Hill Republicans dodge on Arizona law

[Twoller]

Odd isn't it? Not once is the name "McCain" mentioned.

[Jeanfromfillmore]

Senators nix Reid's plan to roll out immigration bill
By: Susan Ferrechio


Politically embattled Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid may want to bring an immigration reform bill to the floor to invigorate the Democratic base in his home state of Nevada, but the rest of the Senate is far less enthusiastic.
Democrats, who control 59 votes, need at least one Republican to bring an immigration reform bill to the Senate floor. One of their biggest hopes for that bipartisan deal made it very clear he wants no part of a bill this year.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who was to co-author a bipartisan immigration reform bill along with Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said the Senate should not take up a bill until the borders are first secured.
Graham, who spoke at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Homeland Security Department, told Secretary Janet Napolitano that any attempt to pass reform this year would "crash and burn" and be "absolutely devastating" to future attempts at a bipartisan compromise.
President Obama and Democratic leaders in recent days have revived the idea of taking up a comprehensive immigration bill, prompted in part by their opposition to Arizona's new law aimed at curbing illegal immigration.
Democrats, especially Reid, also want to energize Hispanic voters, who make up a growing percentage of the electorate, particularly in Nevada. Reid said Tuesday he is "committed" to taking up a bill this year, adding, "Others may have given up on immigration reform; I haven't."
But an informal poll of Democratic senators shows there is little appetite for taking up such a bill, especially with the election season approaching and several Democratic seats in peril.
"I think generally, it's a very difficult time to do it," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
Feinstein pointed out that even if the political will exists, there may not be enough time on the Senate calendar, given the need to hold votes on a new Supreme Court justice and a nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia.
Senate Democrats are also planning an attempt to take up a major energy and global warming bill, which Reid said would come before an immigration bill.
"Most of us feel like the climate change issue is ready to go, and we'd like to see a full debate on it," said Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md.
Schumer, the immigration bill's lead sponsor, had little to say about progress on a bill, other than, "We're trying."
Most Republicans and even some moderate Democrats, including Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., are calling for border security problems to be addressed first before taking up a comprehensive reform bill, citing the escalating drug war on the U.S.-Mexican border.
"It won't pass," said Republican Minority Whip Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. "It will just poison the well, and that's not good for legislation next year."

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/po...#ixzz0mM0WxMnz

[Don]

Our great Republicans are sitting on the fence waiting to see which way the wind blows.

RINO Michael Medved steered clear of the AZ law today. Seems like he doesn't want to go there. Maybe his listeners emailed him and told him he's on the wrong side of this one. I sensed a certain anxiety in his show today.

RINO Hugh Hewitt commented briefly on the AZ law and acknowledged, sourly, that it is not unconstitituional on its face and that its consitutionality will be in the application. He had on the usual GOP milk sops who said it was a bad bill for the Republican Party. (The same Republican Party that gave us McCain, Bush Jr. and Schwarzenneger).

Hewitt is a globalist quisling who has mocked, ridiculed and condemed nationalists who have fought to defend our borders and he is obviously very scared of this bill. It's obvious that the GOP elite is also scared to death of it, but is that elite more scared of the illegal aliens or of the GOP grass roots who clarely support this bill. One thing I notice: The further down the GOP foodchain you go, the closer to the people, the more support for the AZ bill. The grass roots citizens have really dragged the elites by their tails on this one. A good sign.

[Ayatollahgondola]

Originally Posted by Don

One thing I notice: The further down the GOP foodchain you go, the closer to the people, the more support for the AZ bill. The grass roots citizens have really dragged the elites by their tails on this one. A good sign.

I think it could be said that, the more people a politician represents, the less they represent them.

If that hasn't been said before, consider it an official Ayatollah quote. If it has been said before, consider it an official Ayatollah plagerism

[Jeanfromfillmore]

Menendez: Graham has McCain in mind
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) is questioning whether Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) had other motivations for attempting to push off final action on an immigration bill until after the November elections.
Menendez, the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told POLITICO that Graham may be worried about his close pal Sen. John McCain. The Arizona Republican faces a tough primary challenge from conservative former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, who has pilloried McCain's previous stance supporting a comprehensive immigration bill that included a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
Now, Menendez said, Graham may be attempting to shield McCain from political blowback on the divisive issue.
"Clearly John McCain is in a huge fight," Menendez said in an interview. "He has done a 360-degree turn on immigration – he’s getting a challenge from the hard right, I’m sure the last thing any friend of John McCain wants to see is to see is immigration come for debate."
Graham, who has been trying to strike a deal on the issue with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), denied he had any motivation other than seeing Congress eventually pass an immigration bill, which he said could not occur in the fiercely polarized 111th Congress.
"I’m not giving the Democrats cover, I’m not giving Republicans cover, I’m trying to protect an issue I care about," said Graham, who spurred a controversy over the weekend when he insisted that Democrats shelve plans on a comprehensive immigration bill this year in favor of a climate change bill.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories...#ixzz0mOCV9E00