Posted on 06/05/2007 7:37:10 PM PDT by Baladas
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) yesterday set the stage for a vote to limit debate on the immigration bill, a move that risks destroying the fragile reform deal.
Reid told reporters that he plans to file for cloture on the immigration bill by today at the latest, frustrating Republicans who have blasted what they consider sluggish progress on their priority amendments. While the bipartisan team of immigration negotiators have won reprieves from Reid before, the Democratic leader was unruffled by the threat of GOP “grand bargainers” joining a filibuster.
“I was asked to give another week for negotiations. I gave them that [and more],” said Reid. “This is a bill that will never, ever make a majority of Republicans happy.”
But most Republicans lined up in opposition to a quick cloture vote, even as Reid insisted that germane amendments from both parties would be taken up during the remaining debate time.
Regardless of the outcome, Reid’s original goal of finishing immigration this week is likely to slip due to a pause in session for Sen. Craig Thomas’s (R-Wyo.) funeral.
“We’re a long way away from having as many Republican amendments considered as were considered last year,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said yesterday. “It is clear to me that the overwhelming majority of our conference would insist on having extra days.”
With a handful of contentious family-reunification amendments still unconsidered, and conservatives still unwilling to swallow a probationary visa program that they consider amnesty, Republican negotiators appeared to choose their party first.
A cloture filing this week “would be a real problem,” said Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), predicting that his side of the aisle would unite to filibuster the painstakingly crafted immigration bill if a cloture vote occurred this week.
“Frankly, it’s an extraordinary act of bad faith,” Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.), the GOP’s conference chairman, said. “[Reid] knows people have worked to get this bill in position for a bipartisan consensus.”
Reid took to the floor late yesterday to offer votes on 20 contentious amendments from both parties before debate is cut short, earning repeated objections from McConnell. The Kentuckian noted that all 20 were offered before recess and voiced complaints from Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and others that Democrats have not allowed progress on many germane GOP amendments.
Sessions noted that Republicans have lamented Reid’s quick cloture filings on other bills for months.
“It’s maddening. It’s amazing,” said Sessions. “McConnell is getting a bellyful out of it.”
GOP aides questioned the wisdom of Reid’s pushing a cloture showdown that would pose as much political danger for Democrats as Republicans. Sen. Edward Kennedy’s (D-Mass.) next move is unclear, but Reid may not be moved even by the lead Democratic negotiator’s advice against cloture.
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), who began as part of the immigration “grand bargain” but withdrew his support for the final deal, said he has not yet decided whether to support cloture.
At the same time, talk of a possible second bargain that could save the immigration deal emerged yesterday. Such a compromise would approve some Democratic family-related amendments and some amendments that Republicans crave. Kyl signaled that a plan from Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), which would require current illegal immigrants to “touch back” to their home countries before earning probationary visas, might be part of that deal.
But relations frayed so quickly that by day’s end yesterday, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) indicated he would object to taking up his own amendment on limiting legalization attempts without enough time to read the alternative plan offered by Kennedy.
Also looming is another amendment, sponsored by Cornyn and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), that could secure much-needed business support for the immigration deal, although Martinez said negotiators were unlikely to accept the duo’s skilled-worker visa plan as written. One element of that amendment — a provision that would give employers extra freedom to select individual immigrant workers for visa sponsorship — is more likely to pass muster, Martinez added.
Meanwhile, the GOP’s bitter internal rift over the immigration compromise shows no signs of abating. Hours before the Republican presidential debate yesterday, Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) staged a press event in the parking lot of the Manchester, N.H., office of Sen. Judd Gregg (R) to promote the “no amnesty” pledge that Tancredo has begun circulating.
Gregg condemned the event in a statement.
“There are, unfortunately, people who wish to bury their heads in the sand by ignoring the threat our present dysfunctional system represents to our country, and who are using a jingoistic and demagogic approach of opposition to immigrants as a way to raise their own political visibility,” he said.
Well, while he's playing dirty, he is, at least, clean...
Articulate, too.
Very interesting. If this results in the death of the immigration bill, will Reid’s action have been a blunder or a strategy?
A strategy. He'll get credit for pulling a bad bill leaving the Republicans holding the bag as its supporters. It will serve them right for trying to screw the country.
Heh, “bad”, not “bath”. On second thought, maybe both.
It’s a hoser bill : )
SOMEBODY HELP ME OUT HERE: Are there any Democrats opposing this bill in the Senate?
To hell with who gets the credit. Kill it now!
Byrd
I think that Reid knows that time is against the bill. The longer this goes on the more we (the conservative base) will be able to exert our will over the republicans in the senate.
Ben Nelson, Bryon Dorgan, and Sheets Byrd are opposing it.
I think I read that Ben Nelson of NE is, as well as Webb of VA. But I could be wrong.
The point is that Reid is maneuvering the Republicans into being the bad guys in this while the RATS will be viewed as the good guys. Again, the Republicans and the White House deserve it.
Webb for one.
Sen. Edward Kennedy’s (D-Mass.) next move is unclear, but Reid may not be moved even by the lead Democratic negotiator’s advice against cloture.
Yeah, right. What B.S. The Rats and the illegals-employing businesses know that the more the average American figures out what the real-world consequences will be of this legislation, they will be against it.
So they are trying to figure out whether to shove it through now, and maybe even get lucky and squeak the same bill through the House on a razor-thin vote, or wait a bit longer, perhaps hoping that the advertising campaign by the illegals-employing business lobby will convince the public to support the bill.
Kyl signaled that a plan from Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), which would require current illegal immigrants to “touch back” to their home countries before earning probationary visas, might be part of that deal.
The "touch-back" under which the head of household of an illegal family would have to go home and then come back in order to get the amnesty would be a completely meaningless giveaway by the Rats. So what, if the illegal head of household has to go home for a few days and come back? What substantive difference does that make? With the amnesty, he can use his new Z-visa to come and go as he pleases, and won't even have to sneak across the border when he comes back.
Sheets is one that comes to mind. I also think Nelson is against it. It’s dying, Reid is trying to force his hand.
True, but WE are the ones who will suffer for it after the next election. WE don't deserve it.
Reid understands that is he can ram-rod this bill through, he has destroyed the Republican Party on the short term as the base walks away in disgust, and on the long term as 50 Million newly minted citizens overwhelm the American electorate.
If the Republicans cannot prevent cloture, I will have to conclude that they are useless.
With all the smoke and mirrors, I probably don’t understand what’s going on. But if Reid is about to kill this monstrosity, then good luck to him.
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