(Edgar Rios, left, and Marcos Gonzalez rally against the Arizona immigration bill before it was signed into law Friday.The Associated Press. Via)
Who do these Dems thing they are, leaders?
A trio of leading Democratic Senators on Wednesday began working on contingency plans for pushing a Democrat-only immigration reform bill if they are unable to convince Republicans to join the effort this year.
An emerging immigration proposal by three Democratic senators calls for more federal enforcement agents and other border security-tightening benchmarks before illegal immigrants could become legal U.S. residents.
And who exactly are these spunky senators? Harry Reid of Nevada, Charles Schumer of New York, and Robert Menendez.
The benchmarks include additional Border Patrol officers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to combat smuggling; more ICE inspectors at work sites; an increased number of ICE officers assigned to detect fraudulent documents, and better ways to determine fakes; more personnel to check for contraband at ports of entry; additional resources to prosecute drug and human smugglers and illegal border crossers, and for deportations.
How could this possibly work? Targeting employers who hire undocumented workers? What? That's unheard of!
And there is nothing in there about racial profiling. They obviously didn't think this through.
Before the benchmarks are met, the Department of Homeland Security could begin registering, fingerprinting and screening illegal immigrants, and considering them for an interim legal status. That would allow them to work in the U.S. and travel outside it.
But... but... they didn't include anything about skin color or hair or shoes! This will never work. It's not nearly racist enough.
Oh, Rushpublics? Time to get the cots out. It's filibuster time.
Between meeting in back rooms with the Big Bankers, and showing America who their real BFF are by refusing to allow financial reform, all the Rushpublics are doing is exposing themselves to be the obstructionists they are... all while reminding everyone who pays them to be that way.
Keep those votes coming, Dems.
UPDATE: Claire McCaskill makes a good point. She just said on MSNBC that the GOP pretends they don't want to block the bill, while they block the bill.
By GottaLaff The other day, Lindsey Graham whined and stomped and threatened to pull out of the climate bill negotiations, because the administration wants to go ahead with their plans for immigration reform.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday he is willing to bring up climate change legislation ahead of an immigration bill, the first step toward resolving a dispute with Senate Republicans that threatened to derail a bipartisan effort months in the making.
Harry Reid explained that the climate bill is much further along. The immigration bill hasn't even been written yet.
You know that awkward area between a rock and a hard place? Harry's stuck there.
And immigration reform that would allow legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants is awkward for Republicans, especially in an election year:
The bill is a top priority for Hispanic voters — and most Republicans are opposed.
But putting it off in favor of climate legislation would not exactly please environmentalists:
[They] see the Kerry-Graham-Lieberman bill as their best chance in years to address global warming.
Hence, rock, hard place.
Reid thinks they can do both this session. Optimist.
Election years can do that to a guy who's up for re-election and losing to someone who is partial to chickens.
According to Republicans, size matters: Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, holds a copy of the health care bill on the West Front of the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, during a Republican health care news conference. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
By GottaLaff Lindsey Graham wants to take his toys and go home, and GOP Leader Mitch McConnell is grumbling and rumbling in support. Lindsey is whining like a little brat, threatening to pull out of the climate bill negotiations because the administration wants to go ahead with their plans for immigration reform.
Boyoboy, he'll show us! Americans will just have to go on polluting and wheezing and hacking, and the planet will simply have to dry up like McConnell's lips if things don't go his way.
The Obama administration wants to pursue both climate change and immigration legislation, according to a senior advisor to the president.
There is “no either/or” between the two issues, which are “both important,” said Larry Summers, the chief economic adviser to President Barack Obama.
Of course, Harry Reid sets the agenda.
Reid quickly disputed the suggestion and said he would not let Graham play one issue off the other.
That's because Harry (and Summers) wears big boy pants. Lindsey's still in Pull-Ups.
UPDATE: Apparently, I need to clarify that this post is about the ability to do more than one thing at a time, not about the substance of the bills... nor is it in any way meant to express support for Summers, specifically. I do agree with him, however, that our government can move forward on two plans simultaneously, if they can get past the usual obstruction.
[T]he Dem legislative response to the Citizens United decision will be a big, possibly defining, story.
And here’s an interesting little nugget about it: The bill that Dems are planning will have more bipartisan support than expected, a Dem leadership aide confirms.
The legislation is going to be introduced tomorrow by Dem Rep Chris Van Hollen and GOP Rep Mike Castle, the source says, and it is likely to ignite a battle over the influence of corporate and other outside money over our politics.
I wonder how many children are saying they want to be corporations when they grow up. Or if it's okay for same-sex corporations to marry. Or if there are corporations of color.
Greg gives us more, including the scoop on what the legislation includes, here.
(CNN)– House Democratic leaders have killed a bill that would have given Washington, DC a voting representative in Congress because the measure included a provision that would have wiped out the District's strict gun laws.
Taxation with representation on the condition of lax gun laws? Not so much.
