Posted on 06/28/2007 8:50:38 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - The Senate drove a stake Thursday through President Bush's plan to legalize millions of unlawful immigrants, likely postponing major action on immigration until after the 2008 elections.
The bill's supporters fell 14 votes short of the 60 needed to limit debate and clear the way for final passage of the legislation, which critics assailed as offering amnesty to illegal immigrants. The vote was 46 to 53 in favor of limiting the debate.
Senators in both parties said the issue is so volatile that Congress is highly unlikely to revisit it this fall or next year, when the presidential election will increasingly dominate American politics.
A similar effort collapsed in the Congress last year, and the House has not bothered with an immigration bill this year, awaiting Senate action.
The vote was a stinging setback for Bush, who advocated the bill as an imperfect but necessary fix of current immigration practices in which many illegal immigrants use forged documents or lapsed visas to live and work in the United States.
It was a victory for Republican conservatives who strongly criticized the bill's provisions that would have established pathways to lawful status for many of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants. They were aided by talk radio and TV hosts who repeatedly attacked the bill and urged listeners to flood Congress with calls, faxes and e-mails.
The bill would have toughened border security and instituted a new system for weeding out illegal immigrants from workplaces. It would have created a new guest worker program and allowed millions of illegal immigrants to obtain legal status if they briefly returned home.
Bush, making a last-ditch bid to salvage the bill, called senators early Thursday morning to urge their support. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez approached senators as they entered and left the chamber shortly before the vote.
"We have been in contact with members of Congress over the past couple of days and the president has made it clear that this is important to him," White House spokesman Tony Snow said before the vote.
But GOP conservatives led the opposition. They repeatedly said the government must secure the borders before allowing millions of illegal aliens a path to legal status.
"Americans feel that they are losing their country ... to a government that has seemed to not have the competence or the ability to carry out the things that it says it will do," Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said in the debate's final hour.
Sen. Elizabeth H. Dole, R-N.C., said many Americans "don't have confidence" that borders, especially with Mexico, will be significantly tightened. "It's not just promises but proof that the American people want," Dole said.
But the bill's backers said border security and accommodations to illegal immigrants must go hand in hand.
"Year after year, we've had the broken borders," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. "Year after year, we've seen the exploitation of workers. Year after year, we've seen the people who live in fear within our own borders. This is the opportunity to change it. Now is the time."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., told colleagues that if the bill faltered, the political climate almost surely would not allow a serious reconsideration until 2009 or later. It would be highly unlikely, she said, "in the next few years to fix the existing system... We are so close."
keep a close watch on this rogue congress because they still might try to sneak something past us when we aren’t looking, or pass this mess in pieces we aren’t looking for.
We’ll have to watch everything they do, they’re out for revenge now.
My Ca. turds are more foul than yours I assure you. They’d win the turd-off.
They’d probably smother themselves in it, too.
have the funding from last year’s bill to build 800 miles of border fence. They’ve only built a few miles. Time to shift our efforts to pressuring DHS to accelerate construction.
Yep.
Heh, a few years ago who would have predicted that FR would be jubilantly celebrating that a Democrat-controlled Senate put a stop to Bush's agenda?
:)
Politics is so bizarre.
Why is it now Pesident Bush’s plan,...and not the Kennedy-Durbin-Reid Plan...?
It was really all about legalizing more votes .....
Years ago I was revulsed by a local metallic group called “Dead Kennedys”. I liked JFK and he was a war hero. Bobby took on thugs in and out of government.
But the drunken murderer is without redeeming value and I never thought I would have a change of heart on this rock band’s name. Like the attack on the Cole, america chose to ignore this scumball’s moral depravity and keep him in office. As I write this, on C-Span he compares legal Irish immigrants to illegals here now. Because he has no moral compass, everything coming out of his mouth is garbage.
Do any of us know someone, who, while cheating on his wife, drove drunk and killed a mistress? Of course not.
Wonder where the “Dead Kennedys” are playing this week.
Wow. Thank you Mr. Sessions and Mr. Demint.
May Linseed Graham find him self flipping burgers real soon. Dirtball.
LMAO, I heard the murdering senator’s rant, what a freakin’ buffoon,,,,,,,
Democrats are trying to keep it from being built....pulling out all of their environmental , regulation trickery ( media is carefully not reporting it ) to block any efforts to get it done....
The bill would have toughened border security and instituted a new system for weeding out illegal immigrants from workplaces. It would have created a new guest worker program and allowed millions of illegal immigrants to obtain legal status if they briefly returned home.
BS!
Nough Said!!!
Of course now it will become, completely, President Bush’s bill and his sole loss. The Democrats’ failure will never be mentioned. I believe this lost as badly as it did because of Harry Reid’s ridiculous chicanery with that goofy amendment trick he pulled (clay pigeon). It just got senators who actually were willing to give the thing a chance if it could be made better furious.
Actually, the most efficient way to deal with it immediately is simply to enforce the law. The first thing that needs to be done is to fine or jail employers of illegals, and cut off funding to states and localities that provide “sanctuary” or welfare benefits to illegals. Also, there should be no education money to state colleges that offer in-state tuition rates to illegals. And there should be no public education for illegals.
The reasoning behind all this is that illegals will cease flooding across the border when there is no profit to be made from coming here. You might call it a market solution.
Sure, we also need to be the fence. But starting tomorrow we need to start treating illegals as illegals. Enforce our laws, and punish employers and local governments who flout the laws!
Actually, the most efficient way to deal with it immediately is simply to enforce the law. The first thing that needs to be done is to fine or jail employers of illegals, and cut off funding to states and localities that provide “sanctuary” or welfare benefits to illegals. Also, there should be no education money to state colleges that offer in-state tuition rates to illegals. And there should be no public education for illegals.
The reasoning behind all this is that illegals will cease flooding across the border when there is no profit to be made from coming here. You might call it a market solution.
Sure, we also need to build the fence. But starting tomorrow we need to start treating illegals as illegals. Enforce our laws, and punish employers and local governments who flout the laws!
Have to get the exact wording of her recent quote:
"I do think we got a lot more CORRECT viewpoints when we had the fairness doctrine."
Schools out. Beach.
Nobody's grading my free speech, teach.
I assume you heard the pompous pontificator asking what we were going to do about the 12 million, as if that is all there are and only “they” have the answer.
Mr. kennedy is twisted. He can see the problem. He just can’t identify the real victims. You and me.
Please Write Your Senators:
Dear Senator Boxer,
Since S.1639 has been defeated, will the fence, vehicle barriers, and camera towers, previously approved, continue to be built??
As I understand it, only 2 miles, out of the 370 miles of fence previously appproved, have been built so far. If my memory is correct, 200 miles of vehicle barriers, and 70 camera towers, have also been previously approved.
Perhaps the administration, and the Senate, should heed the desires of the American people, and put these things on the front burner, and make sure they get funded, and built.
Could you please inform me as to the status of the above, and what the construction schedule might be.
Sincerely,
Your Constituent
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