Lindsey Graham, trying very hard to sell the immigration deal to fellow Republicans, put out this release yesterday afternoon.
If he had wanted to put it more succinctly, he could have said, "Bill O’Reilly says it should pass, and The New York Times says it shouldn’t. What more do you people want?"
What is being said about
the Immigration Reform Bill
May 21, 2007
· Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard
“In 2006, with Republicans in control of the Senate, an immigration bill that was anathema to most Republicans passed the Senate by a filibuster-proof margin. Now, oddly enough, with Democrats in charge, the Senate is likely to approve an immigration bill — call it Kyl-Kennedy — that from a Republican perspective represents a major improvement over the earlier bill in almost every conceivable way.”· Fox News Channel Bill O’Reilly on the Compromise Legislation
“The bottom line here is that if the bill doesn’t pass, another ten million illegal aliens are going to come here in the next five years anyway. So the chaos we have now will double. The new immigration bill is unfair to those who’ve obeyed the rules. It is dangerous if not tightly controlled. And it is definitely amnesty. But if the bill does not pass, things will get even worse in America.”· New York Times Opposes the Immigration Compromise
“It is the nation’s duty to welcome immigrants, to treat them decently and give them the opportunity to assimilate. But if it does so according to the outlines of the deal being debated this week, the change will come at too high a price: The radical repudiation of generations of immigration policy, the weakening of families and the creation of a system of modern peonage within our borders.”
· Michael Barone in National Review
“In his negotiations with Kennedy, Kyl has secured many provisions that make this bill more stringent than the one that passed the Senate last May by a vote of 62 to 36. That’s a significant accomplishment. Changing U.S. public policy is like steering a giant ship — it’s impossible to sharply reverse course, but you can change the direction in a way that will make a significant difference over time.”· Conservative Talk Radio Show Host Michael Medved
“Do we want to encourage illegals to try to rectify their status – to come out of the shadows, play by the rules, pay all taxes due, learn English, and assimilate into our society? Or do we only want them to disappear – nursing the delusional fantasy that some 12 million human beings will somehow uproot themselves (in many cases after years of US residency) and return to their impoverished homelands simply because we want them to do so? And speaking of rewarding good behavior, and punishing the bad: those courageous conservatives (Senators Kyl, Graham, Isakson and, yes, McCain) who have worked constructively and seriously on immigration reform deserve our support, not our rage, while those politicians and media figures who have demagogued this issue in a way that only makes it worse, in no way merit our encouragement.”
______________________________
Kevin D. Bishop
Communications Director
Related Posts
Wow! What a spin doctor! Now instead of spot picking the handful of media reps that agree with you, how about asking your constituents, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Terry Anderson, Michael Savage and countless others that feel this is a sellout? While Senator Graham struggles to defend his compromise position, our borders are wide open. National security should not be linked to any bribes or triggers but our borders secured the day after 9/11. We have offered him a solution despite his tin ear on this issue. It is called Attrition through enforcement. Not rounding up the masses but sending a loud leadership signal that we are a nation of laws, not a nation of clowns. This Senator will be out of office.
Why do we continue to fiddle while Rome burns?
This amnesty program is a shame. And Bill O’Reilly, whom I respect, should know of all folks that this is an example of “rewarding bad behavior.”
If you still don’t think this is an amnesty bill, perhaps Thomas Sowell’s column today could enlighten you.
I suspect Lindsey’s gonna need all $3.7 million of that cash to get re-elected.
To whom it may interest,
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Lindsay Graham is a credit to SC. Have you ever seen him on C-Span? He’s organized, polite, and effective. He’s conservative, progressive, and pragmatic. He knows how to stick with his principles, and he knows how to get things done. I normally vote for Democrats, and surely I disagree with many (most?) of the votes Lindsay Graham makes, but I still like him for his kindness and for his effectiveness. Just my opinion.
Regards,
Michael Rodgers
Columbia, SC
Fred Thompson predicts immigration reform bill will fail
CHICAGO – The immigration reform bill worked out late last week by Senate Republicans and Democrats likely will fail, former senator and possible presidential candidate Fred Thompson said here Sunday.
Thompson, speaking at the National Restaurant Association annual show, said the bill will not win the support of the American people because they don’t trust senators’ promises to block illegal immigrants from crossing the Mexican border into the U.S…….
Hmmm. Rush Limbaugh and Thomas Sewell. OK, just as long as it’s independent, unaligned, moderate voices, I’m sure they’re right.
But in what way is Rome burning? Perhaps the answer to that will help me to understand the emotional center of this issue, because it still escapes me why people get so worked up about it.
I eliminated a slur from Trajan’s last remark, by the way.
And Lex, Fred could be right that it will fail. He’s a smart guy. Of course, you don’t have to go out on a limb to make such a prediction. For several years now, the odds have been completely against any kind of agreement on immigration. If I were a senator, I don’t know if I would keep trying. There are bigger issues to spend one’s energies and political capital on.
