Posted on 06/19/2013 5:35:59 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
Right rips Rubio as Republican immigration votes slip away
By Alexander Bolton - 06/19/13 08:05 PM ET
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is feeling the heat as potential GOP allies are now turning against his immigration reform bill.
Republican colleagues who were previously viewed as possible “yes” votes are keeping their distance from the 1,075-page measure.
On Wednesday, conservative activists ripped Rubio and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) — both sponsors of the bipartisan immigration measure — at a Capitol Hill rally.
The crowd, which was protesting the bill’s effort to put millions of illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship, booed at the mention of Rubio’s name during the six-hour event.
The rally underscored the mounting opposition to the immigration reform bill among both grassroots conservatives and GOP senators.
Potential Senate Republican backing for the legislation has begun to evaporate because of deep skepticism over its border-security and enforcement provisions.
In recent weeks, senators on both sides of the aisle speculated that 70 members of the upper chamber might vote for the Senate bill. That tally is now seen as unattainable.
Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Rand Paul (Ky.) and John Cornyn (Texas), who were once viewed as possible supporters of the bill, are now expected to reject it.
Rubio, a possible 2016 presidential candidate, is seen as essential to passing the measure, but his involvement hasn’t persuaded many of his GOP colleagues to back it.
Many GOP senators say they want far more border-security provisions in the bill.
Republican Sens. Bob Corker (Tenn.) and John Hoeven (N.D.) met Wednesday with members of the Gang of Eight, who drafted this bill, to negotiate a compromise on enforcement measures.
Corker told The Hill after the meeting that he and Hoeven thought there had been “substantial breakthroughs” with Democrats.
Corker and Hoeven declined to comment on the details of their proposal.
“We had a very positive morning, and we’re all now talking within our caucuses, and I’ll leave it at that,” Corker said.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who has strongly defended the border-security language in the bill, said, “I’m not talking about any specifics.”
Senate Republican sources briefed on the talks said Corker, Hoeven and the Gang of Eight are mulling an increase of 20,000 border patrol agents along the southern border. This would nearly double the number of agents along the U.S.-Mexico border.
But the Corker-Hoeven push for allocating thousands of additional border agents appeared to change few minds within the Republican conference.
“I didn’t see it move many people. It’s not going to get me to vote for it,” said a lawmaker who attended a meeting at which Republican senators discussed the proposal. “I’m not going to vote for an immigration bill that doesn’t have a metric for securing the border.”
There is now growing uncertainty about whether Rubio — in the face of sustained criticism on the right — will end up voting for the Gang of Eight’s bill.
Rubio has declined to outline his plans, unlike other members of the Gang of Eight, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who have pledged their support.
Rubio ducked a question Sunday during an interview on ABC’s “This Week” about whether he would vote for final passage.
“I don’t want to get involved in hypotheticals and ultimatums,” he said.
He held to that line on Wednesday, telling a reporter, “I’ve already discussed it.”
Rubio has said he wants to see what kind of improvements will be made to the legislation.
In response to the proposal to dramatically boost the number of border patrol agents, he said, “We’ll have more to say about that later.”
Rubio has endured a spate of critical press reports in recent days.
The New Yorker’s Ryan Lizza reported that an unnamed Rubio aide told him in an interview that some American workers “can’t cut it” as a rationale for giving visas to foreign workers.
Conservative press outlets who hold significant sway in presidential races have also criticized Rubio. For example, the right-leaning National Review has dubbed the senator’s efforts as “Rubio’s folly.”
Meanwhile, Rubio has distanced himself from other members of the Gang of Eight in recent weeks.
He has opted out of public appearances with them and did not join in Wednesday’s meeting with Corker and Hoeven, according to a person who attended.
Rubio’s staff says he is still aggressively selling the bill to conservatives.
The Florida senator appeared Wednesday morning on a national radio talk show hosted by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and was scheduled to give a television interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday evening.
Rubio remains popular in his home state, giving him leeway to take a gamble on pushing landmark legislation.
There are also signs the prominence he’s taken in pushing immigration reform is doing him some political harm.
A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday showed that Florida voters give him a 51 percent to 35 percent job approval rating.
Only 33 percent of all respondents said they approved of his handling of immigration reform, compared to 41 percent who disapproved.
Republicans, however, approved of his handling of immigration by a margin of 52 percent to 24 percent.
It appears increasingly unlikely the legislation will be able to meet the ambitious goal set by Schumer, McCain and Graham of passing with 70 votes.
Members of the Gang of Eight can now only be sure of 61 or 62 votes for final passage.
“Obviously, we want to get as large a vote as possible. We’re working on it. I think it’s clear there’s like 61 or 62 votes. What we want to do is grow it as much as possible,” McCain said.
McCain said he hoped the 70-vote goal was not overly ambitious.
The danger is that by setting such a lofty target at the outset, the bill may appear to be losing momentum if it barely clears the 60-vote threshold needed for passage.
Striking a deal with Corker and Hoeven on increasing border patrol agents by as many as 20,000 may not bring a flood of Republican votes, but at least it would secure the support of those two lawmakers.
That could, in turn, bring along Corker’s home-state colleague, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), a pragmatic deal-maker who leans toward the center.
Senate aides say if the Gang of Eight agrees to Corker’s and Hoeven’s demands to boost federal spending on border security, they will be expected to vote “yes.”
