the Senate floor today while nearly 40 are already opposed or have serious concerns, underscoring how difficult it will be for President Bush and his allies to craft a coalition that can pass the bill.
A Washington Times survey of Senate offices and public comments after the deal was announced Thursday found an additional 32 senators who said they cannot even take a position yet -- a result of the fact that the deal was written in secret by a dozen senators and the Bush administration, wasn't even finalized until yesterday and still hasn't reached many Senate offices.
"I did not agree to any immigration deal and was not part of the negotiations," said Sen. Jim Bunning, Kentucky Republican and a likely opponent. "From what I have heard about the bill, it gives amnesty to the estimated 12.5 million illegal immigrants in this country."
Senators will be asked to make their first vote on the measure today, on whether to begin debating the bill. It will require 60 votes to pass, and leaders of both parties are urging their members to vote for it, so the debate can at least begin.
Opposition comes from the left and the right -- and both sides are vowing to offer amendments to try to move the bill. What is not clear is whether the two sides will be willing to team up to scuttle the bill.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
>>They have been hearing from some pretty damn angry people. They are going to find a way out of this bill somehow.<<
I hope so, but you must know that when they don’t have the votes, the behind the scenes arm twisting begins....
I wonder if he's still feeling light headed after coming out in favor of the amensty bill?
Just what the heck is so complicated about all of this?
Anyone know the names of the 20?
Exactly, and it shouldn't be hard to do. First we build a secure fence and police the border, (with agents that can and will shoot back). Second we penalize those who employ illegals, ($20K per employee?). Third we deport them whenever we find them. None of this should be difficult.
If after closing the border we find that we do have a labor shortage, then all we need to do is allow screened, law abiding, legal guest workers into the country with temporary work visas. It's all so simple and obvious it makes me want to scream.
It’s only good news if those who oppose it have the spine to filibuster cloture. Otherwise it’s all over.
http://home.efax.com/s/r/gen-efax-plus5?VID=31629&CMP=AFC-fax4free
And sign up for a free account. You have to enter a credit card number, but just remember to cancel it within 30 days. Download the efax messenger and copy all the phone numbers from the post at
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1835884/posts
into a text file. You can open the messenger and import all those fax numbers into it and then send a fax to all of those numbers. Just type your message into the cover sheet that efax messenger automatically creates.
It might cost you $5 in the end, but a pretty small price to pay if we can stop this bill.
I did this last night, but I hit an awful lot of busy or unanswered numbers. I would say close to 30% or more didnt go thru. I dont know if they unplugged their faxes or if the numbers were bad. I hope a lot of other Americans were faxing them too.
I also emailed chairman@gop.com to let them know I would sit out the next election if this passed. Hopefully the RNC is giving the news to the party members.
I’ve never been a single issue voter in the past, but this one will change things. Anyone who supports amnesty will NEVER get a vote or a dollar from me again.
“I wonder if he’s still feeling light headed after coming out in favor of the amensty bill?”
This stuff is nothing new for Graham. He is an acolyte for John McCain and it is a disgrace that he should represent a state which is as conservative as SC.
There have been movements of support for a fellow down in SC previously to challenge him in the primaries - can’t remember the fellow’s name - Grahm always gives himself plenty of time to run back from left to center, he throws out a couple nice conservative soundbytes and the GOP voters simply forget.
I hope that his challenger is a strong one next time ut and I hope that folks in the Palmetto state remember Mrs. Doubtfire, the gang of 14, his undermining of the Bolton nomination and the “tell the bigots to shut-up” speech.
Surprisingly, folks like Graham make me hanker for the likes of RINOs like Linclon Chaffee. Pubbies that could get elected in hard-left states and who were openly honest in their contempt fot the GOP, the Preseident and conservative policy. I much prefer that to these subversive trolls like Graham and Hagel.
Here is the guy.
For anyone with friends or family in SC. We deserve better from a conservative state.
www.thomasravenel.com
Don’t slow the pressure.
We must call all Senators their DC and home offices. The White House, the AG’s office, every day 0800 to 1800. Jam the lines, faxes and emails are no good, just trashed.
This is political war!!!
“Exactly, and it shouldn’t be hard to do. First we build a secure fence and police the border, (with agents that can and will shoot back). Second we penalize those who employ illegals, ($20K per employee?). Third we deport them whenever we find them. None of this should be difficult.
If after closing the border we find that we do have a labor shortage, then all we need to do is allow screened, law abiding, legal guest workers into the country with temporary work visas. It’s all so simple and obvious it makes me want to scream.”
Me too. What’s maddening is, our legislators know all this, yet are REFUSING to do it. Leadership in BOTH parties have their own agendas and doing what the American People are asking, is part of neither!! The very powerful, bipartisan Open Borders Lobby is calling for the exact OPPOSITE and what I think most people don’t realize is the much bigger picture, that this new legislation, should it pass, is, IMO, the next step toward creating a North American Union. Plans to do so have been long in the making and numerous advances already made, i.e., Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, Trans Texas Corridor, including eminent domain and unrestricted access for Mexican truck drivers. For the OBL, unsecured borders and amnesty are two critical items on their list. They’re determined to check them off and they must be stopped. IMO, the media and GOP are involved as well, and that is why we hear and see very little from Republican candidates like Duncan Hunter who would effectively secure our borders and prevent passing amnesty for sale legislation.
That light headedness is prolly stemmed from the hard knock on his noggin as he tried to defend the treason.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1836797/posts
And the crowd booed Graham, R-S.C., when he said he had worked with U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., on the immigration legislation.
“It’s the best bill I think we can get to President Bush,” Graham said as some in the crowd shouted “No!”
“If you don’t like President Bush’s proposal come up with one of your own that can get support in the Congress to control immigration — which is in chaos,” Graham said.
Obviously, Graham doesn’t understand that’s his job and what he’s paid to do.
Unfortunately my two senators are Karl Lenin and (She’s hardly Little) Debbie Stabemall who were elected by a brain dead constituency that went to the mall rather than to class to understand economics 101 and/or the Constitution of the United States. By the way, many of the brain dead can no longer afford to go to the mall, but the democraps will bail them out. There is no point in calling either Michigan senator.
Anyone having confidence in any member of congress or the senate at this point is a fool. For a few bucks from some big damn agriculture business they’d all sell their vote.
OK, I have figured out their strategy. They made this bill so crappy that when they construct the next one, we’ll accept it with glee because it will be better than this.
Pretty clever.
I’m calling today!
From your neighbor in Georgia, I have to wonder how the good people of SC elected such a man as Graham? If he represented GA in the Senate,the opponents would be lining up to oppose him. And he would be nearing the end of his public service.
970 WFLA RADIO DIRECT QUOTE RNC CHAIR/FLA SENATOR MEL MARTINEZ... "We must... the deal is already done." MM
(a bloodless coup).
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