This is a ping list promoting Immigration Enforcement and Congressional Reform.
If you wish to be added or removed from this ping list, please contact me.
A pretty good analysis of why the bill was defeated by Rich Lowry.
Posted on 06/29/2007 7:49:17 AM PDT by Cyber Liberty
Beware of an aroused citizenry. It's an admonition that should be ingrained in the brain of any run-of-the-mill politician, let alone someone who has ascended to the United States Senate.
But from the Olympian heights of the world's greatest deliberative body, it is often forgotten. So senators got a reminder in the humiliating defeat of a "comprehensive" immigration bill that had the support of the president of the United States, a bipartisan group of senators with the blessing of the leaders of their caucuses, and the support of the editorial boards of the country's most important newspapers.
All of that was enough to get all of 46 votes on a key procedural vote that needed 60 to pass. The fight over the immigration bill was the first instance of an insider parliamentary struggle in which bloggers, talk-radio hosts and citizens were able to have a major voice through the synergistic power of the Internet, radio waves and telephone lines. Bloggers picked apart the bill, talk-radio-show hosts broadcast its flaws, and ordinary people jammed their senators' phone lines -- blocking what had begun as a kind of legislative coup.
The creators of the Senate's so-called Grand Bargain -- giving illegal aliens legal status in exchange for new enforcement measures -- originally hoped to slam it through the Senate in a matter of days. Even as they held a self-congratulatory press conference about the bargain, no one had seen the text of the 300-page bill. Their implicit axiom was, "Trust us."
It quickly became clear that was impossible. The bill's boosters repeatedly were caught mischaracterizing it. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff seemed to suggest that illegals would have to pay back taxes, when the White House had quietly taken that provision out. Bloggers and talk-show hosts publicized this and other problems that otherwise would have gone unnoticed (John McCain learned of the tax provision in a blogger conference call), slowing its momentum.
As the techno-populists dissected the bill, its senatorial supporters mustered their most off-putting imperial pique. Mississippi Republican Trent Lott rued that talk radio was "running the country." Ohio Republican George Voinovich went on the Sean Hannity radio show and complained that he was being "intimidated" because people were calling his office opposing the bill.
President Bush said opponents hadn't read the bill, when diligent bloggers combed through it line by line. They gave the bill the markup -- the detailed process of amendment -- that it never got in committee because there was such a rush to passage. Even the procedural shenanigans that the bill's supporters relied on to try to get it through were subject to the intense glare of publicity. Instead of helping the bill's cause -- as such arcane maneuvers would have in the past -- they hurt it by adding to the sense of chaos and unfairness around the process.
Once, the Senate leadership would have been able to lean on members opposed to the bill to do a dishonest two-step to pass it. First, vote for cloture to end debate over the bill, which requires 60 votes and was the toughest hurdle. Then, vote against it on final passage, which takes only 50 votes -- so there would be more wiggle room for "no" votes. This way, the Senate leadership would have gotten its bill, and senators opposed to it could tell constituents back home that they had voted against it. But bloggers and talk-radio hosts blocked that dodge by sending up a cry, "A vote for cloture is a vote for amnesty."
In the end, support for the bill literally collapsed. Even the imperious Voinovich voted against cloture. Now, there is really no such thing as an "inside game" anymore, since bloggers make sure it gets "outside." Both the right and the left will take advantage of this, for good and ill policy ends. But it's clearly an enhancement of democracy. Senators should get used to it, and buy more phone lines.
Rich Lowry is author of Legacy: Paying the Price for the Clinton Years .
The ones who don't should figure out what they are going to do after public service.
Interesting. Something like this ought to happen to the tax code. I’ve heard that that has all manner of sweetheart deals and secret provisions in it, but it’s so voluminous nobody actually reads it.
The support of the GOP Senate leadership for this is inexplicable, and I’m all out of ‘plics....
Whatever they choose, the U.S. Senate is no longer a place where "We the People" wish them to be.