One critic of the bill called the Corker-Hoeven proposal a desperate “Hail Mary” to increase Republican support.
The Gang of Eight rejected a proposal by Cornyn to add 5,000 border patrol agents along the southern border during last month’s Judiciary Committee markup.
This is just another “mess” for The Won to inherit.
Hell yes - and sink Rubio too. He could not have picked a worse person to align with than John McCain.
Even if they were hired, Zero and Holder wouldn't allow them to so much as glance sideways at the horde pouring over the border.
At this point, I don't give a damn what promises on enforcement come out of Washington. They haven't enforced the laws on the books up to this point, and Congress has looked the other way. They fully intend to ignore any new promises to stop illegal immigration, so F*** 'em!
NO BILL!
Could this be Rubios plan all along.
Not a chance. He's been defending this crap sandwich from the very beginning, as if it were his own child. He's been side stepping and fancy dancing in every interview, and talking faster than a New York city con artist.
He's sweating bullets now, because he's been exposed as a no good, worthless, lying, GOP-e huckster who's willing to do the dirty work to kill America and the Constitution once and for all.
As far as I'm concerned, the man is now permanently radioactive. He'll never get anything but scorn from me, for as long as he remains in politics.
If Rubio was a sixteen year old who cheated on an exam, while knowing it went against everything his parents had taught him, I might be willing to give him another chance.
This is a US Senator we're talking about here, who has broken faith with those who broke their butts to get him where he is. He lied to everyone who trusted him. He violated his stated principles in spades.
I'm sorry, but you only get one chance to make a bad impression. Rubio's done it, and there's no going back. The man cannot be trusted ever again.
You talk as though Rubio is withdrawing his support for this bill because it's been poisoned. He hasn't sabotaged anything. He's been out there day and night, stumping for this crap sandwich all across the country, and in front of every microphone he could find.
The first amendments that come along that make this thing even slightly palatable, and he votes against them with the Democrats. By your logic, the Dems voted against the amendments for the same reason.
Sorry, but that fails.
Rush made a big mistake putting him on his show....I think he likes Rubio....but he is just another rino...
Border security, my Aunt Tilly.....why do we taxpayers have to worry about border security AND foot the bills for it?
When does Mexico step up to the plate? After all, they are the ones who will be pocketing zillions in US tax dollars (foreign aid and other giveaways power-crazed Ohaha can dream up).
Vote-crazed Dems are gonna turn on the tax tap full force. The "pressure groups" Mexico threw over the border are lying in wait----conniving to exchange hyphenate votes for tax dollars.
Taxpayers demand oil-rich Mexico leave the cantinas and the senoritas, and police their own borders.
I am so glad that Rubio outed himself. That’ll be one less pseudo-conservative to siphon votes from conservatives in 2016.
Rubio is such a DISAPPOINTMENT!!! Or was he ALWAYS a WOLF in Sheep’s clothing??
Well, there was always Charlie Crist, right?
I think we will hire the extra 20,000 agents, we just won’t let them deport anyone they happen to catch.
Libertarianism in the economic sphere is the free market which is utterly sustainable as long as people want to be free or at least recognize what’s in their best interests and don’t allow government to muscle in on their affairs. Good examples are the people of Chile or Estonia or America before the 1930’s. The free market doesn’t require political, religious or personal agreement, only voluntary cooperation based on self interest. It’s a kind of heaven on earth.
Good one Liz - and thanks for the ping.
IF Rubio and McCain were the ONLY Republicans who voted for this horror - the MSM would forever tie it to Republicans. The MSM will do that because the American people are SICK of illegals ... and the MSM knows it. Rubio needs to walk away for real - no one wants a bunch of illegals other than rich liberals who want to play them against American workers. McCain's a lost cause - might as well be a Democrat.
The first amendments that come along that make this thing even slightly palatable, and he votes against them with the Democrats. By your logic, the Dems voted against the amendments for the same reason.
May be he doesn’t want it palatable. I’d much rather this
thing die by any means than have a Simpson Mazzoli clone
and so far Rubio has done a good job of running the weak
moderates off. The only thing the Demtards want is amnesty
and no matter how palatable it is to you, if amnesty is in
it that’s all you’ll get. I say no bill at all until Obama
is out, even if it takes an unwitting dumba$$ to do it.
The question is, do you want an immigration bill passed
with these tards in power?
No, the question is, why does Marco Rubio want this AMNESTY bill passed?
You really ought to quit sticking up for the guy. He had a chance to vote for two amendments which would have brought this thing more in line with the Constitution, our immigration laws, and the will of the people, but he chose to vote with the Democrats instead.
If you can't see that you're being betrayed by this lying turncoat, then heaven help you.
“He had a chance to vote for two amendments which would have brought this thing more in line with the Constitution,”
It still had amnesty. He is killing the bill by discouraging
republicans, which they need to pass it and he has pushed it
up front where more people can see it.
I agree with you on the premiss. He is a turn coat. But
right now he’s doing more damage to the dems than us.
My stand is, secure the boarder first, make all illegals
sign the book, weed out and deport the undesirables and
put the rest on the standard road to citizenship.
No amnesty at all.
Honestly I wish they would all just go back.
“Nothing” is better than anything with
amnesty in it. I’d much rather he stay republican than let him
be run out and switch to dem.
Even Reagen had his quirks with gun control and taxes but
he was still a good conservative.
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