Senators ask Reid for a “free, open, and transparent amendment process”–so who’s standing in the way? Update: Reid’s response…it’s the White House and GOP Update: The seven who could stop amnesty
Today, five GOP senators appealed to Harry Reid not to use a cherry-picking amendment trick and cut off debate on the Bush-Kennedy shamnesty bill. Here’s their letter:
Wanna know what Reid’s response was? Stay tuned. This entire process has stunk to high heaven from the get-go. No matter what happens on the Senate floor tomorrow on the cloture vote on the motion to proceed, do not forget this fact. Do not forget that the Grand Schemers in the White House and in both parties in the Senate have collaborated with Ted Kennedy and the open borders to ram this fundamentally flawed package down our throats–and subvert the deliberative process.
Whatever happens tomorrow morning, there remains a critical time period between tomorrow and Thursday, when the cloture vote on the overall shamnesty takes place. This fight began a long time ago. It doesn’t end tomorrow. My Hill sources say Senate wafflers are feeling the heat. They need to feel it all week long.
***
Update: Reid’s response is posted up on his website. You’re not going to like what it says:
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senators Cornyn, Vitter, Dole, Sessions and DeMint:
Thank you for writing to me earlier today about my efforts to bring the comprehensive immigration reform bill back to the Senate floor.
As you know, the Senate was unable to complete action on the immigration bill earlier this month because a handful of Senators, including several of you, objected to my repeated efforts to call up further amendments to the bill. Following the unsuccessful cloture vote on June 7, a group of Senators including Minority Leader McConnell, Republican Conference Chairman Kyl and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Specter, came to see me with a request that I bring the immigration bill back before the Senate under a procedure under which a large number of additional amendments could become pending to the bill.
The so-called “clay pigeon” procedure is unusual, and I would not have considered employing it in this instance without the full support of Senator McConnell. It seems to me appropriate for the two leaders to work together to overcome the tactics of a small number of Senators in order to allow the full Senate to debate an important national issue like immigration. The White House made clear that it also favors such a procedure, since the immigration bill is one of President Bush’s top priorities.
I respectfully disagree with your assertion that I intend to “shut off the debate” and that the procedure in question will “silence amendments instead of facilitate their debate.” On the contrary, I am working to facilitate debate on more than twenty additional amendments to the bill. In contrast, several of you objected when I tried to call up as few as five amendments during the earlier debate. The American people can see clearly who wants to debate immigration reform and who wants to shut off that debate.
Moreover, your claim that the Senate will only debate amendments which I “hand select” is plainly untrue. The dozen or so Republican amendments that will become pending to the bill have been selected by the Republican leadership, not by me.
In sum, I appreciate the concerns expressed in your letter but consider them misplaced. Senator McConnell and I have worked together in good faith to ensure a full, open and productive debate on a bill of overriding national importance that is supported by many Republicans and endorsed by President Bush.
Jim Geraghty notes:
This is a very big deal, because it means that several senators on the fence, who had felt that their amendments were the make-or-break factor in the bill, won’t know whether their amendments are in the ones approved by McConnell.
It’s either vote no, and never know whether your amendment to fix the bill would have made it through, or vote yes, and hope that yours is one of the dozen or so.
It’s also a very big deal because Reid’s letter points to the White House and GOP Grand Schemers–specifically, Minority Leader McConnell, Republican Conference Chairman Kyl and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Specter–as the collaborators responsible for the “clay pigeon” ruse to steamroll right over their own GOP colleagues.
Such are the wages of “bipartisanship.”
***
Up-to-date round-up at HA.
Noam Askew has more.
NR urges: Kill the Bill–again.
And Mickey Kaus keeps watch.
Update: NR names its list of “seven who could stop amnesty.”
They are Sens. Kit Bond, Sam Brownback, Richard Burr, Thad Cochran, Norm Coleman, John Ensign, and Jim Webb. If any of these senators votes to revive the bill, his professions of opposition to amnesty should no longer be taken seriously. He will have done his crucial bit, when the amnesty bill was most vulnerable, to help shepherd it to passage. We know how senators who claim to oppose amnesty will try to explain away a vote to revive the bill. They will rely on procedural obfuscation: They didn’t want to obstruct the process, they wanted to get a vote on an amendment, etc. But amnesty is staying in the bill — no amendment to strike the bill’s central features has any chance of passage — and it deserves to be obstructed.
