Immigration Bill Dies In Senate

(CBS/AP)  President Bush's immigration plan to legalize as many as 12 million unlawful immigrants while fortifying the border collapsed in the Senate on Thursday, crushing both parties' hopes of addressing the volatile issue before the 2008 elections.

The Senate vote that drove a stake through the delicate compromise was a stinging setback for Mr. Bush, who has made reshaping immigration laws a central element of his domestic agenda.

Republicans backing the bill tried to bring their colleagues on board by arguing that the president badly needed a domestic victory, reports CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson. But in the end, senators in his own party turned their back on the president.

The defeat could carry heavy political consequences for Republicans and Democrats, many of whom were eager to show they could act on a complex issue of great interest to the public.

"Legal immigration is one of the top concerns of the American people, and Congress' failure to act on it is a disappointment," a grim-faced president said after an appearance in Newport, R.I. "A lot of us worked hard to see if we couldn't find common ground. It didn't work."

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., his party's lead negotiator, called the defeat "enormously disappointing for Congress and for the country." But, he added: "We will be back. This issue is not going away."

Still, lawmakers in both parties said further action was unlikely this year, dooming its prospects as the political strains of a crowded presidential contest get louder.

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CBS News Poll: Immigration

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"I believe that until another election occurs, or until something happens in the body politic, that what occurred today was fairly final," said Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., the GOP chairman.

"I don't see where the political will is there for this issue to be dealt with," said Martinez, who helped develop the bill.

House Democratic leaders signaled they had little appetite for taking up an issue that bitterly divides both parties and has tied up the Senate for weeks.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, who heads the House Judiciary subcommittee that was to write a version of the bill, said the Senate's inability to move forward "effectively ends comprehensive immigration reform efforts" for the next year and a half.

"The Senate voted for the status quo," the California Democrat said in a statement.

The vote already had led to partisan finger-pointing.

Howard Dean, the Democratic Party chairman, said it was "a reminder of why the American people voted Republicans out in 2006 and why they'll vote against them in 2008."

The measure was the product of a liberal-to-conservative alliance led by Kennedy and Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., that forged an immigration compromise intended to withstand challenges from the left and right.

They advocated the resulting measure as an imperfect but necessary fix to the current system, in which millions of illegal immigrants use forged documents or lapsed visas to live and work in the U.S.

The proposal would have made those millions eligible for lawful status while tightening border security and creating an employee verification system to weed out illegal workers from U.S. jobs.

The bill also would have set up a temporary worker program and a system to base future legal immigration more heavily on employment criteria, rather than family ties.

Ultimately, though, what came to be known as their "grand bargain" commanded only lukewarm support among important constituencies in both parties. That was no match for the vehement and vocal opposition of Republican conservatives, who derided it as amnesty.

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[toolmangler-2009]

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2007/300107Immigration.htm


I just watched it. it'll knock your socks off.

[cpaide]

The Illegal Immigration Invasion

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2007/300107Immigration.htm

A truthful documentary showing the people that deal with the Illegal Immigration Invasion upfront and on a daily basis. Watch what the mainstream media WILL NOT show you!!! Like hundreds of illegals streaming across the border into the back yards of U.S. Citizens while the government hinders citizens from protecting their own property.

Note: if FACTS are a problem for you, don't watch this.

[toldyouso21]

RandalDS
is one of the crazy pro-illegal immigration trolls who live under the CBS Public Comment Zones. He is an ignorant freeloader, starving for attention from anyone who happens upon him.

He lives off of his wife and has nothing to do all day long but post nonsense and read his own idiotic posts over and over, rolling on the floor, laughing is @ss off.

Pathetic. AND he is the baby of an anchor baby.

Excuse me for trip-trapping across your bridge, Master Troll. Please give us your wisdom, oh all-knowing one. No facts, please; they make my head hurt.
Posted by cpaide at 11:13 AM : Jun 30, 2007

Why lambast Randal? he does more to alienate people who do not even blog and send them into the anti amnesty camp. When they see the mindset, rationale and attitude of this person, then just like many feel about Bush; they want to run screaming in the other direction.

The Democrats and others have RandalDS and others to thank for the effectiveness of the blogs in help killing this bill. He is his own worst enemy and probably one of the best poster children for why we must not stop fighting against this bill and any like it.

[cpaide]

RandalDS
is one of the crazy pro-illegal immigration trolls who live under the CBS Public Comment Zones. He is an ignorant freeloader, starving for attention from anyone who happens upon him.

He lives off of his wife and has nothing to do all day long but post nonsense and read his own idiotic posts over and over, rolling on the floor, laughing is @ss off.

Pathetic. AND he is the baby of an anchor baby.

Excuse me for trip-trapping across your bridge, Master Troll. Please give us your wisdom, oh all-knowing one. No facts, please; they make my head hurt.

