Posted on 06/28/2007 5:43:17 AM PDT by indcons
Yesterday, a GOP aide, who is one of my sources in the Senate, gave me the rundown on what's happening with the Senate immigration bill (This is the same person whom I talked to before, here (1), here (2), and here (3).
First of all, on Tuesday, after the first cloture vote, the bill was supposed to come out around 2:30 P.M. on Tuesday. However, it didn't actually get handed out until around 5:15 P.M. This was a problem, in and of itself, because we're talking 373 pages and the 2nd cloture vote is on Thursday. That was a lot of material for these senators to pour through in such a short time.
Then on Wednesday morning, the bill was out on the internet and bloggers started picking it apart and that morning around 10 AM, Reid pulled the bill so it could be re-drafted because he said there were mistakes in it. They spent almost the whole morning drafting it and when they re-released it, it was 400 pages long. That means that it's likely when the vote occurs tomorrow, not a single senator voting on the bill will have had an opportunity to actually read it. Reid's response to complaints about that has basically been, "Trust me." My source told me that the general response to that from the anti-amnesty senators has been something akin to, "Yeah, right."
My source then emphasized how ridiculous this whole process has been. You had a few senators getting together in secret to write the bill and then they tried to ram it through before anybody could read it. However, because the bill was held over the Memorial Day break, it failed cloture and died the first time. Then it was brought back this Tuesday, by using an arcane maneuver in a way that has never happened before in the history of the Senate. Most conservatives were locked out of presenting amendments on the bill and now, we have a bill that was again, written in secret, that none of the Senators have read, that the "grand bargainers" are trying to shove through in less than 48 hours. In short, this whole process, from top to bottom, has been a complete joke and it's shameful that the Republican leadership in the Senate is cooperating with Harry Reid to run roughshod over conservatives on this issue.
From there, we discussed how my source thinks the vote on cloture will turn out tomorrow along with a few side issues.
To begin with, my source said he is guardedly optimistic that the bill will fail the 2nd cloture vote tomorrow. That is because he thinks that some of the senators who voted for cloture on Tuesday were doing so because they were being "senatorial" by allowing a debate. But, that only goes so far, and everyone realizes at this point that the Thursday vote is the final vote on amnesty as far as the base is concerned. In other words, a "yes" on cloture is a "yes" to amnesty.
At that point, I asked about the "fool the yahoos" maneuver. Will there be senators voting "yes" on cloture and then voting against the final bill and hoping that they can avoid being tagged as supporting amnesty? He said that because of all the attention this issue has gotten, the base isn't going to be fooled and that anyone who does that will just have to hope that his election isn't close enough that thousands conservatives sitting at home can swing it the other way.
Additionally, I asked my source about Lindsey Graham suddenly talking tough about not voting for the bill unless a touchback provision is added. What is his motivation for that? He told me that he thinks Lindsey Graham is just running scared at this point. He's up for re-election in 2008, his poll numbers are plunging, and talk radio and the conservative blogs are mercilessly beating him up every day. So, he's looking for some kind of fig leaf to use as protection. He added that unfortunately for Graham, the touchback provision probably wouldn't cut it. For the most part, the base isn't impressed with it, and most of the people who support that provision are already inclined to support amnesty anyway.
Another thing I inquired about was the glut of attack ads aimed at Republican senators that have been produced by conservative bloggers over the last couple of days. Is that getting any attention? He said it is hard to tell how much sway those are having with senators, but he could at least confirm that he has heard staffers talking about them. So, they are definitely aware that conservative bloggers are out for blood on this issue.
From there, he noted that James Webb has told multiple senators that he voted in favor of the first cloture vote because he had his arm twisted, but he didn't like how he was treated, and had no intention of voting for the second one. Still, he said don't count Webb as a definite vote against cloture because he might get his arm twisted again.
Last but not least, I asked him if the phone calls were still rolling in. He told me that there were so many calls coming in that most callers were getting busy signals and that it was absolute "pandemonium" in his boss' office today because the phones just never stopped ringing. So, make no mistake about it, the pressure, which was already relentless, has actually increased on these senators over the last few days.
PS: I asked my source about his last report, where he said that there wouldn't be any amendments voted on before the 2nd cloture vote. He told me that the situation was very fluid and that originally, that was Reid's plan. But, he said things changed and that Reid felt compelled to have votes on the amendments before the 2nd cloture vote in order to have a chance to pass the bill.
PS #2: If you want to know who's leading the fight against the bill, my source says Jim DeMint, Tom Coburn, David Vitter, and Jeff Sessions are on point.
This is a solid, good read, and the writer seems to be very well informed and definitely in the loop.
I’m glad you posted it.
