by Frank James
As expected, the Senate immigration debate this morning has been passionate, with senators' voices raised on both sides of issue.
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) accused the opponents of cynicism because of the way they've used Senate procedure to kill the bill.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) paced the floor as he said that the 12 million illegal immigrants aren't going to disappear and as he urged his fellow senators to vote for continuing the immigration-bill debate and to spend less time worrying about their personal political futures.
Meanwhile, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), a caustic opponent of the legislation, lashed out at the "masters of the universe" (the bill's supporters in the Senate) who only gave critics 10 minutes of debate time versus the 50 minutes supporters received.
Sessions minutes ago recently announced that the Senate's sergeant-at-arms has announced that the Senate's phone lines are down because of all the phone calls coming in.
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) is channeling Martin Luther King Jr. in shouting "now is the time" again and again in saying that the Senate should vote this morning to continue the debate, not end it.
Meanwhile, weighing over the debate is the darkside of American life. As reported by Jeff Zeleny, our former Tribune colleague who writes now for the New York Times, a number of senators have received ominous threats, death threats apparently, from those opposed to the legislation.
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Comments
Why is President Bush forcing this legislation on the American people?
Posted by: Doug Zook | June 28, 2007 11:17 AM
Apparently the Republican Senators don't like being on the recieving end of the results of the hate filled right wing talk radio machine. Fancy that.
Maybe something good will come out of this affair. Perhaps the Republicans will be a bit more selective in the company they keep. Maybe they will start to see folks like Rush for the demagogues they are.
Posted by: Tony | June 28, 2007 11:44 AM
We melted down the phone lines in order to tell the senate NO to back room deals, NO to secret drafting sessions, NO to the "masters of the universe" who tried to limit debate and amendments on this bill, NO to rushing and ramming through complex legislation without the usual hearings--or even a completed text of the bill, NO to amnesty, NO to promises-but-no-enforcement on border security, and YES to border security.
GOP rank and file defy both the president and their senate party leadership, and persuade senators to mutiny. A great story. Too bad the Swamp didn't cover it.
Posted by: Bruce | June 28, 2007 11:48 AM
50 minutes versus 10 minutes? The senate is as balanced as the "Swamp".
Posted by: Bruce | June 28, 2007 11:50 AM
"...a number of senators have received ominous threats, death threats apparently, from those opposed to the legislation."
The Republic politics of fear and intimidation rears its ugly head once again. Shouldn't these scumbags be prosecuted for threatening to commit acts terrorism-the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes? Unless they have Muslim sounding names, I doubt it? Thank you Bush Administration Homeland Security!
Posted by: jethro | June 28, 2007 12:24 PM
So that is where Jeff Zany Zeleny went to, the New York Lying Times!!!! He goes from a far left newspaper to an even farther-to-the-left newspaper!
But, the big question is: Is Jeff allowed to keep writing more love letters to Barack Obama like he did at the Trib or is the NY Lying Times strictly behind the Queen B??
Posted by: John D | June 28, 2007 3:17 PM
Bruce,
Isn't this a bill supported by your President, you know, like the ones a Republican congress used to rubber-stamp? Where was your indignation when Tom Delay and Republicans used procedural tricks to lock Dems out of the process? How soon we forget:
http://www.citizen.org/documents/Fact%20Sheet-Cleaning%20Up%20the%20House.pdf
John D.,
Please list those objective sources where we can find the "real Truth". I'm really sick of reading all those lies in the Post and Times, you know, like their claims of no WMD's, Iraqi's not "stepping up while we step down, no end to the violence and death in Mesopotamia. Where's the news that is "fit to print"?
Posted by: dt | June 28, 2007 4:34 PM
"50 minutes versus 10 minutes? The senate is as balanced as the "Swamp".
Posted by: Bruce | June 28, 2007 11:50 AM "
Bruce - how much "balance" did the Republican dominated Congress show in the past 10 years? How many times were Democrats prevented from even speaking about a bill pending on the House or Senate floor?
Posted by: BC | June 29, 2007 10:37 AM