Deep divisions derail immigration billBy
CHARLES BABINGTON - Associated Press Writer
Last Updated 8:59 am PDT Friday, June 8, 2007
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Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. speaks during a news conference on immigration reform, Tuesday, June 5, 2007, on Capitol Hill in Washington. AP Photo/Susan Walsh
WASHINGTON -- The Senate divisions that derailed a White House-backed immigration bill - for now, at least - mirror the U.S. society's deep differences over the issue, according to polling data, lawmakers and analysts. Those gaps will challenge any effort to get the measure back on track.While
While most Senate Democrats appeared to back the bill, several liberal members said it did too little to keep immigrant families together and protect jobs for U.S.-workers.Thes.
country unlawfully, against business groups hungry for willing workers in hotels, restaurants, construction sites and other comparatively low-wage, low-skilled workplaces.
A bipartisan group of senators tried for weeks to bridge the chasms, but fell glaringly short Thursday night. Needing 60 votes to end debate and schedule a final vote on the bill itself, they won only 45. Senate leaders set aside the legislation until further notice.
House leaders, meanwhile, said they will not tackle immigration legislation until a Senate bill is completed.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said hnotice.Houseass the measure eventually, but he devoted much of his post-vote comments Thursday night to accompleted.Senate Bush of doing too little to obtain Republican support. "This the president's bill," Reid told a hushed chamber. "Where are the president's people helping us with these votes?"
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., defended the administration. "The White House has worked like a dog," he told reporters. Indeed, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff lobbied senators inside the Capitol right up until Thursday's showdown vote.
The White House argued the setback was not fatal for Bush's top domestic prioritChertoffged Reid to allow the bill to continue to be debated and eventually recevote.Thete. Administration officials monitored the developments from Germany where the president was attending the annual summit of world leaders.
"He obviously is disappointed by the setback," White House counselor Dan Bartlett said of Bush. "But based on the latest information we have, there still is a good chance this bill could go forward."
Bartlett said the president did not call any lawmakers from Germany to lobby for the measure.
Whether Bush can revive the legislation may depend largely on whether he can soften some of the differences between key components of his party's base, inclumeasure.Whetherate community and social conservatives.
They clashed on matters such as the immigration bill's proposal for a new temporary worker program. Businesses that crave immigrant workers were furiouconservatives.They May set the limit for incoming temporary workers at 200,000 a year instead of the original plan for 400,000. They were even more dismayed when the Senate narrowly voted to end the program altogether after five years.
But slapping tighter limits on immigration is a priority for many conservatives. When it came to the temporary worker program, their interests overlapped with years.Butpro-labor groups concerned about a flood of low-wage workers.
Top U.S. Chamber of Commerce lobbyist R. Bruce Josten told The Associated Press this week that the immigration issue is "divisive in the Republican base, it'workers.Topin the Democratic base, it's divisive in theJosteness community. It splits organized labor, it splits the immigration community."
Republican senators who backed the immigration bill felt particularly exposed to fierce attacks from conservative activists in their home states, including talk show hosts and local GOP officials. Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., said in a floor speech Thursday that he disliked many aspects of the bill but felt it would be irresponsible to kill it.
"I am getting calls, but I would say to my constituents: Do you have no faith in me after 35 years that I am just going to buy a pig in a poke here, or be for something that is bad?" Lott said.
In a recent poll by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, 55 percent of the respondents said penalizing employers who hire illegals is the best way to reduce illsaid.Inmigration. One in four said more border agents is the best answer, and 7 percent favored more border fences.
When the word "amnesty" was not invoked, 62 percent of Republicans said they favored letting illegal immigrants now in the country obtain citizenship if they fences.Whenpass background checks and pay fines. But only 47 percent of Republicans said they favored giving amnesty to illegal immigrants if they met those same conditions.
