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Immigration cloture vote today is not the end of the world (yet)
Posted by civil truth on June 26th, 2007
The Senate voted 64-35 to invoke cloture to allow the immigration bill to come to the floor for debate over proposed amendments, in line with a deal between the Democratic and Republican leadership that brought enough votes on board to enable the bill to proceed.
Although disappointing to those of us who have been dreading The Return of the Amnesty Monster and would have preferred that this bill stay dead for this session, the critical cloture vote comes on Thursday on a motion to bring the measure to the floor for a vote.
In a sense, what this vote did was to return the measure to the status quo ante of June 7th, when the previous cloture attempt failed badly because Sen. Reid tried to ram the bill through without allow enough Republican amendments to be proposed. In retaliation, Sen. McConnell held back Republican votes.
But things aren’t the same today as they were on June 7th. Had Sen. Reid been less incompetent and cloture had passed on the 7th, it seems likely that the bill would have passed through on the fast track in a few more days.
Instead, a hornet’s nest of opposition has been growing and the issue has gained media attention, with many phone calls and other messages to our senators. In addition, our senators have had another two weeks to actually look at the provisions of the bill (a radical thought!) before they have to vote on it. Senator have been pressed to take public positions on the bill. All this activity has forced this bill out of the back shadows, and slowed down what was appearing to be a juggernaut.
Of course. President Bush and his minions (along with all the other forces in favor of amnesty, cheap labor, etc.) will be twisting arms and trying to make backroom deals to keep 60 votes on board for Thursday’s vote. A number of senators (include Sen. Brownback’s aides) have claimed that despite their vote for cloture today, they have not made up their minds about the bill (presumably awaiting the fate of the amendments). Some may be posturing, but hopefully enough others are sincere.
The bottom line is that we opponents of the immigration bill need to keep up the pressure on swing senators. It will only take a net shift of 5 votes on Thursday to put the Monster down for the rest of this Congress.
Here are the 24 Republicans voting FOR cloture today who need to see the error of their ways:
Bennett (R-UT), Bond (R-MO), Brownback (R-KS), Burr (R-NC), Coleman (R-MN), Collins (R-ME), Craig (R-ID), Domenici (R-NM), Ensign (R-NV), Graham (R-SC), Gregg (R-NH), Hagel (R-NE), Kyl (R-AZ), Lott (R-MS), Lugar (R-IN), Martinez (R-FL), McCain (R-AZ), McConnell (R-KY), Murkowski (R-AK), Snowe (R-ME), Specter (R-PA), Stevens (R-AK), Voinovich (R-OH), Warner (R-VA).
After Thursday, we’ll know who are the sell-outs.
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Regardless of the ultimate outcome of the immigration bill, the process by which this bill is being railroaded to a vote will permanently damage the Senate. This process abrogates fundamental Senatorial procedures that have govened the Senate’s business since the its inception and sets a new protocol for curbing minority rights in the future. This article Ending the Rights of U.S. Senators as the Senate Has Known Them delineates the carnage.
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On a brighter note, today the Senate on an almost party-line 51-48 vote (Arlen Specter R-PA was the only cross-over vote) refused to invoke cloture on the Orwellian-titled Employee Free Choice Act, which would have abolished secret elections for union certification. Although this bill previously passed the House, today’s vote sank the measure for this Congressional session.
June 26th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
The mis-named “Employee Free Choice” bill worried more than a short statement about it would indicate. I’m glad it’s dead for now.
I’m not as optimistic about the amnesty bill, as Congress thinks that its members know better than the people who put them into office.
June 26th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
Woody,
As far as the amnesty bill, I’m not necessarily optimistic. It’s just that the initial reaction among amnesty opponents was that all was lost. However, after more careful reflection (by commentators and by me), I conclude that a verdict of “all is lost” is premature; the critical cloture vote is the one to limit debate, which is currently schedule Thursday.
That’s when the “wait and see” equivocators will have stand up and be counted one way or the other. I don’t know the outcome; the President and the Senate leadership have a lot of ways to persuade wavering senators. It’s only the fear of the voters that will bring them around.
Of course, there may also be some hope in the House, though it would certainly be better to stop the bill in the Senate if possible.
Thus, the upshot is to keep on making noise; the fat lady hasn’t sung yet.