Posted on 06/27/2007 2:57:56 PM PDT by Baladas
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is drawing criticism back in a television ad being run by a national group. McConnell helped revive an immigration bill this week.
NumbersUSA favors restricting immigration. The group accuses McConnell of joining liberal icon Ted Kennedy in strong-arming senators to support amnesty for millions of illegal aliens.
The group's ad says illegal immigrants have taken jobs from American workers, and says the legislation won't stop future illegal immigration. The ad started airing Tuesday in Kentucky.
The commercial asks people to contact McConnell to urge him to oppose the measure
I think he had his personal life in play with this one, given who he’s married to, and thats why he had the position he took.
On any other topic, he’s been pretty good, especially since last Novembers butt whippin.
McConnell: Peoples Will Was Heard from the Office of Senator Mitch McConnell
Thursday, June 28, 2007
We can say with pride that the failure of this bill was not a failure of will or hard work or good intentions
Washington, D.C. U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement on the Senate floor Thursday after the Senate failed to invoke cloture on S. 1639 the Immigration Reform bill. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery.
Today is a day of victory and defeat. So many people have poured so much of themselves into this bill over the last weeks and months, and every one of them deserves our thanks and our respect.
This bill tested the will, and the goodwill, of many people. But it tested some more than others. So first I want to thank those whose position did not prevail.
Senator Specters knowledge of this issue is matched only by his stamina. As the ranking member, he has our admiration and he deserves our thanks.
Senator Kyl inspired all of us, flying into his state and facing a lot of angry constituents, and the cameras week after week with optimism, patience and good cheer.
Senator Graham was one of the generals in this effort. He always does what he thinks is right, and Americans admire him for it.
Senator Martinez was another general. He brought intelligence and tenacity to this debate, and a story that never fails to inspire us.
Senator Lotts a great Whip, and a good friend. Hes been in this building more than three decades, but hes got the energy of a freshman. Hes been a leader and friend: I thank him for it.
Senator Salazar gave a lot of himself to this debate, a lot of time and no little criticism. Thank you.
And finally, its a marvel of nature to see a man whos calling in life is obvious to anyone who sees him at his job. Senator Kennedy is such a man. He loves his work, and his passion has inspired us.
Now I want to thank everyone who opposed the bill.
Senators Sessions, DeMint, and Vitter got us all to sit up and listen closely to a lot of people who thought theyd been shut out of this debate. They put the rules of this body to work. And Id take any one of them in a firefight.
Senator Cornyn, one of the original architects, deserves our thanks. Hes been committed to finding a solution to our nations immigration problem for a long time. His contributions on the interior enforcement piece of this bill were a major part of the original compromise. But when he saw it wasnt a solution he could accept, he told us.
Senator Chambliss told us what the farmers needed, and we listened. We thank him for his important contributions to the bill.
Senator Isakson was the author of the trigger concept, which every one now agrees is a good idea.
To everyone involved in the crafting of this bill, I want to thank you. This was a labor of uncommon intensity. It required will, energy, and patience. And while it strained a lot of bonds, it broke none of them. As the Majority Leader said after the final vote, Were all still friends here.
***
As the elected leader of my conference, I stood here in January and opened this session with a pledge. I knew contentious issues always have a better chance of being solved by divided governments, that immigration reform was within our reach, and I said we should put it in our sights.
I also knew it was going to have to be bipartisan if we were going to get a bill at all. So everyone Ive mentioned rolled up their sleeves and got to work. And they put together a bill that represented the best chance we had of getting to our goal.
But it touched a nerve, and the shock of it shot right through the Senate. It lit up the switchboards here for weeks, and ignited a debate that strained our normal alliances here and at home in our states.
I heard from a lot of Kentuckians. Thousands of smart, well-informed people called my offices to talk about this bill. They didnt like the idea of someone being rewarded for a crime, or the impact that this would have on a society whose first rule is the Rule of Law. They didnt trust the government to suddenly get serious about border control after neglecting it for two decades. And I dont blame them. I worried about all that too. And to every one of them, I say today: Your voice was heard.
A lot of good people came to my office. They argued for positions as diverse as the country itself. They explained their views patiently and with passion. I want to thank them too for informing my thinking and for helping to shape this extraordinary debate.
