Monday, November 29, 2010

Can Transpartisan, Racist Conservatives Kill The DREAM Act In The Senate?

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Do you ever wind up on any psychotic right wing e-mail lists? Somehow this Tony Caputo guy-- no idea who he is-- started sending me daily, often 2 or 3 a day, actually-- right-wing propaganda screeds. Normally I just delete them without opening but yesterday I saw one about Harry Reid bring up the DREAM Act again, I decided to take a look. And sure enough, crazy as the rest of the garbage these bigots and rightists are poisoning themselves with. I guess this is for the ones who don't spend 2-3 hours a day commuting from their suburbs to work when they're at the mercy of Hate Talk Radio, listening to Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck spew anti-American propaganda and insurrection. The hysteria began with this:



And that's the calm part. After that it's pure racist, Know Nothing screed. For the anti-Latino nativist Republicans the DREAM Act is all about "stealth amnesty," even claiming that fake colleges are going to "pop up faster [than] tequila bottle in Tijuana." These are really sick, hateful people poisoning themselves and poisoning the whole country with their hatred and fear. "Illegal aliens," he continues, "probably delivered to Harry Reid his margin of victory against Sharron Angle in the election earlier this month. Now it is payback time."

The missive ends with a semi-coherent call to action:
In Tennessee, we have to [sic] RINO’s who have mastered a great trick. They will vote for cloture (to end debate, which requires 60 votes), and then when the bill is up for an actual vote, and only requires a simple majority, they will vote against it. “I was for the bill before I was against the bill.” Doesn’t that sound familiar?
 
Tell your Senators to vote no on any vote related to the DREAM act.
 
Then call the Office of Senator Mitch McConnell. His number is (202) 224-2541. Tell them you are a Tea Party activist and this is one issue we will not forgive the Republicans for if they fail us. There are 41 Republican Senators. They can kill this bill. The good news is, there are also a few Democrats who might defect and help us out as well.

You almost feel sorry for the Republicans for enabling these misfits and racists who can now exercise so much control over the party! Almost.

When the DREAM Act came up in October, 2007, the Republican filibuster prevented a vote. Cloture failed 52-44. At the time there were 8 conservative Democrats who voted with the racists, Max Baucus (MT), Robert Byrd (WV), Kent Conrad (ND), Byron Dorgan (ND), Mary Landrieu (LA), Claire McCaskill (MO), Mark Pryor (AR), and Jon Tester (MT). And there were exactly a dozen Republicans voting in favor of ending the filibuster and allowing a vote: Bob Bennett (UT), Sam Brownback (KS), Norm Coleman (MN), Susan Collins (ME), Larry Craig (ID), Chuck Hagel (NE), Orrin Hatch (UT), Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX), Trent Lott (MS), Dick Lugar (IN), Mel Martinez (FL), and Olympia Snowe (ME).

The political dynamic around the bill has changed somewhat since then and it's not likely that the same people will vote the same way. Bennett has been defeated by teabaggers in a primary and he has no reason to bow to their will and switch up. On the other hand Olympia Snowe, Kay Bailey Hutchison and Orrin Hatch are all facing the ugliness of teabagger primaries before their 2012 reelection campaigns and none are exactly Profiles-in-Courage types. (Keep in mind that the whole concept of the DREAM Act was thought up and proposed by Dick Durbin and... Orrin Hatch, as a bipartisan solution.) Hatch and the other two three are likely to walk the straight and narrow teabagger line from now until reelection time. Coleman has been replaced by Al Franken, an avid DREAM Act supporter. But Larry Craig, Trent Lott and Chuck Hagel have been replaced by racist kooks, Jim Risch, Roger Wicker and Mike Johanns. And Mel Martinez has been replaced by George LeMieux who is leaving the Senate after the lame duck session but who has political ambitions likely to determine how he votes. He's being heavily lobbied by both sides. If LeMieux is the deciding vote, he'll be a no vote. The guy's one of the most craven and cowardly Members of the Senate ever. There's a chance Scott Brown could vote for it but that's a long shot too.

On the Democratic side of the aisle, it's just as complicated. Ben Nelson, also up for reelection in 2012, has already announced he is flip flopping from his yes vote in 2007 to a no vote this week. “I’m not going to support any act that I don’t think adds to jobs, or military or to the economy. Consequently I won’t support any motion to proceed or any kind of cloture on the DREAM Act. In addition, I think that has to be part of an overall comprehensive solution to immigration once we have the border secured, not until then.”

Byrd has been replaced by the far more conservative Joe Manchin so that's not likely to be a change for the better on this one. Given the character of the Democrats who would be needed to support it if it were to pass-- pathetic wretches like McCaskill, Pryor, Landrieu and Conrad, I'd say this is going to be one of the toughest battles Harry Reid has ever faced... and that his chance to win is minuscule.

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6 Comments:

At 8:36 AM, Anonymous me said...

I frequently get sent these garbage emails by relatives who really ought to know better. It's abundantly clear to me that these emails are professionally created, and I would very much like for their source to be exposed. My money is on the Koches.

 
At 7:22 PM, Anonymous Ida Juri said...

I got one of these emails, too. It was about how I would be taxed for my health care and how voting for Republicans on November 2 could prevent this, and the death panels because they would save us by repealing health care. It was pretty over the top and obviously sent out with the backing of a professional organization. These emails must have influenced the election as much as all the money spent by Rove. The White House probably doesn't even know these emails exist and how influential they are.

 
At 7:57 PM, Anonymous Bob Simpson said...

Hopefully someone kills this disaster before tens of millions of criminals are given access to resources that are there for taxpaying citizens and legal residents.

 
At 7:49 PM, Anonymous Ariam Gregory said...

First of all these people are already here, lets be "realistic"; they aren't taking anything(Read the bill), they are just asking for the same opportunity as anybody else; and what is America if not the land of immigrants. a land to be able to full fill the American dream;these kids are kids who have sat right next to your kids, and have followed through t school the history and the beauty of this country,who have learned their pledge of alligance and sing the spangle banner with us these kids have been waiting for the promise of an American dream; these are kids, who were brought here by their parents will, some since birth, who all they have known is this country to call it home; as a matter of fact they would be giving something back to the community besides their services, they would be paying taxes, and being lawful "conditional citizens", because they still have a long way to go realistically to gain a residency card and further more a citizenship. these people are not going anywhere anyways, if voted no they would still live in the shadows, in our shadows...

 
At 7:14 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I SUPPORT THE DREAM ACT.
Its not fair kids that came here at the age of 2 or 3 to suffer the consequences of their parent's decisions. How can this act be anything but good? For young people to not want to just flip burgers but to ACTUALLY be someone in life. America is the land of opportunities. Its sad to see how some people don't realize it. And stick to their "conservative" views.

 
At 10:40 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I support it too..people who dont r just plain ignorant to the pros of this...and i ncase u guys who dont support any of this ...immigranta DO pay taxes and do not get any benefits ...it is not the kids fault their parents brought them here for a better future and im pretty sure u ignorant pple would do the same for ur children if u were in an immigrants parent shoes. Did u know most people come here as tourists through the bus or plane and decide to stay ...and just becuz that they r illegals??? Wow im really ashamed that this country is turning into a bunch of rascists pple ...It does remind me of how the holocaust started

 

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