Bush woos Republican senators over immigration bill

International Herald Trribune ^ | May 26, 2007 | Sheryl Gay Stolberg

[Hadean]

WASHINGTON: Having won his fight with congressional Democrats on an Iraq war spending bill, President George W. Bush is now waging an equally aggressive battle with Republican senators as he tries to persuade them to support an immigration bill that he hopes will be a signature domestic achievement.

As the Senate debated the immigration measure, Bush spent the past week lobbying behind the scenes to build support for it. A dozen Republican senators, including some of the staunchest opponents of the bill, were summoned to Oval Office meetings to hear the president deliver an impassioned appeal for the legislation.

In return, participants said, they gave Bush an earful about complaints from their constituents.

"He may have this legacy thing in mind - he may think that it's Nixon going to China, that only he can get this done," said Senator Jeff Sessions, Republican of Alabama. Describing the meeting as positive, Sessions said Bush "took it well" when he told the president pointedly that he did not intend to vote for the measure.

"I think he's made a big mistake," Sessions added. "I think he put himself in a position of weakness by making this something that he desperately wants."

[cripplecreek]

Bush is becoming the Jim Jones of politics.

[Dick Bachert]

In ABSTRACT terms, this is the conspiratorial view of what’s going on vis-à-vis the INVASION of the illegals here:

The current alien invasion from the south serves BOTH the elites who run Mexico – and many of the OTHER states of Central and South America -- and the political ruling class who increasingly run the United States:

· It takes pressure off the 60 or so families who control approximately 80% of the wealth in Mexico. Without the northern “safety valve” (the United States) for their poor, those poor MIGHT be inclined to do what America’s early colonists found it necessary to do: Revolt! Parenthetically, that would be MY suggestion for them: Instead of fleeing here – and converting “here” to a larger, more poverty infested version of “there,” they ought to stay there and make “there” into their version of “here,” whatever that would be. Revolutions ARE messy and there are no guarantees that they will produce the desired result. But – according to one T. Jefferson – they are often necessary. Never forget that THIS country was born in revolution!

· For the NAFTA/CAFTA coveting US national ruling class – especially those who, in varying degrees, quest after some sort of One-World utopia run by guess who? – it provides yet another level of insecurity and tension among the indigenous populace which can be used to justify new and more draconian limits to freedom here. Instead of securing the borders, allow millions of illegals to come in and when the natives become alarmed, require a national ID card. “Your papers, please!” will soon become a phrase familiar to all. It’s Mr. Franklin’s trade of freedom for (false) security. It’s also the time-tested Hegelian Dialectic the One-Worlders have successfully worked like a rented mule.

While they occasionally squabble among themselves, the elites of history have ALL had one thing in common: They will do ANYTHING to remain in charge. And throughout that history, except for the 230 year-old experiment in freedom called “America,” most of the men who have walked the earth have lived as slaves to these elites whether they call themselves kings, emperors, potentates, sultans, czars – or presidents.

Get ready, folks. Unless some SERIOUS changes are made and the handful of Americans who CARE about liberty get involved, that history will almost certainly repeat here.

Now for the SPECIFICS of the matter:

My take on Bush's role in all of this is:

1. His long and apparently positive experience with the large hispanic population in Texas is largely responsible for his inaction on this alien invasion. And why wouldn't HIS experience with them be positive as he traveled in the highest, best-educated circles among them, not the Hispanic gangbangers and pine-straw spreaders...

2. His brother Jeb is married to a native of Mexico and his nieces and nephews are mixed blood. And before you scream "ethnocentric bigot" at me, there's nothing inherently wrong with that. But that fact -- and the first item -- DOES predispose him to a warm and fuzzy feeling for folks from south of the Rio Grande.

And if -- in some strange and metastasizing American desire for a new royal family dynasty -- Jeb should win the White House, I'd bet that HIS activities toward this alien invasion will make W's behavior look like a warm-up exercise.

Any vestige of white European culture will be a distant memory.

[etradervic]

Cheap labor trumps security and the law - disgusting! Anyone supporting this bill needs to be voted out - including McCain and Kyle.

[paul544]

I’ve been saying Bush sucks... Anyone doubt me now?

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

This is of course a horrible bill that is un-necessary - just enforce existing laws and the problem will go away.

They are playing this up big tim. They played up the "cut funding to the troops" up big time.

What are they doing while we the people are focused on these two issues. What are they slipping under the radar.

Treaty of the sea? I wish I knew what they are up to.

Please limit yourselves to under 105mm as I am really interested and I am suspicious oof these critters.

[etradervic]

His brother Jeb is married to a native of Mexico and his nieces and nephews are mixed blood. And before you scream "ethnocentric bigot" at me, there's nothing inherently wrong with that. But that fact -- and the first item -- DOES predispose him to a warm and fuzzy feeling for folks from south of the Rio Grande.

I disagree. This is about helping companies that want to keep the price of labor down. Rather than pay a decent wage, they would rather uphold an irresponsible immigration policy.

[miliantnutcase]

Agreed. By the comments from the senators Bush obviously in his own world from the American people. He thinks were stupid, and doesn’t care what WE the people who pay taxes want. He’s so hell bent on a North American Union. HEY BUSH AL QEADA IS STILL OUT THERE! Why don’t you concentrate has hard on Iraq as you are on this amnesty crap?

[etradervic]

I’ve been saying Bush sucks... Anyone doubt me now?

If the dems were smart, they would support amending the law to permit Bush to stay in office for 8 more years. This way they could capture about 85% of the legislative branch.
Bush has done more damage to the GOP than any dem could possibly do.

