Pivotal Vote on Immigration
Written by Sam on June 26th, 2007President Bush encouraged the Senate on Tuesday to put aside bitter differences and pass a bill that would legalize millions of illegal immigrants.
Bush appeared optimistic about winning a test vote Tuesday and the Senate’s passage of the bill by week’s end.
“We’ll be moving our attention to the House after the Senate passes this comprehensive piece of legislation,” Bush told business leaders and representatives of religious, Hispanic and agricultural communities. “I think this is an historic opportunity for Congress to act.”
Joel Kaplan, Bush’s deputy chief of staff, also was optimistic. “Our intelligence suggests that there will be the votes there,” he said.
Conservative critics who paint the measure as amnesty for lawbreakers, however, said their efforts to stop the legislation were gaining momentum. Bush’s team is predicting victory Tuesday on the effort to allow the bill - among the president’s top domestic priorities - to go forward.
With GOP conservatives determined to block the legislation, backers need 60 votes to clear procedural hurdles and resurrect it Tuesday. Just 45 senators - only seven of them Republicans - supported such a move two weeks ago.
It sounds as if this cloture vote might happen today. I honestly don’t know what is going to happen, if cloture passes or not, but we need to make efforts now more than ever to block it. I have already contacted my Senators. I made it clear to Lindsey Graham that he has already lost my vote for re-election and I thanked Jim DeMint for doing what is right and standing against this travesty.
Keep up the pressure on your Senators as well. Make it clear that those who support amnesty do not support their constituents. Also, if you have a Senator who is fighting this bill, be sure to thank them.