Jun 04 2007
Race To The Bottom
Dems have used up all their political capitol and now have approval ratings in the tank with the rest of the DC Cuckoo’s Nest:
The Democrats in Congress have lost much of the leadership edge they carried out of the 2006 midterm election, with the lack of progress in Iraq being the leading cause. Their only solace: President Bush and the Republicans aren’t doing any better.
Six weeks ago the Democrats held a 24-point lead over Bush as the stronger leadership force in Washington; today that’s collapsed to a dead heat. The Democrats’ overall job approval rating likewise has dropped, from a 54 percent majority to 44 percent now — with the decline occurring almost exclusively among strong opponents of the Iraq War.
Yet the Democrats’ losses have not produced much in the way of gains for Bush or his party. The president’s approval rating remains a weak 35 percent, unchanged from mid-April at two points from his career low in ABC News/Washington Post polls. The Republicans in Congress do about as badly, with just 36 percent approval.
Can the pols find a way to screw things up any more? Yeah – they could fail to pass immigration legislation and deal with the illegal aliens here now. They could continue to call for surrender to al Qaeda. The nation is having a crisis of confidence – they have had it with the left and the right. Now is the time for the center to rise above the partisan fringe and get back to working for America. It will start with the immigration Bill. Incumbants should be very afraid right now. 2008 might be the year we clean house and elect ALL freshmen (which means Rudy Guiliani and others who are not tainted by the DC madness). America is ready to dump them all and start over. How nice would that be!
Another excellent article on the REAL Costs of the ILLEGAL immigration bill:
http://www.democracy-project.com/archives/003342.html
AJ,
The enforcement absolutists have lost all perspective. They can’t understand the difference between paying in to SS and taking benefits from it for determining culpability. And the word “amnesty” just sets them off.
Finally, they are so stuck that they think “enforcement” only happens at the border.
I just hung up the phone with Senator Gordon Smith’s voice mail. I left a long and detailed explanation of the portions of the bill that I object to. I was polite, yet forceful.
Now on to Senator Wyden.
I am only one person. I hope I am not alone in this endeavor.
I got a LIVE person at Senator Wyden’s office!! Woo hoo!!
I didn’t get the Senator, not that I expected to, but I did get one of his aides. We had a seven and a half minute conversation. He said he was taking computerized notes and I could hear him typing. I hope Senator Wyden reads them.
I think it is a bad sign that I got a live person. That means not enough people are calling. We are going to lose this thing if we don’t keep the pressure up.
Macker, ding, ding, ding, ding. you win the award for ”NEW NAME TO CALL THOSE THAT WANT LAWS ENFORCED” of the day.
“enforcement absolutists”
you have made my day.
and:
“And the word “amnesty†just sets them off.”
As opposed to: you’re in love with the word?
And:
Finally, they are so stuck that they think “enforcement†only happens at the border.
And you came up with this ‘brilliant deduction’ how?
From Drudge, his headline; probably just the immigration hypochrondiacs Go to Drudge to read the whole story
Immigration Deal Under Threat in Senate
WASHINGTON (AP) – A broad bipartisan immigration deal was threatened Tuesday as the Senate prepared to vote on a Republican proposal to make it harder for millions of illegal immigrants to qualify for green cards.
The proposal by Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., would eliminate extra points that illegal immigrants could get toward lawful status for work done while they were in the U.S. illegally, owning a home, or having health insurance. The proposed merit-based system would award the most credit for employment criteria such as education and skill level.
Immigration headed for shelf?
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) could move as early as tonight to wind down debate over the immigration bill – a move that Republicans said they will oppose, possibly stalling the bill for weeks.
Reid told reporters today that he would pull the bill from the floor if Republicans oppose the Thursday cloture vote, which requires support from 60 senators to end debate.
“If the cloture motion fails, I’m not going to proceed on it at this time,†Reid said of the immigration bill. “Maybe at some point in the future.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said his conference wants the debate to continue into next week to allow more time for amendments.
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), one of the chief negotiators of the bipartisan immigration bill, said Reid’s move would be “extraordinarily disappointing.â€
“It’s an act that a true leader, I think, would want to avoid,†Kyl said.
Reid said he has dedicated two weeks for the debate, and that it was necessary to move onto other issues. Democratic aides said Republicans were asking for more time as a way to potentially kill the bill.
“This is a bill that will never make the majority of Republicans happy no matter what we do,†Reid said.
Reid has issued seemingly firm deadlines before – and pulled back each time, first allowing more time for negotiations, then granting a second week of debate after the Memorial Day recess.
Reid and McConnell parried on the Senate floor late this afternoon over a process for proceeding. Reid proposed votes on 20 amendments with a cloture vote Thursday night. McConnell objected.
“At the close of business today, I am filing for cloture,†Reid concluded.
“We are going to insist on fundamental fairness,†McConnell responded.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/0607/Immigration_headed_for_shelf_.html
Senator Jeff Sessions (AL); has identified TWENTY major loopholes in the current Bill AS IS, that makes it “amensty”!
Good reading!
I’ll give the solution now, for the naysayers: FIX THEM NOW, then we’ll support the bill!
http://sessions.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=275456