[snowrip]

Every member of the House and Senate, as well as the President, have sworn to defend this country. It is unbelievable to me that those who back this bill, including the President himself, could in good conscience champion something that so utterly, miserably fails Americans and the defense of America.

The very future of our country depends on our efforts to defeat this bill. Support for amnesty indicates that there are members of the body politic who no longer answer to the will of the people, the Constitution, or even to rational thought itself. Americans want a tough, rational, immediate response to a problem that has gotten way out of hand, and we will vote for those who support such a measure. Keep reminding those who so willfully abandon the values and ethics of American ideals in exchange for campaign contributions: It does not matter if corporate donors line reelection coffers with one trillion dollars... it will not buy one single vote on this issue.

Keep the pressure on, because the Senate is hoping this will all just go away if they wait long enough. Write, call, email, and fax your representatives... and DO NOT STOP. If you are unable to reach your Congressional or Senate rep, try the office of El Presidente. Contact your local and state party representatives, and the Republican and Democrat National Committees. Keep building the tidal wave that we need to KILL THIS BILL!

Links and contact info:


CONTACT YOUR REPS NOW

MORE CONTACT INFO

Stop Amnesty Now!... a must read

[paul544]

Its amazing though.
All we hear from Bush is how we can’t surrender in Iraq despite the long odds. Yet he’s so quick to surrender to the illegals for the same reasons. I guess Al Queda isn’t as forthcoming with campaign contributions as the farmers and textile businesses.

[miliantnutcase]

Hahahaha

[Big Horn]

I’ve been saying Bush sucks... Anyone doubt me now?

I do. I think he is one of the greatest presidents we have had. With me freedom is top priority I judge everything on how it will affect my freedom.

[Joe Boucher]

If Republican senators care to jump off a cliff by joining President Bush on this matter it is their option.
It is our option to dismiss them come election time.
Punks like Lindsey Graham and Trent Lott need dispatching anyway. Can you say RINO?

[Yorlik803]

Why Bother...they are not going to listen to us anyways.
I have given up all hope on the GOP....
I dont even call myself a Republican anymore.

[penowa]

"Cheap labor trumps security and the law..."

A malleable, uneducated workforce, ignorant of the basis of this Republic, both imported and homegrown, make it much easier to replace our former system of gov't with one more suitable to the needs of the elites. We are well on our way. Nothing but a few wingnuts and the 2nd Amendment standing in the way.

[pleikumud]

The reason the illegal immigration invasion has not been shut down is this: both DemoSocialists and Republicans are more concerned about pandering to minority voters than they are concerned about those of us who actually vote and pay the bills. Time to completely clean house of the DemoSocialists, and the fake capitalists who call themselves “Republican” or “conservative”. Where is Ronald Reagan?

[ontap]

I get tired of hearing about us being a nation of immigrants as an excuse for importing welfare recipients into this country. In the past immigrants were carefully screened to make sure we got the best people. Now all were doing is relieving mexico(small m intentional) of it’s responsibility to it’s own people.

[Bogtrotter52]

“Bush is becoming the Jim Jones of politics.”

But no one is lining up to drink the laced Kool-aide at his bidding

[Dick Bachert]

While the REST of us pay the fringe benefits for these greedy bastards — not only in treasure but since they are killing hundreds of us each month, in blood as well.

Robert Rector stirred up the puddin’ inside the beltway yesterday.

Who is Robert Rector? He is the Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation specializing in welfare, poverty and marriage. He is a leading and respected authority in Washington on poverty and the U.S. welfare system.

Yesterday Heritage released a special report written by Rector and Christine Kim titled “The Fiscal Cost of Low-Skill Immigrants to the U.S. Taxpayer.” You can read the entire report right here [pdf], or you can click here for the executive summary.

You aren’t going to hear very much about this report from the mainstream media. John McCain and Ted Kennedy, the architects of the amnesty bill, are going to do their best to ignore it.

So ... we’ll tell you right here. What we don’t tell you can be learned by clicking on the links above.

First .... There may be a common perception out there that these illegal aliens actually contribute to our economy by “doing the jobs that Americans won’t do.” Not so. Illegal alien households cost the American taxpayers billions of dollars a year. Try $89 billion.

The Heritage report points out that at least 50 percent and maybe as much as 60 percent of illegal alien households lack a high school education. This makes them low-skill households.

Here’s where the numbers start to get interesting -— or depressing, if you will.

Do you know what a “distributional deficit” is? That’s the difference between what you pay in taxes to government and what government spends on you and your household. The paper will give you the details, but low-skilled immigrant households in the U.S. received about $10,000 more in government benefits than does the average U.S. household. What’s the figure? About $30,160 every year in immediate benefits and services for every low-skill immigrant household. To compound the distributional deficit, low-skill immigrant households pay less in taxes than do the average U.S. Households. These low-skill immigrant households pay about $10,573 a year in taxes. Subtract this from the amount government spends on them and you have a deficit of $19,588.

Let’s carry these numbers for our wonderful illegal — soon to be legal — households out a few years. Rector says that the average adult lifespan for each head of household is about 60 years. The research shows that this distributional deficit will continue throughout this life span for low-skill immigrant households. The total? About $1.2 million for each low-skill immigrant household.

In 2004 there were 4.5 million low-skill immigrant households in the U.S. More math: Multiply the average net distributional deficit of $19,588 per household and you get a total deficit of $89.1 billion .... per year!

Ask yourself .. can this country afford this? Can we afford an amnesty bill that will legitimize and legalize these illegal-alien households, and millions more to come? No. The costs are financially unsustainable.

Why isn’t this more of a part of the immigration debate?