Actually, there’s one person who could stop amnesty all by himself: the man sitting in the White House.
But he won’t. He’s given shamnesty the thumbs-up and it’s going to take everything in the grass-roots conservative movement’s power to try and stop it.
Footnote to the list: On the other side of the aisle, I heard some rumblings of doubt tonight about McCaskill, Tester, Pryor, and Bingaman–all of whom anti-amnesty activists had believed would side against Bush-Kennedy-Reid. We’ll see soon enough.
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- Harry Reid Wants to Cherry Pick Amendments | PeteRepublic.org
- Gubatron
- Update on Shamnesty : The American Pundit
- Something stinks in D.C. « Cadillac Tight
- Blog @ MoreWhat.com » Blog Archive » June 26, 2007 Senate Timeline on Amnesty
- Amnesty Bill II: Daily Roundup For 06/26/2007 | Slobokan’s Site O’ Schtuff
- Hyscience
- Freedoms Zone
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Categories: Amnesty
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This thing is a sham. Bush and hos cohorts are out to destroy the Nation and the GOP. Even hardcore street Dems are appalled. The hatred of Bush and the GOP is so intense that the Washington Dems will sacrifice America for control. Clearly the Republicans that have bought into this and are receiving a bribe from big business on the order of opening the Castle gates at night. Enough money to take care of them for life while the savages swarm through the country. The current crime wave by immigrants of rape, DUIs, robbery, gangs, street crime, and extortion shall continue unabated. In fact crime fighting has become “racist” apparently.
I don’t know what everyone is so damned worried about.
George Bush took an oath to the U.S. Constitution, not the Mexican constitution or the Chamber of Commerce or to agri-business, RIGHT?
RIGHT?
Surely he will honor his oath of office and veto it.
RIGHT?
I DO NOT like the looks of that latest Hot Air post. I think the Senate’s lost and our only hope is the House. I linked.
I gotta tell you Michelle, I kinda agree with Allah. I got a bad feeling about this upcoming vote this time. I hate to be a pessimist, but I’m really thinking this thing might pass.
Anytime I hear Reid’s voice my skin crawls. This man has the heart of a serpent and the character of a villain.
Why can’t the Grand Schemers come out and say “Hey, you people against the bill, you got it all wrong. Here’s how this bill will help American citizens and taxpayers 1)… 2)… 3)… X)… Y)… Z)…
Just answer the question dudes: How does this benefit me?
I honestly HATE to be a downer on this because I’ve been pretty darn positive through the whole thing but I’m with Bad Candy on this one, I think we may be sunk. I was just checking out Noam Askew’s blog and it looks like Boxer, Domencici, Burr, Bingaman, and Nelson are all going to vote for cloture. I was pretty sure Boxer was going to vote no.
I honestly never truly believed the government would ignore the people like this. I always thought if they knew the people TRULY didn’t like something they would let it go, but it just didn’t happen this time. They know 70% of American’s despise this bill but they ram it through anyways. It’s like they don’t care…maybe this all is hitting me a little too late.
Good to see my Senator, Elizabeth Dole is right on this one. Yoiu can it is she, not Burr, who is up for re-election.
I hope that 70% keep this action on the front burner until the election. Vote them out, then if the new crop acts that way vote them out too. We have to take our country back!!!!! Vote, take a friend to vote. That is our only weapon, but it can be a strong weapon.
Thats right….any Republican that makes concessions to these crazy Dems is compromising the future of our nation. In a time such as this when the Democratic base is so left wing and out of touch with the American people, bipartisanship is only eroding the conservative traditional values of our nation. Its like making a deal with the mob…..good for the short term, but man it sucks when it comes time to pay up.
I am just so fed up and disgusted with all of this. But I will not give up–none of us should.
Here’s a list of FAX numbers for the 12 fence-sitters. (FAX numbers seem to be disappearing from their official web sites. Heh…wonder why.)
Bingamon 202-224-2852
Bond 202-224-8149
Boxer 202-228-2382
Burr 202-228-2981
Cochran 202-224-9450
Conrad 202-224-7776
Ensign 202-228-2193
Gregg 202-224-4952
Hatch 202-224-6331
Levin 202-224-1388
Nelson 202-228-0012
Webb 202-228-6363
It is very disappointing to know that Kyl, McConnel and Bush conspired to shut up the Republicans with this clay pigeon. Have you ever seen such evil? It is like conspiring to murder your family. Such low lifes.
