Thread: Awaiting a Game Plan

From the Washington Times this afternoon:

The Senate voted today to resurrect its immigration bill, overcoming opposition from conservative Republicans and delivering a victory to President Bush and both Republican and Democratic leaders in the Senate.

In a 64-35 vote, the Senate revived the bill, but it still has a long and bumpy road to final passage, much less to reaching the president's desk.

"We have an immigration system that's broken and needs to be fixed," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat.

Two Republicans appeared so eager to revive the bill they initially voted the wrong way on an earlier vote on labor union rights, before catching themselves and switching.

Now the Senate takes up a series of about two dozen amendments, many of which could break apart the "grand bargain" underlying the bill. But some senators who voted to revive the bill have said if their amendments don't pass they will switch and vote to block the measure next time.

The House may be an even bigger challenge.

An hour earlier before the vote, House Republican leaders announced they had just had a test vote among their members and about three-fourths of House Republicans who voted in it indicated they were opposed to the Senate's immigration bill.

By a 83-28 vote, Republicans defeated a motion to table or kill a resolution disapproving of the Senate bill. A final vote, or a letter signed by the bill's opponents, will come later today or tomorrow, its backers said.

"It's dead on arrival," Rep. Mark Souder, Indiana Republican, said.

Minority Leader John Boehner, Ohio Republican, said he had given the White House a "heads-up" that the vote was coming, and said "they weren't happy about it."

Originally Posted by JAK

Originally Posted by MW

What about the Democrats who voted for cloture?

I expected that. They're honest about it. They see at least 12 million new Democrat voters on the horizon if this bill passes.

My personal mission, once we kill this Immigration Bill, is to clean out MY party. For example: I want to see a primary challenger to Lindsay "Grahamnesty" in South Carolina ...

But don't get me wrong. If you can bring the Dems around, the world will beat a path to your door -- because nobody else has ever done it!