A close friend of TPC had a victory of his own. Our own Cliff Schecter (who founded this blog and happens to be my mentor), together with families of those massacred at Virginia Tech, played a roll in discouraging the D.C. powers from passing the bill.
Background on the shooting:
The Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting that took place on Monday, April 16, 2007 on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. In two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, the perpetrator, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people and wounded many others[1] before committing suicide. The massacre is the deadliest peacetime shooting incident by a single gunman in United States history, on or off a school campus.[2] [...]
It sparked intense debate about gun violence, gun laws, gaps in the U.S. system for treating mental health issues, the perpetrator's state of mind, the responsibility of college administrations,[5] privacy laws, journalism ethics, and other issues. [...] The massacre prompted the state of Virginia to close legal loopholes that had previously allowed Cho, an individual adjudicated as mentally unsound, to purchase handguns without detection by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). It also led to passage of the first major federal gun control measure in more than 13 years.
Now for the inevitable Big H: However...
Jim Webb was "outed", if you will, by these very same Virginia Tech families. He made a promise to them that he has broken; at least that's sure how they are feeling. And he's not exactly denying it.
Webb told the family members he was for closing the gun show loophole. He has yet to do that after 10 months.
The 3rd anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre just passed.
The 11th anniversary of Columbine is also upon us.
Here is Webb's strong private statement to the Virginia Tech Families:
Will Jenkins, a spokesman for Webb, has sent the following statement. It does not directly address whether Webb supports closing the gun-show loophole: "Senator Webb is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. He also believes that appropriate laws and procedures should be kept in place to ensure that guns should be kept out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill. He will continue to work with his colleagues in the Senate toward both ends," Jenkins wrote. [...]
Kevin Hall, a spokesman for Warner, has responded as well. Like Jenkins, he did not directly address the gun show issue. "Senator Warner has a record of supporting Second Amendment rights and he will weigh any future proposals that come before the full Senate. He also will continue to work for full funding to make sure the National Instant Criminal Background Check System is complete and up-to-date - improvements that were mandated by Congress following the 2007 Virginia Tech tragedy," he wrote in a statement.
As a result, ads have been launched in several states, taking aim (no pun) at Jim Webb and Mark Warner. Here is one:
Credit goes to Cliff Schecter, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV), and a big hat tip to Virginians for Public Safety and Mayors Against Illegal Guns, for their efforts.
Cliff and CSGV produced this video. It made a difference:
Thank you, Cliff and Virginia Tech relatives for your push to get a bad law dumped. You showed Congress what it could look like if some very unstable people with extreme views were allowed to carry assault weapons openly in the streets.
Here is the website gun show loophole petition and a press release. Please go sign, I did.
By GottaLaff Why should today be any different? The Party of No is, if nothing else, consistent. And they're also nothing else. Nothing at all. Zero:
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced after meeting with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner Monday that she will vote to filibuster a Democratic Wall Street reform bill.
Attagirl, you show those Dems. Whenever they start calling you "moderate" or "reasonable", you get out there and show 'em who's boss.
"I don't think we can address these concerns in three days but I see no reason why we could not negotiate a bill in the next three or four weeks."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) worked to keep his party unified against the bill, which Democrats are pushing to pass.
All 41 Senate Republicans signed a letter to Reid urging him to reopen bipartisan negotiations on the legislation.
And by bipartisan, they mean do it their way. Period.
The Senate passed an $18 billion bill on Thursday to restore unemployment benefits for people who have been out of a job for months and resume Medicare payments to doctors about to absorb a 21 percent cut.
The 59-38 vote sends the measure back to the House, which was expected to vote and send it for President Barack Obama's signature Thursday night.
The vote comes as welcome relief to hundreds of thousands of people who have been ineligible to reapply for additional weeks of benefits after exhausting their state-paid benefits. They will be able to receive those checks retroactively under the legislation.
You know, after all this time invested in these votes, all I can say is get it done.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – In a marathon Senate session that lasted into the wee hours of Thursday, Republicans kept their vow to use every parliamentary tool available to undermine the recently enacted health care reform law. In the end, they found violations in two provisions, forcing the bill back to the House for another vote.
The GOP launched its attempt to amend or kill legislation expanding the new law in a Senate session that finally adjourned at 2:45 a.m. Thursday. The Senate plans to reconvene at 9:45 a.m. to consider other GOP amendments, which also are designed to force Democrats to cast unpopular votes in the runup to this November's midterm elections.
Senate Democrats easily defeated the first of 29 amendments introduced by Republicans, which challenged provisions in the bill such as those involving changes to Medicare funding. Also defeated were attempts to send the measure to committee for reconsideration - which would effectively kill it - and other amendments intended to strip provisions from the bill.
But after hours, the Republicans found two minor provisions related to higher education that violate Senate procedure. These provisions have to be removed from bill, and then it has to be voted on by the House again, said Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
"I'm confident that the House will be able to deal with this quickly," Manley said.
