Immigration Redux:Graham should be given prominent role in debate

http://www.thesunnews.com/opinion/story/947660.html


Obama would be a fool not to include McCain and Graham in this meeting.

screw McCain..

Thank You Lindsey Graham for bringing the issue up he could be the key this year to win comprehensive immigration... Graham cares more about immigration than the democrats do rite now! can a guy from Carolina swing this bill our way, hope so.

Its funny how Lindsey Graham is more concerned with immigration reform than the Democrats do! I believe Graham is a strong yea if McCain is a yea only reason is because they are very good friends who campaigned together and Graham did vote for the dream act cloture vote. My vote tally says we have a solid 63 or 64 votes for the dream act. Anyhow, since the democrats attached it with CIR which i feel is huge mistake my tally sees it about 57 or 58 votes short by a few votes. Since when did Harry Reid care about immigration reform when it was known last year that he had enough votes to pass it and didnt pull it off. Let me guess? The Latino vote is very important for him this year since he is up for reelection next year what a piece of crap, am i the only one seeing this sneaky bastard who is trying to show that is he is very concerned about CIR this year? To be honest with you guys with the exceptions of Durbin, Kennedy and a few others i don't trust the democrats i actually trust the GOP more in the matter cause at least they seem to show that they care guys like Cornyn, Kyle, and even that shit head sessions. Anyhow if we democrats can attach stuff like border security and a few other bills they want, we might able make something out of nothing. For me anything is better than nothing.

Graham voted No on the Dream Act cloture vote and McCain skipped the vote. And I don't know where you got the idea that Sessions cares about immigration.

Graham's support for immigration reform is certainly welcome, but he must understand that any new CIR will not resemble CIR 2007. The family focused immigration system must stay intact and should not be scrapped for a points based employment system and it won't.

2007
Nay
S.2205 - DREAM Act of 2007 - Cloture Vote
Nay
S.1348 - Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 - Cloture Vote
Yea
S.1639 - DREAM Act of 2007 - Cloture Vote
2006
Cosponsor
S.2611 - Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006
Nay
S.2454 - Securing America's Borders Act - Cloture Vote

Graham did vote Yea in the 2007 Dream Act Cloture vote and has been quite in the middle CIR last year he voted no because he did not have the backing of McCain who did not vote fot the bill. However, his record on this forum and some past data suggest that he is willing to work with CIR... He was also a Cosponsor in 2006 he should be one of our major targets. Sessions should be taken seriously since he is a big part of judiciary committee now and for CIR we must be willing to give in something if not don't expect anything anytime soon. Border Security, Crack down on employment, must be a part of any CIR bill in order to pass any immigration bill. Its time we start thinking realistically.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/art...migration.html

"Critics of the Senate's work say the plans in the current bill would constitute another amnesty.

But Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., strongly disagreed.

"What is amnesty? It's what you want it to be," said Graham, who pointed to the many requirements illegal immigrants would have to meet before getting green cards.

Early in the day committee Chairman Arlen Specter offered what he said was a compromise between the McCain-Kennedy legislation and a bill authored by Kyl and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

en. Barbara Boxer, who has supported an agriculture guest-worker bill, issued a statement after the vote.

"I commend the Judiciary Committee for working in a truly bipartisan way to fashion a bill which improves border security, meets the needs of our employers, and respects hardworking immigrants, without whom our economy would suffer," said Boxer, D-Calif."

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/s...gration-debate

Lindsey Graham on Immigration
http://www.ontheissues.org/Internati...mmigration.htm

* Voted NO on continuing federal funds for declared "sanctuary cities". (Mar 2008 )
* Voted YES on comprehensive immigration reform. (Jun 2007)
* Voted YES on declaring English as the official language of the US government. (Jun 2007)
* Voted NO on eliminating the "Y" nonimmigrant guestworker program. (May 2007)
* Voted YES on building a fence along the Mexican border. (Sep 2006)
* Voted YES on establishing a Guest Worker program. (May 2006)
* Voted YES on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security. (May 2006)
* Voted YES on extending Immigrant Residency rules. (May 2001)
* Voted YES on more immigrant visas for skilled workers. (Sep 1998 )
* Sponsored comprehensive immigration reform, without amnesty. (May 2005)
* Rated 27% by USBC, indicating an open-border stance. (Dec 2006)
* Declared English the official language of the US. (Jan 1999)

What are you talking about? Graham voted no on the Dream Act cloture vote. S.1639 is the CIR bill. The Dream Act tally is screwed up on that end, and we have yet to fix it.

