Posted on 01/28/2013 5:05:34 PM PST by jazusamo
The late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) continues to exert an influence on the Senate, the chamber in which he served for 47 years.
Democrats cited Kennedy, long known as the "Lion of the Senate," as an inspiration when they passed the healthcare reform law at the start of President Obamas first term. Now, nearly four years after Kennedy's death, senators in both parties are channeling his memory as they pursue immigration reform.
If we do succeed, and I think we will, it will be a testimonial to Ted Kennedys effort years ago that laid the groundwork for this agreement, said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a member of the bipartisan group of senators that on Monday backed a set of principles for comprehensive immigration reform.
You will find that this agreement has very little difference from that of the legislation that was led by Sen. Kennedy some years ago."
McCain and seven other senators have agreed to a framework calling for legislation to establish a path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants.
Illegal immigrants would receive temporary legal status after the government took a variety of steps to secure the Southwestern border, such as increasing the fleet of unmanned aerial drones to patrol it. Illegal immigrants who pass a background check, demonstrate English skills and pay back taxes would be eligible to apply for permanent legal residency.
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.), who also supports the bipartisan framework, said Kennedy recruited him to advance comprehensive immigration reform in 1997.
Sixteen years ago, when I was elected to the Senate, one of the first phone calls I received, and I was so honored, was from Ted Kennedy, Durbin recalled. Ted Kennedy called this new senator and said, I just wanted to let you know that Im chairman of the immigration subcommittee. Youre on Judiciary, I need you on there.
Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) have also backed the framework.
Kennedy led the Senate effort to reform the nations immigration laws in 1965, when Congress ended the quota system that favored immigrants from Northern European countries.
He teamed up with McCain 40 years later to guide a comprehensive immigration reform proposal through the Senate in 2006, but it stalled in the House.
Kennedy allied with then-Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) in 2007 to resuscitate the legislation, but it failed to pass the Senate that year.
The Kennedy-McCain bill from 2006 would have legalized unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. for more than five years if they passed background checks, demonstrated English proficiency and paid fines.
Illegal immigrants living in the country between two and five years would have had to return to their home countries and apply for readmission to the United States.
Critics of the Kennedy-McCain plan, including Roy Beck, the founder of NumbersUSA, denounced it as amnesty and set up a vigorous grassroots lobbying campaign to oppose it.
Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/279749-ted-kennedy-cited-as-inspiration-in-push-for-immigration-reform#ixzz2JK0B0DdM Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook
Mary Jo Kopechne unable to comment.
That alone is reason to vote against it.
Kennedy and McCain in the same sentence... that is reason enough to vote it down
It’s time to fight this again !
But that big gay Grahamnesty must be removed from
The senate !
Primary that crook and Hess Oil front man !
Rubio needs to be a one termer !!!
I can’t believe these dinosaurs think dropping the name “Ted Kennedy” impresses anybody outside the rest of the fossils in the day room-—er, I mean the Senate cloakroom.
Rot and burn in hell, Kennedy, for what you did to America!
Teddy’s roasting in his own grease fire right now.And for a long time to come.
Amen to that.
You gotta know it’s a bad deal if Ted Kennedy laid the foundation for it.
Thanks ,John, Lindsey, Marco.
You really stood up for us Conservatives.
Kennedy also said in 1986 that that would be the “last amnesty”.
Funny how The Hill neglected to mention that.
In 1965, during the Senate floor debate over the Immigration Act, Ted Kennedy stated that:
"First, our cities will not be flooded with a million immigrants annually...Secondly, the ethnic mix of this country will not be upset."
Grease and alcohol. That’s gotta burn hot!
Teddy’s homebrew napalm,it’s the other Kennedy eternal flame.
How quick these politicians forget the Simpson-Mazzoli Act.
Disappointed Rubio is pushing more amnesty. Guess he forgot Simpson-Mazzoli too.
And replaced it with a system to bring in entire families from the most impoverished and backward nations, ones with no cultural connection to our country.
ANd he did it while promising, on the Senate floor, that it would change the ethnic demographic of the US.
And replaced it with a system to bring in entire families from the most impoverished and backward nations, ones with no cultural connection to our country.
ANd he did it while promising, on the Senate floor, that it would not change the ethnic demographic of the US.
The only thing Teddy ever did to move the country forward while in the Senate was die
Rumor has it that since his death he has been cold stone sober and lost a few pounds
Kennedy is dead. Let him stay dead. He was awful enough when he was alive.
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.