Regardless of what issues they attempt to sound "like us" on, the first time for many, we realize that they are very, very much UNLIKE US and should never be in positions of power to "represent" us.
Many of them even stated as much, ala Specter.
Let's garner as much steam come Primary election time and get some real conservatives to challenge these "old guard" campaign for them, help beat back the "D.C. Establishment" and then keep a very close eye on the newbies.
I live in AZ, and the best thing to have happened to Kyl recently was the bill going down in flames yesterday.
This is a ping list promoting Immigration Enforcement and Congressional Reform.
If you wish to be added or removed from this ping list, please contact me.
A pretty good analysis of why the bill was defeated by Rich Lowry.
This proves, in yet another way, the amazing ability of the Internet to empower and educate us little people.
"Day laborers from the Washington area gathered in the Senate to wait for the results of the immigration cloture vote."
Now will I see Geraldo with relatives killed in DUI crashes by illegals, judges who let go child rapists who have been caught several times previously by illegals, those coming out of the factory where out of almost 400 workers only 35 had SSNs and over 300 had stolen or fake numbers, an hour with MS13/Latin Kings/other gangs, the coyotes, document forgers or drug runners? Nah, I didn't think so.
I just can’t quit posting how I feel today. It is a beautiful day—at last and this will lift your heart even higher!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIvldN5fM4s
Hold on because now it is really known and some wise a$$ politician will do all they can to tax or limit our ability to have a say.
By the way, i’m demanding an apology from our president and several senators who claim we didn’t read it and it was ‘too complicated’ for the little people. They are the ones who obviously didn’t read it or inform the people of what was in it (nevermind a lot of it was being written on the fly), no hearings on costs to the taxpayers, the UN treaties that affect our immigration policies, the total disregard of illegals criminal status, the shelling out of services and no accountability regarding the taxpayers on how their money would be spent or projections. The constant hiding and holding back of legislation and amendments and the fact a pro immigration law website had new amendments up before THOMAS or any gov. site.
KITES....geez I was looking forward to Hillary in a thong movie
We could (should) also repeal the 17th Amendment; it would make them much more accountable to the interets of their states since state legislators would be guaranteed to vote them in!
People who are sincere about it can sign Duncan Hunter’s petition.
http://www.gohunter08.com/petition/
“the world’s greatest deliberative body” HAH! that’s rich.
That’s exactly what The Swimmer had in mind with his amnesty bill. First, confuse everyone with a piece of crap no one could understand. Second, rush it through saying it was a bi-partisan effort (Yeah right!...Only 12 senators behind closed doors, six Rhino’s and six whack job radicals from the far left). Third, there you have it! an instant massive new base for the left to get all their rediculous socialist bills passed so that the middle class could be taxed out of exsistence and the only thing left would be huge liberal compounds of very rich people in the media, movie industry and far left politicians (Kennedy and Soros come to mind). Then they would have this huge government dependent group of uneducated non-English speaking people and their huge famlies supporting them. THE PERFECT LIBERAL SCENARIO! but wait a minute Teddy boy!....Your train just got derailed by a lot of mad as hell Americans, so... stuff your amnesty, douche bag!
I wouldn't disagree with you as to the "several senators" but I always understood Bush's devotion to granting legal status to the "undocumented immigrants" in America. I never agreed w/him on that one but also bought into the "vote for someone who agrees with you 80% of the issues" jabber that many chant around election time.
That having been stated, I NEVER believed that Congress would go along with Bush, but that was before the Republicans lost so many seats in '06.
I still believe that Pres. Bush has fought terrorism better than liberals would have, though he has been too "touchy feely" on fighting and we have lost way too many of our precious military heroes because of attempting to "win the hears and minds of the Iraqi people."
I also appreciate the way Bush has stood up for the protection of innocent lives, and given us better judges than we'd have ever gotten with liberals --- Harriet Meyers not withstanding.
Thanks, Snoop! Great video ................. FRegards
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.