Oh send it....I’ve been ‘stomaching’ a lot lately :^
I was jogging yesterday afternoon, and heard the last 15 minutes or so. Hannity was awesome..Anyone know if Sean asked him...”Well George, you were initially wrong about Bolton, weren’t you?”
Hey, I just could use a working hypothesis right now. If it really were the furniture, we could fix that with a chainsaw.
When does the Senate vote today?
He missed one Senator Jim Inhofe who has been all over the place going after this bill including his petition on line.
Reid may be the only Senate majority leader who can say he learned to swim at a brothel.
The El Rey was one of a dozen or so illegal houses of prostitution that were the main attraction in Searchlight from the 1930s, after gold mining had collapsed, to the 1960s, when a new sheriff shut down the trade. Legal prostitution exists in some parts of Nevada today though not in Searchlight or Las Vegas, 60 miles to the north. It is a local option, up to each county in Nevada, the only state where sex for pay is legal.
“Prostitution was the name of the game here,” Reid recalls. “On military payday this town was hopping.”
Agreed 100%, PhiKapMom. When the story of how patriots saved this country is written, Sen. Inhofe’s name will be there along with Sens. DeMint, Sessions, Coburn, and Vitter. Great men all.
1.5 hrs. from now according to Sen. Sessions (who was on CSpin half an hour ago). It is 9:00 EST now so I guess the vote is at 10:30 EST.
If there are counting on money from the RNC for their next election,the well is running dry in this part of Fly Over Country.
Well, sending each of the scoundrels (including the President) a teabag might get the message across as well.
Webb was nervous as a cat and looked none too happy when discussing his amendments yesterday.
If he received a ton of emails like mine on Tuesday night (after he voted Yea to the first cloture), I can understand why. His computer probably had a complete meltdown.
I ended my own email to him with "I hearby dedicate myself to replacing you with a Senator more compatible with the ideals of the Commonwealth. You are not close to being that man. Hope you enjoyed your single term in the U.S. Senate."
Maybe I'm naive, but I'm hoping that Webb will become something like a moderate and rational Blue Dog Democrat, since we have to put up with him for at least 5 years.
Thanks tons.
Lord, God Almighty—
Hear our prayers, please . . . Cause all traitorous, deceitful, arrogant, traitorous globalists to humiliate themselves outrageously so extensively that every moderate gets an upchucking retching distaste in their mouths and guts that won’t go away.
Cause such idiots to fall from public power ASAP.
Put the FEAR OF GOD in them and send them packing for the hills to try & escape Your glare.
Cause them to stumble all over themselves running for places to hide. Cause them to resign in droves. Where possible, cause them to repent and become Conservatives with spines.
Where not possible, remove them from office in whatever ways suit you, Lord.
Expose their traitorousness. Expose their arrogance. Expose their evil. Expose their greed and power mongering. Expose their kissing the butts of the globalists. Expose their smug haughtiness. Cause all the citizens of this land to get a lasting horror and disgust toward all such Congress Critters.
Cause President Bush to fear You, Oh Lord, more than the globalist puppet masters.
Please remove Teddy Kennedy from office, Lord ASAP—and in a manner befitting his treatment of Mary Jo.
Remove Harry Reid from office, Lord, in a manner befitting a globalist traitor.
Remove Shrillery Klintoon from office, Lord, in a manner befitting a satanist globalist.
Cause everyone to wakeup and quite listening to the globalist controlled media.
Please protect our freedoms on the net and with talk radio, Lord. Cut the hands off of anyone trying to curtail those freedoms, Lord.
May all believers who agree with any part of the above prayer pray in concert and support of such goals and actions, Lord.
May the prayer warriors in our land forcefully take territory in this situation, Lord.
Lord, please cause all efforts of satan and his forces to retaliate against conservatives and these prayers to suffer 10 times their efforts in defeating ways. Cause 10 times the people in their influence to be released into Your Kingdom and a lasting relationship with you, Lord. And Lord, please cause 100 times the blessings You would have blessed such prayer warriors with normally to increase 100 times above normal for every attack and effort of retaliation by the enemy.
All this I ask in Jesus’ Name. So be it.
Even if it wasn’t the furniture ...
And if it's not the furniture we could still fix it with a ....errr, nevermind.
El Pingo>>>>>
That is so hilarious, I can’t stop laughing!!! ROFLMAOPIMP
Am I to understand that there is another cloture vote today, Thursday, on this monstrosity? I thought this passed Tuesday, and that was it? Or is this the final after all the new amendments that won’t make any difference in the basic bad bill.
“But, he said things changed and that Reid felt compelled to have votes on the amendments before the 2nd cloture vote in order to have a chance to pass the bill.”
Sorry, but this makes NO sense!
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