[toldyouso21]

Here is the irony, after the venue change, progress was made and the person who finally, really treated us like human beings instead of a traitor or worse and an infiltrator (yes it can get really bad) was a Hispanic man. It's like he knew this entire game and he treated us with dignity and respect--we expected more innuendo and sarcasm and hold ups--he gave us none. Instead, at that point, he told my husband he would get a residency card. This is after fighting deportation and YEARS of other issues. More to this--but the point is--if you can, do it the right way. It is worth it to hold your head up and to know, that no matter what anyone said, you showed the proper respect to your new homeland from day 1 and try to learn the language, it is always easier to live where you don't but it causes suspiscion and resentment when people create their own enclaves. English is not my husband's native tongue; but his fluency and vocabulary are on par or better than most Americans. Won't be blogging much today--my hubby says I need to cut back. He's right.

[toldyouso21]

A lot of my family has come through that line fairly recently (within the past 30 years) with my husband being one of the most recent. We lived for years married but with him living in Europe and me traveling to see him. When he finally got his chance, we walked the walk. I am not going to lie. It was ugly and arduous. I think it all depends on the person you get to process your case. It was even inferred that there must be a monetary reason for someone like me to seek a husband outside of the states....I had to prove that I mostly financed him and not the other way around. That was just the beginning. Lots of hoops. do I wish that on anyone? No. Do I condone sneaking in? No. One person's wrong will never justify our personal wrong. They held my husbands app up for years. NOthing changed for me until I got a new venue and another lawyer. The man who had been my processor was livid and tried to fight the switch. Frankly, I think he had let all of it become too personal. He would say stuff like "he could never understand why women like me went for guys in another country"...here is some advice--if you are ever given comments like that--do not complain, not even to your lawyer. It will hold the app up longer and it is just your word against his. end of part 1

[toldyouso21]

On this issue, the war, etc I hope people will consider this: The day we stop growing or changing is the day we die, (either physically, intellectually, emotionally, morally or spiritually) my views are fleshed out and either gradually reshaped by data or even further solidified--but no matter how sure I think I know where I stand on any subject, those views are still not absolute, given more info, or convincing info, We must not afraid to evolve or change, the operative words is convincing.

I will not/cannot deny there are merits and real concerns and caring on both sides of this debate, I choose on this occasion to side with the rule of law and the ramifications to my fellow citizens. If laws were passed to hunt and kill people based on illegality, I have no doubt I would become disobedient to the law. It is all about parity. I believe in immigration and that immigration line. I won't bore you guys to tears with my entire story--but on the next post, I hope there is something there you can come away with in a positive way.

[toldyouso21]

To me, racism is a focus on race, color, creed, religion or gender. it does not have to be negative-- it is a prism, a way of interpreting or reading actions, words or gestures then labeling a person based on what is perceived. Racism is not only something visited on others, we can practice it when we receive treatment or information from someone. (not saying you do) I have so many races and nationalities within my own family that we have a hard time trying to side with any one group and we would not dream of hating or persecuting another race. On the other hand, our multicultural plurality allows us not to be afraid to say what we like and if we are called racists--to laugh it off. I do know that I would not only never harm or participate in any way with the harming of someone due to race/gender/religion etc but I also would do my utmost to stand up and protect anyone I saw mistreated regardless of who they were. Guess in the end, I am for the human race--and such a stance means that at any one time or the other--I will appear to be against another race. I'm against no one--but I will rail against certain circumstances and I am not afraid or ashamed to share my personal experiences of why I feel this way. Is that fair? Probably not, but my views are not static.

[toldyouso21]

ozilot at 03:00 PM : Jun 29, 2007:

I rarely say anything I do not mean, and when I do, I do admit it was in jest or sarcastic.
I have to agree with most of what you posted here. I am a realist and DO understand that there will be some who merit keeping in America despite their being illegal, however; that will be a difficult line to draw and is sure to raise the ire of absolutists who want all out or who want all in. Security is first and paramount. Any other issue brought to the table prior to that only compounds the problem. (ie., after the amnesty, others will come in for the next wave, no matter if a fence is being built or not--it is human nature to take advantage of an established and working trend) Eventually, this issue will be back. We can all crow or be mad but we really would get further if we all started to try to understand where the other was coming from--and how we can meet each other halfway.

[menofoz]

So many good people all over the planet want desperately to come to the USA, and would take any job to get a foothold. So why should we take in just Mexicans? There is no reason. It's a buyer's market, we the people of the USA are the buyer, and yet the vocal, visible pro-Mexican agitators would have you believe there is only one good choice: Mexicans. It's a deception.
Compare the hardworking, peaceful immigrants from China, India, Africa, or Europe to people so many illeal aliens from Mexico.

In the old days, immigrants were strongly encouraged to become just like all other Americans, and initially even Mexicans complied with that, but today that is not only not the case, but they are in many instances directed, under the brainwashing campaign known as "Diversity", to show their contempt for the country, people, and culture of tolerance that have given them so much. Thus their racism, nationalism and bogus cultural-supremacist ideas are today flourishing.

The message should be, "This is America: integrate or go the hell back home. No Neanderthals wanted."