You wanna know why it’s emotional? Try living along the US/Mexico border. It’ll become clear to you then.
Do you have signs on your public lands warning you that you are entering a dangerous place because of all the drug and human trafficing?
Has your property been destroyed?
Try knowing that border security is a joke, despite the best efforts of the rank and file BP agents – agents who get attacked not only by the illegal crossers, but by their own government.
Border Patrol statistics show that 1000’s of people from countries that either sponsor or harbor terrorists have crossed our border, and the BP catches maybe … MAYBE… 1/3 of the people crossing.
Try knowing that simulated WMDs have been brought across 3 times and not intercepted – to make a point that we have no border security.
Try living where the hospitals are struggling; limiting services, and even closing some units because illegal aliens don’t pay for their services.
Try watching a beautiful, fragile environment become trashed – absolutely trashed. Some of these areas will never recover – at least not in our lifetimes.
Try finding drugs and alcohol left by illegals near your children’s bus stops.
Try having people flip you the finger, call you racist, and try to physically intimidate you because you want a secure border.
Then try and imagine being with your hispanic friends while they are called names because they are with you, and they too, believe in a secure border…. or try listening to racists whites call them names. Yes, of course there are racists in this movement, and they disgust me.
The truth is, the vast majority of people (at least the ones I know) are Americans of every color, religion, and political stripe who are fed up.
Then try realizing that most of your elected officials could care less about you; that the smells of votes and money is what decides their votes.
Thompson already kissing up to the NRA I see…probably a great meal at that gig!
Trajan, what consequence should the illegals “hiding in the shadows” suffer? The sound bites like “rewarding illegal behavior” are grossly oversimplistic.
Dealing with MILLIONS of people who don’t want to be found is terribly complicated. Brad wrote long ago that even the Nazis could not round up all the Jews. Law enforcement can’t track down all the felons as it is let alone some illegal picking strawberries behind Lexington High School.
Dealing with these shadowy figures involves a stiff dose of reality that most are here to stay. The tough guy posturing helps win votes but doesn’t solve this problem.
Securing the border, punishing businesses that take on illegals, providing for more legal guest workers are steps more in line with reality.
Lord, Help us.
Used to be you only had to tell the good guys from the bad guys.
Now, you have to worry about those who can’t tell the difference.
If you can’t see that this bill is amnesty, then you’re dumber than a creek rock. Illegal aliens have BROKEN THE LAW. They, therefore should not be rewarded with legal status. When discovered (and that’s another issue) they should be deported.
“Oh, that’s not practical” you argue. Fine. I would point to 1986’s amnesty program as a large reason as to why we have 11-12 million illegals in this country now.
But until we get serious about protecting our borders, which we clearly aren’t, then we are just waiting on the next domestic attack. Thank God, Columbia’s status on the al-Qaeda target list probably isn’t that high. (I imagine that Fort Jackson keeps it from being non-existant.)
Just a matter of time. Sadly, many of you just don’t see it.
And Mr. Warthen, I’ve defended you many times on this blog.
You would do a service to all of us, and your employers, if you would take some time to read folks like Thomas Sowell, Wesley Pruden, and Victor Hansen once in a while, and leave Tom Teepin and Thomas Friedman on the copy desk.
Just because someone is of a conservative bent, (and shouldn’t we all be?) you simply dismiss them. Just because someone writes something you don’t like, doesn’t mean they’re wrong. That’s not the behavior of a subjective journalist is it?
Of course, keep those important reports on the battle flag and John McCain’s cursing coming.
Those reports really affect my livelihood and whether or not my grandchildren will have the freedom to speak English or whether they lose their heads.
The thing that aggravates me about this is similar to Trajans’ point, but different in one qualitative way. Not only does the proposed bill fail to prosecute criminals who enter the US illegally AND grant them amnesty, it puts them AHEAD of all of the good people who are waiting in line to enter this country legally. It must not be allowed to become law. And Lindsey Graham deserves to be fired for his role in supporting it. Ed
Traj, you’d better watch admitting that you read Sowell, Pruden and Hansen. I made the mistake of admitting that I read Drudge and TownHall and Ready to Hurl (by the way, I wonder if she really is? Also I wonder if she realizes she makes others feel that way too?) immediately engaged in ad hominem attacks. These people like neither truth no truth tellers. It scares them apparently. Ed
NOR truth tellers. Ed
You and Traj are peas in a pod, ed.
You didn’t have to admit to reading Drudge or Town Hall. You capably channel the biases, assumptions and non sequitar logic quite well.
BTW, I’ve replied to your last post on the Fred Thompson thread.
One thing that I forgot to include in that post: if I thought that Sen. Clinton had the best chance to win then I’d work for her enthusiastically– just to envision you getting nauseous every morning for eight years, again.
You see, I felt that way many times during the eight years of non-stop right wing lying about Pres. Clinton and the two terms of Bush’s subversion of the U.S. Constitution.