Boxer’s fax numbers both in San Diego and D.C. failed to answer, as did Feinstein’s.
Sometimes it really sucks to be a Californian.
::sigh::
OK, more than just sometimes.
Bush’s Ten Plagues
First Plague: Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in Iraq.
Second Plague: Propagating the Islam is a great religion of peace and American troops must die for them doctrine.
Third Plague: Putting Chertoff and Myers and other incompetents in charge of our security.
Fourth Plague: The Bush/McCain/Graham/Kyl/Kennedy axis of weasels.
Fifth Plague: Stabbing the working men and women of America in the back.
Sixth Plague: Selling the Unites States of America out to agri-business, the Chamber of Commerce and other plantation owners.
Seventh Plague: Burdening Americans with massive amounts of imported crime, drugs and welfare dependents from a foreign country.
Eighth Plague: Trying to legalize and institutionalize serfdom in the nation of Abraham Lincoln.
Ninth Plague: Aiding, abetting and facilitating the ruling class in Mexico to ethnically cleanse much of their lower class.
Tenth Plague: Trying to destroy the party and coalition that Ronald Reagan build.
To be continued as it appears to be a work in progress. There may end up being more than Ten Plagues as El Presidente Arbusto still has 19 more months as Commander Guy to go.
Note to Rick: Using Mozilla instead of IE doesn’t make a difference.
Rick says Askimet doesn’t like me and that’s why I can’t leave trackbacks but he doesn’t know anything that can be done about it. I linked from my 2006.06.25 “No Illegal Left Behind” Roundup.
The deeper problem seems to be a congress too cowardly to live under anything but the shadow of political correctness. They aren’t thinking about middle-easterners or other immigrants, they have Mexico on the brain (as Michelle pointed out about Geraldo on Fox). So terrified are they of being considered “anti-latino”, “anti-family”, “anti-immigration” that they seem to be doing the only thing left: courting the votes of several million unconscionable latinos who actually support illegal entry into this country because it advances their agenda, not one which is better for the overall good of America..
BUT
Don’t despair because that means you’ve given up. KEEP calling the senators. Tell them you plan on mass producing toilet paper with their pictures on it as a statement at election time or some such thing if they vote for this thing – anything. I agree with Michelle and some others – only grass roots anger of the highest magnitude will scare these fools into backing down, and fear of losing their taxpayer-funded lifestyle is the only thing they seem to listen to since the Democrats took control of congress.
To those who say amnesty isn’t a big deal because illegal entry is only a misdemeanor, here’s my response: after 9/11 it should be a felony.
Oh, yes, we should start calling Reid’s office, too. He comes off as a snotty, arrogant little power-tripper in his response letter, but maybe he won’t be so firm if he starts getting some heat, too.
Rather than just contact the fence sitters we should be contacting every single senator.
Couldn’t this “clay-pigeon” trick backfire on Reid? If I were a senator on the fence keen on one of the amendments I would vote no on cloture unless this bill was presented properly, rather than gamble on someone’s whims.
Actually, there’s one person who could stop amnesty all by himself: the man sitting in the White House.
But he won’t. He’s given shamnesty the thumbs-up and it’s going to take everything in the grass-roots conservative movement’s power to try and stop it.
Bush thy name is Hubris.
“The word hubris is described in the dictionary to simply mean “excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance” But it really means much more than that. In classical Greek ethical and religious thought hubris or hybris meant an “overweening presumption suggesting impious disregard of the limits governing human action in an orderly universe.
It is the sin to which the great and gifted are most susceptible, and in Greek tragedy it is usually the hero’s tragic flaw.” In the Greek tradition the sin of hubris was punishable by a super Olympian law to which even Zeus had to submit.”
The ammendments are just a smoke screen. If this thing makes it to a conference committee between the Senate and House a very small number of appointed members can eliminate those ammendments.
Lee1947 #8 – We can only vote for 2 Senators. But we can contribute to any campaign. If enough of the 70% that oppose this legislation would just set aside $1 a week for credible challengers to certain Senators…
And those that contributed to the RNC just hold it back for specific races…
In my next round of emails I am going to mention that I am already saving for the next election cycle.
New Senator was sworn in!
