Georgia senators vote to kill immigration bill

Georgia senators vote to kill immigration bill


Associated Press - June 28, 2007 4:34 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson completed their about-face on immigration legislation today by voting to kill the bill they helped write but that drew an onslaught of criticism from conservatives at home.

The two Republicans said the bill never lived up to expectations they had when they appeared at a press conference last month touting a bipartisan "deal." They also acknowledged getting a clear signal from voters and activists. Both said they'd never seen a stronger reaction to an issue while in Congress.

Chambliss said it is incumbent on the senators to listen to their constituents.

For weeks, Chambliss and Isakson had cautioned that their support for the bill was conditional. But they said they would back it so long as the core elements remained, insisting that Congress had an obligation to address immigration and that leadership requires difficult compromises.

They suggested the main reason behind much of the public opposition was that people didn't fully understand the compromise.

Then came the protests. Chambliss, who is up for re-election next year, was booed by grass roots Republican leaders at a state party convention and insulted on conservative blogs and talk radio. Critics organized rallies outside their offices, and they each received thousands of phone calls.

Today's vote probably killed any chance for immigration legislation until after next year's presidential election.

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6724641

I hope they're both done. Any Senator who puts a bill together like this hideous monster BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, then tells us we're stupid, needs to go.

A true conservative needs to run against Chambliss next year.