Thread: Bennett: GOP might pass own version of DREAM Act next year

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing- ... -next-year

By Michael O'Brien - 12/10/10 02:02 PM ET
Outgoing Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) said Friday he's privately discussed the prospect that Republicans would pursue their own version of the DREAM Act next year.

Bennett said he would vote for the immigration legislation, which gives immigrants who were illegally brought to the U.S. as children a conditional pathway to citizenship, if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) brought it to the floor under the right conditions.

If that fails, the outgoing senator said, Republicans have privately discussed the prospects of writing and passing a version of the DREAM Act that could make its way through Congress.

"Now, I know a lot of my colleagues are not happy to vote for it, and I don't think the votes ... are there to pass it in this Congress," Bennett said in his final conference call with Utah reporters. "And as I've talked, particularly to my Republican friends, I've said we really need to do this. Their reaction has been to me, privately, 'You're right. We do really need to do it.'"

Democrats are hoping to bring up the House-passed version of the DREAM Act for a vote in the Senate in the closing days of the lame-duck Congress. Bennett has said he would vote for a standalone version of the bill but not for one that is wedded to many other provisions he doesn't prefer...

It is evident Senator Bennett didn't get the memo last month.

I think this is a good sign-it means he's feeling the heat! I can't say it means he'll vote against cloture, but the fact that he's floating this bull about passing it in the next Congress-when he won't even be there-shows you something.

Keep phoning him! I think he is a better prospect for turning than Lugar.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthru ... ml?showall

"Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) said on Thursday he absolutely will vote for the DREAM Act. That should be of little surprise since he's co-sponsored several versions of the immigration legislation."

Good sign indeed, since Bennett has been the chief GOP defector.

Bennett was defeated because he supports amnesty for illegal aliens. So Bennett you are dreaming. No Dream Act now and no Dream Act next year. Period.

this is a way for Bennet to back track on his YES vote. I'm sure this was promised to him by Sen. McConnel in order to get a NO vote from him.

The GOP version will be for the very young and for military service, not college.

No matter what , If he switches to a no vote , that is a good thing

The repubs know better then to even go near this sucker in the next 2 years

I also know that Steve King and Lamar Smith are going to bring up legislation in the house that makes the old Sennsenbrenner bill look like
a tea party

Even if he takes a powder during the vote, it's a win for us. An absence is just as good as a "no" vote when it comes to cloture.

We need to hit these senators hard:

-Bennet
-Pryor
-Manchin
-Murkowski

Maybe even Lugar, although I doubt he'll see reason in the next two weeks.

Originally Posted by Shapka

Even if he takes a powder during the vote, it's a win for us. An absence is just as good as a "no" vote when it comes to cloture.

We need to hit these senators hard:

-Bennet
-Pryor
-Manchin
-Murkowski

Maybe even Lugar, although I doubt he'll see reason in the next two weeks.

At this point in time I would write Bennet off , why waste the time?
He is a raving open borders fanatic and besides he is a lame dead duck

Nothing , and I mean nothing is going to change his mind

Manchin is the one I can't figure out

I wouldn't. I'm not saying you're wrong about him, but this latest weaselly statement sounds like he's looking for a way to duck the vote. I would pound him hard. If there really are only a dozen or so senators who on the fence I would definitely spend some time targeting him. Plus, he might want to sneak back into Utah politics, and if he votes for DREAM he realizes that'll kill his career comeback before it begins.