My goal from the start has been to move the conference forward, to facilitate debate, to ensure that the minoritys voice was heard to the maximum extent possible. I had hoped there would be a way forward. And as the divisions between supporters and opponents widened, the only way forward, to my mind, was to ensure a fair process. This was the only way to be sure we could improve the status quo, which all of us agreed was indefensible. If every voice was heard, we could be confident our votes reflected the best this body could do.
I had hoped for a bipartisan accomplishment, and what we got was a bipartisan defeat. The American people made their voices heard, the Senate worked its will, and in the end it was clear that the bill that was crafted did not have the support of the people of Kentucky, it did not have the support of most Americans, it did not have the support of my conference, and it did not have enough support in the Democratic conference, a third of which opposed it.
This isnt a day to celebrate. We dont celebrate when a pressing issue stays unresolved. But we can be confident that we will find a solution to the problems that weve tried to address here. Many people have made great personal sacrifices to work on a solution to our broken immigration system. A lot of them exposed themselves to ridicule and contempt.
And so we can say with pride that the failure of this bill was not a failure of will or hard work or good intentions. Martin Luther King once said that human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men. And we can be sure that many good people will step forward again to offer their intelligence, understanding, and their tireless efforts when the time comes to face this issue again.
That time wasnt now. It wasnt the peoples will. And they were heard.
I’m not sure if you think I am/was a “McConnell troll”, but I did think as head of the minority party in the Senate, he was what to focus on. He’d been avoiding any discussion about amnesty all week, and I found that puzzling.
But he came through, even a little late. He’s Kentucky’s problem now, but that statement was brillant IMO - he’s no Lindsey Graham.
Where's the Illegal Immigrant Deportation Bill if these good senators are so trust worthy??
You know as well as I do a deportation bill would never pass. Furthermore it’s not even needed, since it’s currently the law of the land! If the executive branch is ignoring the current law which requires deportation, what would attempt to pass a law that would not even change the current law help? Moreover it would hurt, since it would likely go down in flames (maybe a 80-19 failure) and also entrench RINOs in the Democrat camp on this issue. That would just be bad political strategy. One of the pitfalls of democracy is that you sometime have to be a little more subtle and strategic than in a dictatorship. Still, I’ll take democracy.
Well I never said that, but you do have a point, he may very well be. AS it sands though his public inaction speaks louder than you do. And you can take your statement about trolls and stuff it. There is something call freedom of speech, are you and Mcconnell against that also.
Does freedom of speech mean not correcting inaccuracies? Did I challenge your right to make outrageous statements, or just challenge the substance (or lack thereof) of what you said?
So, it’s just too hard, huh?
For your McConnell scrapbook...
Thats good to know!! HA!
RIGHT?
RIGHT?
Thanks! I don't suppose he appreciated it. LOL
They lost big today, but for the RINOS, it's just the beginning of their nightmare. Hopefully, we've all learned a lesson about settling for "the lesser of two evils." We almost lost the Republic today because of it. Had the vote gone the other way, I honestly think people would have died.
Praise God for giving us a second chance. He answered a lot of prayers today. Now we have to stand vigilant to make sure we keep resisting those until the day we can boot them out of office.
I agree with org.whodat.....you can take your statement about trolls and stick it up your backside. You pinged me in your message “to all you McConnell trolls out there,” so I assume that is what you think about me. And, according to your profile page, you are a 24-year-old kid who has lived outside the country for the past two years? Whatever. I have lived my entire life in this state, have been active in Kentucky state politics for 13 years and know all than I need to know about McConnell.
Not that it should matter, but I had been serving in the military and the profile is two years outdated. I am back in Kentucky. I’m glad you enjoyed staying here your entire life. You ought to realize what an asset McConnell is to this state.
Well if you have been serving in the military, then I thank you for your service. I realize that McConnell has his positives and negatives.
Thank you for your service!
‘To all you McConnell trolls ‘
I don’t know where you got this notion, why you pinged me with this insult, or who the hell you are.
I live in OHIO. Got it?
McConnell is the Senator from Kentucky. Got it?
Sheesh. He’s done a good job on other political matters since the new congress opened up, but was 100% wrong on this particular matter.
You go RPL!!
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