EDIT: If you still don't believe me, here's the S.1639 cloture vote i.e. the cloture vote on the second CIR bill.

i don't know where you are getting your information from but you have it all wrong. Graham voted against the dream act when it came up as a stand alone in 2007. I don't know why you think sessions should be taken seriously because he is NEVER going to support ANY plan that gives even one illegal immigrant a path to citizenship. All the past CIR have included border security, cracking down on employers who hire illegal immigrants but Sessions and company have still opposed it. What makes you think all of a sudden they are going to come around?

He voted yea!

Alphabetical by Senator Name
Akaka (D-HI), Yea
Alexander (R-TN), Nay
Allard (R-CO), Nay
Barrasso (R-WY), Nay
Baucus (D-MT), Nay
Bayh (D-IN), Nay
Bennett (R-UT), Yea
Biden (D-DE), Yea
Bingaman (D-NM), Nay
Bond (R-MO), Nay
Boxer (D-CA), Yea
Brown (D-OH), Nay
Brownback (R-KS), Nay
Bunning (R-KY), Nay
Burr (R-NC), Nay
Byrd (D-WV), Nay
Cantwell (D-WA), Yea
Cardin (D-MD), Yea
Carper (D-DE), Yea
Casey (D-PA), Yea
Chambliss (R-GA), Nay
Clinton (D-NY), Yea
Coburn (R-OK), Nay
Cochran (R-MS), Nay
Coleman (R-MN), Nay
Collins (R-ME), Nay
Conrad (D-ND), Yea
Corker (R-TN), Nay
Cornyn (R-TX), Nay
Craig (R-ID), Yea
Crapo (R-ID), Nay
DeMint (R-SC), Nay
Dodd (D-CT), Yea
Dole (R-NC), Nay
Domenici (R-NM), Nay
Dorgan (D-ND), Nay
Durbin (D-IL), Yea
Ensign (R-NV), Nay
Enzi (R-WY), Nay
Feingold (D-WI), Yea
Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Graham (R-SC), Yea
Grassley (R-IA), Nay
Gregg (R-NH), Yea
Hagel (R-NE), Yea
Harkin (D-IA), Nay
Hatch (R-UT), Nay
Hutchison (R-TX), Nay
Inhofe (R-OK), Nay
Inouye (D-HI), Yea
Isakson (R-GA), Nay
Johnson (D-SD), Not Voting
Kennedy (D-MA), Yea
Kerry (D-MA), Yea
Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea
Kohl (D-WI), Yea
Kyl (R-AZ), Yea
Landrieu (D-LA), Nay
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea
Leahy (D-VT), Yea
Levin (D-MI), Yea
Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea
Lincoln (D-AR), Yea
Lott (R-MS), Yea
Lugar (R-IN), Yea
Martinez (R-FL), Yea
McCain (R-AZ), Yea
McCaskill (D-MO), Nay
McConnell (R-KY), Nay
Menendez (D-NJ), Yea
Mikulski (D-MD), Yea
Murkowski (R-AK), Nay
Murray (D-WA), Yea
Nelson (D-FL), Yea
Nelson (D-NE), Nay
Obama (D-IL), Yea
Pryor (D-AR), Nay
Reed (D-RI), Yea
Reid (D-NV), Yea
Roberts (R-KS), Nay
Rockefeller (D-WV), Nay
Salazar (D-CO), Yea
Sanders (I-VT), Nay
Schumer (D-NY), Yea
Sessions (R-AL), Nay
Shelby (R-AL), Nay
Smith (R-OR), Nay
Snowe (R-ME), Yea
Specter (R-PA), Yea
Stabenow (D-MI), Nay
Stevens (R-AK), Nay
Sununu (R-NH), Nay
Tester (D-MT), Nay
Thune (R-SD), Nay
Vitter (R-LA), Nay
Voinovich (R-OH), Nay
Warner (R-VA), Nay
Webb (D-VA), Nay
Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea
Wyden (D-OR), Yea

Yeah, but it's not the Dream Act cloture vote. It was for the CIR cloture vote. Please stop acting so childish.

YEA, that is CIR, because Dream Act only voted on Oct 2007. that was only once since 2001