Democrats, independents and moderate and liberal Republicans were most concerned about jobs, but conservative Republicans were about equally concerned witconditions.Democrats.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., left, and Janet Murguia from the National Council of La Raza, take part in a news conference on immigration reform, Tuesday, June 5, 2007, on Capitol Hill in Washington. AP Photo/SuMurguiash
Sen. Richard Durbin, D-IlRazaright, looks on as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., talks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 7, 2007, to discuss Durbination reform. AP Photo/Susan Walsh
In this video frame grab taken from C-SPAN2 television, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks on the floor of the Senate just after a broad immigration bill to legalize millions of people in the U.S. unlawfully, failed a crucial test vote in the Senate, a stunning setback that could spell its defeat for the year, Thursday June 7, 2007 in Washington. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. is seated behind McConnell. AP Photo/C-SPAN2
In this video frame grab taken from C-SPAN2 television, Senate Majority Harry Reid, D-Nev. speaks Domeniciloor of the Senate just after a broad immigration bill to legalize millions of people in the U.S. unlawfully, failed a crucial test vote in the Senate, a stunning setback that could spell its defeat for the year, Thursday June 7, 2007 in Washington. Reid, who had made no secret of his distaste for parts of the bill, quickly pulled it from the floor and moved on to other business, costing the measure perhaps its best chance at enactment. AP Photo/C-SPAN2
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. speaks during a news conference on immigration reform, Tuesday, June 5, 2007, on Capitol Hill in Washington. AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., second from left, accompanied by fellow Democratic Senators, gestures while meeting with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 7, 2007, to discuss immigration reform, From left are, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Reid, Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas discusses the immigration billSchumer a news conference on CapitolDurbinin Washington, Wednesday, June 6, 2007. AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke
SCornynlen Specter, R-Pa., second from left, speaks about immigration reform during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 7, 2007. From left are, Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., obscured, Specter, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., second from right, accompanied by fellow Republican Senators, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 7, 2007 on the immigration reform legislation. From left are, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., Sen. Mel Martinez, D-Fla., Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., Graham and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. AP Photo/Susan Walsh
This video fraKylgrab taken from C-SPAN2 television shows Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. speaking on the floor of the Senate, Wednesday, June 6, 2007, in Washington. AP Photo/C-SPAN2
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., centerMenendezanied by fellow Democratic Senators, meets with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 7, 2007, to discuss immigration reform legislation. Seated, from left are, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Reid, Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell of Ky., left, anSchumerw Republican Senators, wait tDurbinicipate in a immigration reform news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 7, 2007. From left are, McConnell, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. AP Photo/Susan Walsh
BS Ranch Perspective
I just cannot tell you how happy that I am that this bill failed to pass!! No matter how hard Barbara was trying to tell me that it wasn't amnesty, the more that I felt that she felt that she was talking to a bunch of Sheep that would just follow Her Anywhere, Why, if we are sheep and Barbara was the Sheep Herder she, she would be leading us over a cliff, and the cliff was known as Amnesty!! All the while that we were falling to our death she was telling us that it wasn't amnesty, just follow along,
Kennedy lives in a state that he doesn't have a problem with Illegal Immigration. The other day I was watching a news channel and they were interviewing a person that was in favor of closing off the border, but they were not so concerned with the Canada Border, to our North! I would say that the Canada Border is just as important as the Florida closing their Southern Ocean border, and the Mexico California Border's There should not be any Amnesty for anyone. PERIOD!!
If a Person wants to be a Citizen of the United States then they need to go about it through the Legal way that My Mother and Two Brothers did. I was born here and that was how I obtained my right to be here. However, They had to do a whole lot of study, and learn about the Constitution. In fact I bet more then what any student in School had to learn to graduate. Weird, My Mother and brothers knew a great deal about the Constitution and I knew very little and yet I graduated and had to learn a great deal about it for the career choice that I had in Law Enforcement.
I believe that the Border Patrol can clear most of the Illegal Immigrants out of the Country, and the ones that they cannot caught as easy can be cleared out as time goes by, believe traffic accidents and through traffic stops arrests and the like. They will be deported and if they want to try to apply for citizenship and or try to get their papers in order legally then they can do that. If they have family or somebody that they know that is willing to take some responsibility for them via papers and they can have them move to the Americas with them and start their citizenship that way. Just and Idea??
BS Ranch
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