Thread: Harry Reid touts work on immigration

Harry Reid touts work on immigration
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By MEREDITH SHINER | 10/28/10 12:18 AM EDT Updated: 10/28/10 12:32 AM EDT


Embattled Senate Majority Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Wednesday his campaign is not hurt by the failure to enact immigration reform because Hispanic Nevadans "know" he has spent more time on immigration in the last two Congresses "than on any other issue — period."

In an interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow in Las Vegas, Reid — who likely needs high turnout from Nevada's Latino community to edge out tea party-backed opponent Sharron Angle — defended his credentials on immigration when asked of the validity of charges that "doing right by Latino voters" would have meant already passing a bill.

"The one group of people that disbelieves that totally are Hispanics," Reid said. "They know that I've spent more time in the last two Congresses on immigration than on any other issue. Period."

But as majority leader, Reid spent more than a year working on health care reform, which rendered his bold statement on immigration similar to comments he caught flak for last week. At that time, he told MSNBC's Ed Schultz: "But for me, we'd be in a worldwide depression."

While the majority leader admittedly has been a leader on immigration, it is difficult to make the case that the Senate under Reid spent more time on immigration than health care reform, President Barack Obama's cornerstone legislative priority and one upon which Congress spent months in intensive negotiations. The battle to pass the comprehensive health care bill extended more than a year, from March 2009 to March 2010, and essentially was the legislative focus on the Hill from the time Obama held a joint session of Congress that first February.

The Senate worked extensively on immigration in 2006 and 2007, with Reid introducing a sweeping bill designed in large part by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in May 2007.

About a month passed between the introduction of the immigration bill and the cloture vote that effectively killed the legislation, but the duration of the negotiations involved on the measure were not nearly as drawn out as the talks that happened both before the Senate's initial passage of health care and then again before the compromise legislation with the House.

Reid used the opportunity to knock McCain on immigration, an issue where the Arizona Republican's position has changed radically from the time he was crafting a reform bill with the Senate's "liberal lion" to 2010, two years after his failed presidential bid. This year, McCain faced a serious primary challenge to his Senate seat from the right.

"We had a pretty good deal," Reid said of the miss on immigration in 2007. "Kennedy has passed away and John McCain has gone some other place and he has been no constructive voice at all on immigration reform."

The majority leader, with an implied confidence in his own pending victory Tuesday, hinted that perhaps the McCain of the early- and mid-2000s would return to the Hill now that he is not threatened by an election — a sentiment expressed regularly by Senate Democrats but one that seems rooted more in hopeful rhetoric than knowledge McCain might get on board again.

"With election coming, hopefully, he'll pick up where he left off," Reid said, adding that he was sure he had 95 percent of Democratic votes for immigration but would need 15 percent of Republicans to meet his party halfway to pass reform.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/44305.html

The willingness of 'Bama, Reid, and Pelosi to throw Americans under the bus is disgusting.

You'd think that American elected officials would be doing everything they could think of to promote the strength of American families. Instead all they can think of is confering benefits on the very people who took the jobs that American families need.
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Americans first in this magnificent country

American jobs for American workers

Fair trade, not free trade

"The one group of people that disbelieves that totally are Hispanics," Reid said. "They know that I've spent more time in the last two Congresses on immigration than on any other issue. Period."

Yes Harry
And voting latinos are about 8% of Nevada voters , and not all of them agree with amnesty for illegals

Meanwhile you have Pis ed off the other 92% of Nevadians that are not latino and don't want amnesty

And you wonder why your going back to Searchlight next week

How did this rocket scientist get to be senate leader ?

Did anyone tell this moron that 8% or less is not going to get him
re elected this time