Posted on 03/11/2010 7:33:55 PM PST by freespirited
President Obama said Thursday that he would proceed with an overhaul of the immigration system this year if he could attract substantial Republican support. But a leading Republican who supports an overhaul said a bill could not go forward if the president used a legislative shortcut sidestepping Republicans to pass his health care bill.
Obama spent most of the afternoon in meetings on immigration, including one with Senator Charles Schumer [D-NY]. and Senator Lindsey Graham [R-SC]. who have been holding closed-door sessions over the last six months to draw up a bill to revamp the immigration system.
The White House called the meetings to show its continued interest in an immigration overhaul, an issue that has languished since last year, in advance of a rally that immigrant groups have called for March 21 in Washington. The groups, who want to see immigration legislation passed this year, have pitched the rally as a maximum show of force with a turnout, they say, of 100,000 people.
The two senators said they gave Obama a three-page outline of the huge bill they are preparing, and they asked for his help to find additional Republican sponsors in the Senate.
But . Graham, in a statement, said he had told . Obama “in no uncertain terms” that the immigration debate “could come to a halt for the year” if the president moved to pass health care legislation by a method known as reconciliation, which requires a majority of 51 senators instead of 60 and would in practice require no Republican votes.
The White House has been laying the groundwork for a possible reconciliation vote since losing its supermajority in January after the Massachusetts Senate election and finding no Republican support. There was no indication Thursday that Obama would reconsider that in light of Graham’s warning....
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Apparently it hasn't occurred to him that he'll stir up more opposition than he did with health care.
He may be trying to split the GOP in time for the fall elections.
Juan McCain and Lindsay Graham-nesty are Obamas boys and are all for amnesty.
JD Hayworth needs to beat McCain with the “amnesty stick” like a pinata. McCain supports Graham-nesty 100%.
I kinda doubt that is the overriding motive. He’s really been catching hell from various RAT interest groups who really want this. Including his union buddies who see it as a way to swell their ranks and thereby fill their coffers.
Outside of our immigration laws not being enforced, what the hell is wrong with our current immigration system anyway? Barry can take his “reform” and “overhauls” and stick them where the sun don’t shine.
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LOL!
Good post potlatch!
The base may be a prediction!
I need to start replacing Ted’s head with Obama or someone else.
You’re right though, the issue may be dead.
.
JOKER’s head at bottom?
Yep, if McCain is re-elected he will be right behind Linda.
Could be. You love the joker.
My suspicious side tells me Juan McCain and Lindsey would both love for that to happen so Juan won't have to take a stand on amnesty while he's trying to win another six years. Both good and bad: it would put amnesty off and next year's Congress should be less likely to pass it, and the bad of putting it off would make Juan's reelection campaign easier without an amnesty debate in the Senate this year.
But not having to debate amnesty this year is probably best overall.
Yup. If it doesn’t pass this year, it is probably dead for quite a while. Which suits me fine, except for the lousy border enforcement.
No way is McCuckoo gonna start yammering on this in 2010.
Double the trouble!!
Cute, I didn’t realize the difference in size!
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