President Obama and Democrats in Congress "have ignored the will of the people and have chosen to ram through their trillion-dollar health care bill despite the American people's overwhelming objection to it," Bachmann said in a written statement. [...]
"[T]he American people won't ever forget the irresponsible actions of this Administration and Democratic Majority."
Let's take this carelessly worded statement one faulty declaration at a time:
--"Ignored the will of the people" says she. Oh really? Would that be the same landslide of people who elected those very representatives, because they promised health care reform? I thought so.
-- "Trillion-dollar health care bill", says she. What the...? She's right! Just ask Ezra Klein:
In the second 10 years -- so, 2020 to 2029 -- it will reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion.
-- "Overwhelming objection to it", says she. Absolutely correct, as long as-- surprise!-- she ignores the American people who say the bill didn't go far enough, or who are actually familiar with the components of the bill itself. Then there's all kinds of support. Imagine that.
-- "The American people won't ever forget the irresponsible actions", says she. Right again! They won't ever forget the irresponsible actions of-- ta da!-- the GOP and the Tea Baggers. Maybe a better word would be "reprehensible" actions. Between the vitriol, the bigotry, racial slurs, and obstruction, the American people have a whole lot of nasty stuff stored in their memory banks.
Michele, allow us to introduce you to Facts. Facts, meet Michele. Now why don't the two of you go somewhere private and get to know each other.
President's overseas travel plans are delayed until June as Congress considers final passage of health-care bill. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama wanted to be in Washington for the conclusion of the health-care debate.
"Some" have called Michelle Bachmann bats*** crazy. In fact, a lot of "somes", including yours truly. But "some" have never done that on national Tee Vee while holding office. That would be, you know, irresponsible.
Bachmann has absolutely no idea what she is talking about. None. "We kill [the bill] because we are free." What does that even mean?
And why is she allowed to speak?
“Obama…Pelosi…Reid…They don’t represent us…right now.” Because there was no election in 2008, or because elections do not have consequences? [...]
The Constitution does, in fact, allow Congress to levy taxes (“mandate”) and appoint enforcement officers (IRS), and such laws are, in fact, binding.
Will someone tell me why the Rushpublics are so obsessed with the number of pages in this or any bill?
And once and for all, I wish they'd leave gratuitous references to god, our veterans, and "indentured servants" out of this... and everything else they muck up.
Seriously, they sound like lunatics. It's embarrassing. People are watching.
Alan Grayson has been criticized for being a little over the top, but even so, I find him to be a breath of fresh air. Especially because it's not just hot air. He follows through.
Representative Alan Grayson has introduced a four-page bill that would allow all Americans under the age of 65 purchase Medicare for a fee. [...]
The bill currently has ten co-sponsors. Notably, I have learned that these co-sponsors were gathered in only 15 minutes, making one co-sponsor for every 90 seconds of effort. [...]
The Medicare buy-in proposal has, it would appear, significantly more support than a new, stand along public option. [...]
House Republicans charged Democrats with trying to sneak a provision into the intelligence authorization bill that would establish criminal punishment for CIA agents and other intelligence officials who engage in “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment” during interrogations.
Seriously, who would object to that? Wait, don't tell me. Rhymes with Shmepublicans?
Damn those ethical types who refuse to allow interrogators to murder, destroy lives, inflict pain, and damage psyches!
The provision, previously not vetted in committee, applied to “any officer or employee of the intelligence community” who during interrogations engages in beatings, infliction of pain or forced sexual acts. The bill said the acts covered by the provision would include inducing hypothermia, conducting mock executions or “depriving the [detainee] of necessary food, water, sleep, or medical care.”
The language gave Congress the discretion to determine what the terms mean, and it would have imposed punishments of up to 15 years in prison, and in some cases, life sentences if a detainee died as a result of the interrogation.
Republicans criticized the language and the way it was introduced.
I find it so amusing that, when the Rushpublics are in power, procedural tricks, sneaky late night changes, and secret meetings are perfectly acceptable.
If the Dems try to throw something into a bill, fugettaboutit:
“I’m hearing from Republicans that we are somehow sacrificing our national security” through this bill, said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). She said the language underscores existing law and enhances national security.
Because Reyes included it in his manager's amendment, Republicans were not able to try to strike it from the bill before passage. The only recourse they had was to try to excise it during the House-Senate conference. The Senate version does not contain similar language.
By GottaLaff For months, we've been hearing the Rushpublics whine and cry about the size of the Democratic health care bill. It's too big, it's too small, it's too heavy, it's too light, it's too thick, it's to thin...
Well said, Charlie Rangel:
"I don't think someone in an emergency room is concerned with the size of a bill."
(Edgar Rios, left, and Marcos Gonzalez rally against the Arizona immigration bill before it was signed into law Friday.The Associated Press. Via)
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