Amnesty-bill killer: Talk radio

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Posted: July 3, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

Les Kinsolving

"Talk radio is running America!" Sen. Trent Lott told the New York Times. "We have to deal with that problem!"

As one of those whom Sen. Lott alleged is "running America," I would say unto him:

"Relax and enjoy it, Listener Lott!"

From the Senate assistant minority leader's fellow Republican, Sen. Jeff Sessions, came news that the Senate's telephone switchboard has been shut down due to the overwhelming number of calls.

From the Associated Press on Thursday at noontime came the following report:

"The Senate drove a stake Thursday through President Bush's plan to legalize millions of unlawful immigrants, likely postponing major action on immigration until after the 2008 elections.

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"The bill's supporters fell 14 votes short of the 60 needed to limit debate and clear the way for final passage of the legislation, which critics assailed as offering amnesty to illegal immigrants. The vote was 46 to 53 in favor of limiting the debate.

"Senators in both parties said the issue is so volatile that Congress is highly unlikely to revisit it this fall or next year, when the presidential election will increasingly dominate American politics.

"The vote was a stinging setback for Bush, who offered the bill as an imperfect but necessary fix of current immigration practices in which many illegal immigrants use forged documents or lapsed visas to live and work in the United States.

"It was a victory for Republican conservatives who strongly criticized the bill's provisions that would have established pathways to lawful status for many of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants. They were aided by talk radio and TV hosts who repeatedly attacked the bill and urged listeners to flood Congress with calls, faxes and e-mails."

The Associated Press story, in mentioning "Talk radio and TV hosts who repeatedly attacked the bill," did not report or estimate how many talk radio hosts compared to how many TV hosts so opposed this great several-hundred-pages mess of a bill.

But I would very strongly suspect that there were far, far more talk radio hosts than TV hosts who helped to kill this dreadful Bush-Kennedy amnesty effort.

From the Federation For American Immigration Reform's press secretary, Bob Dane, there came agreement with my supposition. He sent an e-mailed reaction that suggests talk radio on this issue was far greater in impact than TV:

"First they defied the will of the American people by introducing an amnesty bill three weeks ago. It got beat down. Then, they reintroduced it. This was not old-fashioned tenacity. … It was audacity … the most egregious most of us has ever seen. The special interests prevailed early on. They needed an enforcement plan to sneak in amnesty. And that's what this bill was at the beginning, middle, and end … an amnesty plan sugar coated with meaningless enforcement. … Ultimately the American people lit fires and we prevailed in the end.

"The integrated lobby strategy involving talk radio, e-mails, phone calls, and local grass-roots activism all combined to enlighten the average American. It is a new day for us and not them leading the debate on important legislation.

"You in talk radio were the MAJOR part of today's defeat.

"This vote clearly says the will of the America people is stronger than the solidarity between big business, special interests and lawmakers. It was a bad bill rushed through the Senate that Americans instantly rejected and responded to. Senators felt the heat and this vote affirms that representative government still works, and those who voted against this express train showed their commitment to, and fear of, the constituents who put them in office to represent their interests."


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