Thread: Lou Dobbs on upcoming amnesty bill

Partial transript from Lou Dobbs Tonight - Feb 22, 2007

DOBBS: Corporate lobbyists and special interest groups are helping Senator Edward Kennedy write legislation that would give millions of illegal aliens amnesty. The legislative work is being done in secret.

Taxpayers who will ultimately have to pay for that legislation for amnesty will not have a voice. But guess who does? You thought this was a Democratic Congress and would be unlike the Republican Congress? Well, get ready.

The Chamber of Commerce and groups like it have been allowed to hijack a large part of the process and even write part of the legislation.

Lisa Sylvester reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Senator Ted Kennedy and his staff have been quiet on the details of their new immigration proposal. It's by invitation only.

Even moderate Republicans like Senator Arlen Specter have not been offered a seat at the table. But the Chamber of Commerce and other special interests are having a hand in offering the legislation.

One Republican Hill staffer complained, "The Chamber has seen more than the senators when it comes to the actual writing on paper."

ROY BECK, NUMBERSUSA: Senator Kennedy has been inviting the stakeholders of this bill to come in. So that's the Chamber of Commerce. And it's the National Council of La Raza, and it's the immigration attorneys. Basically, the stakeholders are people who make money or gain power off of it. But how about the American people?

SYLVESTER: Kennedy's new bill will be introduced as early as next week. It may closely parallel legislation he offered last year with Senator John McCain. That was more generous to illegal aliens than anything that passed the House or Senate.

Under the previous proposal, all illegal aliens would be allowed to stay in the United States. After six years, they could pay a $1,000 fine and apply for a green card. A new guest worker program would be established, and most companies would not be required to check work eligibility of future workers.

If the new immigration plan reflects the old, it could put off swing lawmakers.

REP. BRIAN BILBRAY (R), CALIFORNIA: You're seeing Republican senators who had supported the concept before backing away off on this, because they went home in December and actually got an earful form their constituents. And you're seeing a lot of members of the Senate that had supported Kennedy before are not going to buy off on this now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SYLVESTER: The Senate picks up the debate next Wednesday, when secretaries Michael Chertoff and Carlos Gutierrez testify before the Judiciary Committee.

A Democratic staffer said they want the Bush administration to go on record. And they signal they expect the president to use more of his political capital to get an amnesty bill through Congress this year -- Lou.

DOBBS: This president has political capital to use?

The other part of this is, what is the difference between this Democratic Congress and the Republican Congress? Putting the Chamber of Commerce in the position of writing legislation, putting all of these interest groups at the table, writing legislation, there's one stakeholder left out of this, Lisa, and it's pretty clear -- the American middle class, the American citizen.

What in the world is the Democratic leadership doing?

SYLVESTER: This is almost identical to what we saw last year. And despite the election in which the people spoke loudly and clearly, we are seeing more of the same when it comes to letting special interests dictate that what ultimately is the policy on immigration in this country -- Lou.

DOBBS: When I watch this, I'll tell you, Lisa, it makes me proud to be an independent populist and to -- I mean, as we talk about, and have talked about for some time, these two parties have become just opposite wings of the same bird. And we know who is getting the bird in this country right now.

Thank you very much.

Lisa Sylvester.

Take note of Bilbray's comment. Republicans who previously voted for amnesty bill S.2611 and who are up for re-election in'08 are-

Coleman, Collins, Craig (Mr AgJOBs), Durbin, Domenici, Graham, Hagel, McConnell, Warner.

They need to know we will not accept amnesty!



VOTES on 2611:

YEAs ---62
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brownback (R-KS)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Chafee (R-RI)
Clinton (D-NY)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Craig (R-ID)
Dayton (D-MN)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dodd (D-CT)
Domenici (R-NM)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Frist (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---36
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bond (R-MO)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Burr (R-NC)
Byrd (D-WV)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lott (R-MS)
Nelson (D-NE)
Roberts (R-KS)
Santorum (R-PA)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Sununu (R-NH)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)

Not Voting - 2
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)