Senator John Barrasso
Republican – Wyoming
SRC-5 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-6441
One of these days, hopefully sooner than later, the CONgress is going to “remember” that they are to do the bidding of “We The People” and NOT “They The CONgress”.
This whole process disgusts this veteran. I didn’t spill blood and have mine spilled so the Rieds and that genre of Do Nothings can give this country away.
It is time to Take Our Country Back.
Third party time and I don’t mean Green! WAKEUP AMERICA! There ain’t a bit of difference between my DEMO Senator and my RINO Senator here in FL!
IF Sen Webb or Warner votes for Cloture, I recommend that we Virginians begin proceedings for a recall trial.
Anyone know some one smart on the VA procedure, who can lead the way or at least guide us?
Might I also suggest, if your state allows this, that recall proceeding start in other states for those that vote to end debate on such an important topic?
Write, call, email, fax. Most of all…PRAY. If this were put to a referendum, the amnesty would never have gotten this far.
I enjoy a fun, rabble-rousing conspiracy – I even make them up and write about them – but I don’t look forward to this giant leap to an American Union Plan that so many people say ‘does not exist.’
What well-developed neighborhood in the universe was improved by allowing third-world development move onto its streets?
Vote no then. It is called principle.
If they can’t see what is in it because Reid’s tactics, then kill it and start over.
Or kill it and go with what we have, enforcing existing law.
I wrote to my senators about this: Reed D-RI, and Whitehouse D-RI. Only Whitehouse responded, and there is so much mumbo jumbo in the letter that I have no clue what he said.
I hope against hope that this cloture dies.
1. Secure all borders and put into place mechanisms to stop the flow.
2. Clear the backlog – there are so many waiting legally in the lines with lead times of up to 15 years!
I’ve got a bad feeling about the vote today.
Does anyone remember “The Peter Principle”? It seems to me that Washington, DC, is a fine example of The Peter Principle in action.
We need to dissolve our government and start from scratch with citizen statesmen. And, no, I’m not advocating overthrowing the government, just replacing its members with true patriots.
A few points:
Bush is making me sick, I’ve had this feeling about him for quite some time. He has done so much to ruin the republican party. I give him some credit for a few good things like judges and taxes. The sooner he’s gone, the better.
It sounds like Bush has dispatched his
minons to hand out favors to buy votes.
Harry Reid also makes me sick. That guy is a real slime! He is very dishonest. I call him the non-personality senator. He has to force himself to smile. He acts like rock.
I watched senator Sessions on the senate floor late yesterday. He really did a good job detailing all the issues with this immigration bill.
Anything that senator Kennedy is pushing is automatically bad in my opinion. His nephew Patrick is also dangerous
OH MY GOD What a travesty. Essentially Harry Reid and his Republican dupes want to completly by-pass the constitution and the safeguards it has to prevent this type of garbage to pass this bill! Stand up America! Fight back against this!!
I’m proud of Elizabeth Dole and Jim DeMint. It’s suspected Richard Burr is in bed with farmers that employ illegals and legals. Apparently they could pay legals less…and profit more…so everyone is screwed by this piece of junk.
I have placed my calls to Sens. Bond and Brownback. From the wearied responses I received from the staffers to my sincerely polite remarks I can only assume that their offices are being flooded with calls and faxes to vote against this travesty.
I’m still at a loss as to why our ELECTED officials are blind to OUR will. I suggest we all take notes on the votes and next election vote out of office those individuals that brazenly vote against the will of their constituency.
Reid and Pelosy: two reasons why bi-partisanship is a horrible compromise of our traditional American values.
I believe the President and Coyote-in-Chief Jorge Busch has the honor of being the first unpatriotic chief executive. It amazes me that he can maintain a 26% approval rating. I suppose most of these in the 26% are Hispanics and undocumented Americans.
Well, the Senate has spoken and they favor their new Mexican constituency over the legitimate citizens of our once great nation… One way or another the will of the people will be heeded. How long until we hold another Tea Party in Boston?
Traitors.
Thomas Paine and the patriots that began this grand experiment must be rolling over in their graves.
I, for one, will not forget nor forgive those that would sell out the Republic. Arlen and Bob, your days in office are numbered.
All I can say about this SCAM is our Founding Fathers must be rolling in their grave at the abuse of congress. They specifically wrote that this abuse of power wasn’t suppose to happen under the checks and balances between the branches.
George Bush has now proved himself to be a king.