Posted on 05/29/2007 10:21:32 AM PDT by 3AngelaD
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is one of the smartest conservatives in the Senate. But on the dangerous immigration bill, he has been silent as the grave. His website is conspicuously silent on immigration. This is your Republic Leadership at work. Meanwhile, Kate O'Beirne at NRO The Corner is predicting that the immigration bill will pass by 60 votes (!) That means de facto legalization of at least 12 million illegals, plus their relatives, along with another decade or two of uncontrolled immigration until we get the next amnesty bill. (Unless, of course, another Mohammed Atta terrorist cell manages to slip into the country to wreak havock.)
If US demographics shift leftward only a few percentage points, the Republicans will lose their chance to control Congress and the Presidency. So what's going on? Why is Senator McConnell so silent in the face of imminent disaster? One possibility is party loyalty to President Bush, who is well-meaning but terribly ill-advised on this bill. But another possibility is named: Fred Thompson. Former Senator Thompson hails from next door in Tennessee. Thompson is a Reaganesque figure who has been making all the right noises to enter the GOP presidential race next month.
A wave of conservative outrage against a catastrophic immigration bill might put Fred Thompson at the head of the pack, and carry him into the nomination. It may even boost him into the Presidency in 2008. Senator Mitch McConnell may be allied with former Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, who has been pushing the Thompson candidacy. Call it the Three Border State Senators, quietly singing the same song. Thompson has been making a simple point about immigration: First, build a fence and control the border. Then we can discuss how to address both legal and illegal immigration. It's common sense, and it appeals to voters across the political spectrum.
If the Kennedy-McCain bill is passed, McConnell may jump aboard the Thompson bandwagon. If it is defeated, he may finally come out against it. But what we are seeing today is a disastrous lack of leadership coming from the Senate Republican leaders. The voters have a right to ask Senator Mitch McConnell where he stands. Is he risking our national security to promote Fred Thompson's candidacy? That's a Machiavellian gambit, not a conservative one.
James Lewis blogs at http://www.dangeroustimes.wordpress.com
They’re using porn headlines now to get us to read the story???
POS wimpy Republicans!!
Hate knows no fury like the self appointed, always ready to lose, base.
Just think how much better it will be with Rootie in the White House.
There is an assumption here that the House of Representatives will pass this same bad legislation. It won't happen.
My reality is Mitch has woosed out - again.
There is an assumption here that the House of Representatives will pass this same bad legislation. It won’t happen.
Probably not, Pasha Pelosi has said she needs at least 60 republican House members to vote for this amnesty bill, that is not outside the realm of possiblity btw.
What is so bad at McConnel’s and Lott’s position is that they are actually shafting “us” the base, they will not listen to us, they do not care to take our views into account, and some go out of their way to insult us in favor of people who are not even citizens of the US.
“Ignorant” “Zenophobe” “Nativist” etc.
They are speaking about “us” when they say those things, as if we won’t remember down the road and just stay home if this passes.
That is probably what they will be hoping for in 2008, but it won't happen. There will be a strong movement to oust those who favor this Anti-American bill in the House, the Senate and the Presidential elections.
My question is always why people assume that being lax on illegals will get them Hispanic votes? Do they think people are that stupid? Should people advocate lessening the penalties for drunk driving to get the Irish vote? Or take it easy on the Mafia to get the Italian vote? If those propositions sound as bigoted to you as they do to me, then why is the naked appeal to Hispanics in this law any different? Or, is this group truly removed from any other?
I dunno. I’m discouraged. I don’t know what will ever get the government to listen to us.
“His website is conspicuously silent on immigration. “
Funny, I googled McConnell, found the below quite easily.
Which leads me to ask if the author actually checked the website. If he did, he’s not very astute about the internet, or websites.
If he didn’t, this is a political hit piece, and he’s lying.
McConnell: ‘We shouldn’t be in a hurry to finish this bill’
from the Office of Senator Mitch McConnell
Monday, May 21, 2007
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement Monday on the Senate floor urging the Senate to take at least two weeks to debate the Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill to allow adequate time for consideration of amendments to improve the legislation:
“Voting for cloture is a vote just simply to begin the debate on this legislation. Normally cloture is used to end debated, but here it is to begin.
“This is an extremely complicated, comprehensive piece of legislation worked on on a bipartisan basis over a period of time. It needs to be finalized. I understand there was a modification to the substitute just this afternoon agreed to, I believe by Senator Kennedy and Senator Kyl. We need to make sure that whatever substitute is offered is, in fact, reflective of exactly where this legislation is.
“The other point I would make is that we shouldn’t be in a hurry to finish this bill. Last year, there were 35 immigration amendments. 23 amendments were voted on before cloture and 12 were voted on after cloture. This is by any standard at least a two-week bill and I think any effort to finish up this bill one way or the other this particular week would be unsuccessful.
“This is clearly a two-week bill, but this is an important subject. I think there’s widespread discontent with the status quo in our country on the status of illegal immigration. It’s time for the Senate to take this up, to give it adequate time for consideration, and hopefully at the end of two weeks to be able to pass a bill on a broad bipartisan basis that improves the current situation.”
###
If there isn’t a dimes worth of difference between Ted Kennedy and Mitch McConnel, why bother? What Mitch will have a sudden epiphany and change his mind? Did Teddy offer Mitch some of his private reserve scotch to pimp this merde’?
Nonsense, if they are trying to keep the base home, and lose on purpose, they are doing a wonderful job of it.
The are trying to eliminate the social conservative base, and are hoping to pull enough Democrats across to win. It cannot happen. The GOP has barely won the last two Presidential elections, even WITH the social conservatives. They are all flirting with disaster with this immigration bill, and the voters will NOT forget during the 2008 elections. Count on it.
Yes, and the reason it’s chances in the House are weaker than in the Senate is that those guys are up for re-election every other year, and are in effect in campaign mode all the time. Wonder how their Memorial Day week recess town hall meetings are going?
I don't know, but I sent letters, faxes and emails to both of my senators, Dole and Burr in NC. I got a form letter from Burr that said nothing. It was a slap in the face of any citizen to receive such a letter that didn't even address a specific issue. I am so furious that I am already washing my hands of the GOP here in NC.
Both Burr and Dole have said that they will not vote for this bill, they both said that sometime ago, so I haven’t written them off...yet...
The worst wounds come from so called “friends”.
The first part is correct, but they know there won't be crossover Democrat votes for Republicans to win ever again. And that's fine with them. They are opting for a one-party system since that's mainly what it is anyway, and they are going to come out of the closet and show us that our votes are about as valuable as all those Iraqui votes were for Saddam, or the Cuban votes are for Castro. The only question is will they REQUIRE us to show up and cast a vote or will they be happy if the disgruntled stay home?
Gee, who are we going to replace ‘em with? Democrats?
Gee, who are we going to replace ‘em with? Democrats?
Will it matter? What is the difference these days?
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.