Senate Casts First Votes on Immigration(The first immigration defeat)

The New York Times ^

[raj bhatia]

The Senate defeated, 55 to 40, a proposal by Senator Johnny Isakson, Republican of Georgia, that lawmakers demand that border-security measures be in place before beginning a guest-worker program of the kind envisioned by President Bush.

[Peach]

CNN has a poll just up, and the results are staggeringly in the president's favor. 79 percent of those who watched had a very favorable or favorable view of the speech, and those who support the president's policies rose in number from 42 to 67 percent.

From the Corner:
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YmY4Y2MxOGM1OWY2Njk1ZWM2NGNlN2ViNjhmMzU2OTQ

I'm glad to see the real world doesn't mirror FR.

[Shermy]

"There will be another defeat soon. An amendment to strip a part of the guest-worker provision from the Senate bill is being offered now (by a Democrat, ironically). As with the Isakson vote, enough open-border RINOs will join with most Democrats to kill it and preserve the bill's "comprehensive" nature (codeword for amnesty)."

I point out the guest worker idea is different than Amnesty. Amnesty aims to legalize 12-20 million already here. Guest worker program aims to bring in millions more.

The unions are against guest worker programs. Shows how little relevance they have to Demo party financing anymore.

[308MBR]

When I get on some of my rants, occaisionally people call me on the carpet concerning what I have done for the GOP in the past. Look at this man and remember Max Cleland. I'm not taking full credit, just saying I did all I could do in my own small way to bring this about.

Isaakson is a conservative Republican, and to a small iota of a lesser extent so is Chambliss.

No one in Arizona, Nevada, Iowa, California, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin....(well, you get the idea) can call me a troll until they get their Senators in order.

[MassachusettsGOP]

In general, Republican voters are for closed borders, and Democrats for open borders. In the house, this is generally true. Party affiliation does say something. But the Senate is messed up, this does not always hold to be true. For example in today's vote

Of Republicans (55 Total):
33 Voted Protect Border (60%)
18 Voted Open Border (33%)
4 Didnt Vote (7%)

Of Democrats (44+Jumpin Jim)
7 Voted Protect Border (16%)
37 Voted Open Border (82%)
1 Didnt Voted (2%)

[You Dirty Rats]

What kind of a stupid position is "not voting".

Ask some of the folks around here who intend to sit out in November or vote Third Party (which amounts to the same thing).

[Shermy]

Hate to peel you peach, but the poll is from "CNN" and is a "snap" poll based on a question frontloading the NG enforcement.

Try your own poll, ask you're friends.

[MassachusettsGOP]

Getting payed for nothing.

[HostileTerritory]

By the way, where are the following???

McCain (R-AZ)

There must have been a camera rolling within 2 miles of the Capitol.

[Peach]

I guess I was on another thread when I posted that I did ask my friends. Two weeks ago. Although we all agreed that immigration should be attended to, not one of them thought it was something that they'd even consider being mad at teh president or their party about.

When I asked if it made them less of broken glass Republicans, a couple responded with looks like I was nuts and asked "You mean vote for a democrat". LOL

[tomahawk]

By voting against those that would destroy America by importing hundreds of millions of people from the Turd World.

[raj bhatia]

You have gotten me wrong. There are democrats like Byrd who are conservative and have voted with the conservative majority on the most burning issue of the day. There are RINOS who voted down this legislation, which is the first step in any half-decent conservative's book to immigration reform.

My question is, why should all the passion be poured into defeating Byrd because he opposes Bush but re-electing say Trent Lott who has plainly refused to even take a stand? Pick your fight so that the conservative index in the Senate goes up and not the meaningless Republican index.

[Smogger]

So your saying BOHICA, and I should be glad because I'm getting screwed by Republicans????

I'm not telling you how to vote. Get involved at the grass roots level if you don't like how the party is run. I write checks to the GOP all the time, and even if they aren't vast sums of money, you better believe the party listen to me and the other folks writing checks then they do to people with angry form letters.

Voting Democrat or by omission of action allowing a Democrat to be elected is not going to achieve anthing, except maybe Bin Laden licking his chops.

[hattend]

They didn't vote so they can continue to play both sides of the issue depending on how the voters in their states feel.

They saw it was going down to defeat and decided to take a powder. Weasels, every one of them.

[No.6]

So, the rule is now that Congress can't pass immigration reform simultaneously with immigration enforcement or else they're the enemy?

If I was voting, I would have abstained. This is (was) a proposal designed to separate Republicans from each other and accomplish no other purpose.

[trebb]

Maybe it's time to stop bashing Bush on this issue - it's been known for some time that it's the same Congress that keeps complaining about it, that keeps blocking any type of reform or progress. Without the Congress, there's nothing a President can do to actually force the issue.

I humbly submit that anyone that thinks the Prez is lax on security and has the power to fix the border/immigration fiasco, without the support of a rational Congress, is an idiot.

Not directed at you - just a general observation/opinion.

[raj bhatia]

Who said anything about the president. This is a question of legislation and the President has no say in it. From this viewpoint, I thought his speech yesterday made no sense--what power does he have to decide anything about making laws. Its the Senate where the immigration battle will be won or lost. Period.

[Mayflower Sister]

Just emailed every traitor listed and phoned a few.

We just can't give up on this.... keep their phones, faxes and computers loaded up !!!

[Rick_Michael]

"There will be another defeat soon. An amendment to strip a part of the guest-worker provision from the Senate bill is being offered now (by a Democrat, ironically). As with the Isakson vote, enough open-border RINOs will join with most Democrats to kill it and preserve the bill's "comprehensive" nature (codeword for amnesty)."

I'd rather have absolutely nothing happen than a Kennedy/McLame-like bill go through.

[goldstategop]

The Senate wants an amnesty only bill. I can guarantee its DOA on arrival in the House. It will never make it to the President's desk.

(Denny Crane: "Every one should carry a gun strapped to their waist. We need more - not less guns.")

[MassachusettsGOP]

You think Byrd is honestly voting for Immigration Reform cause he believes in it??? I certainly do not. Byrd wants to be the longest serving Senator, and die with his office, he thinking about being re-elected in Socially Conservative West Virginia. If this wasn't his election year, I doubt he would be voting this way.

5 of the 7 Democrats that voted for this amendment did so in an election year in Conservative/Republican states. The other one remembered what happened to Daschle (Dorgan was arguebly more liberal than Daschle), and Wyden, I have no idea. Lott is more important than Byrd, because not only does he consistently vote more Conservative than Byrd on everyother issue (Taxes, Justices, Marriage, Abortion, War, and remember Lott did vote for this), but if the Republicans-Conservatives need something, we can twist his arm enough for him to vote our way. (of course Bush isnt utilizing this our way) Byrd answers to being elected, and the Democrats, and they let him vote this way today, so he can be there for another 6 years (if he is lucky)