2012 Democrats stand by the DREAM Act

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/54833.html


Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has gone to great lengths this year to help vulnerable 2012 Democrats avoid taking tough votes, packing the calendar with non-controversial bills and letting debate on them drag on.

But this week, Reid flipped his do-nothing strategy on its head, re-introducing a polarizing immigration bill — the DREAM Act — that failed in December when his majority was more robust.

It seems like the very thing that would send nervous Democrats running for the hills. But they’re not.

The bill, which offers a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who arrived as children, hasn’t lost support among Democrats even as they ease into campaign mode. The same Democrats scrambling to show off their moderate or conservative-leaning credentials are still standing by the legislation.

The 14 Democrats up for reelection in 2012 who voted for the measure in December say their support hasn’t wavered. That includes Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), who were among 32 co-sponsors of the new bill Reid rolled out Wednesday.

Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.), who are not co-sponsors, voted for it in December and still back it today, their aides said.

Even first-term Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who has distanced herself from President Barack Obama on spending ahead of a tough reelection in her battleground state, isn’t running from her previous support for the DREAM Act.

“I voted for it in December and assuming it is the same language, I would vote for it again,” McCaskill told POLITICO on Wednesday. Her support for the legislation is based on her “faith,” she says, paraphrasing a verse from the New Testament: “The sins of the fathers should not be put on their children.”

When asked to weigh in about the latest iteration of the DREAM Act, Bill Nelson didn’t flinch. “I’m a co-sponsor,” he said.

Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) still oppose the bill. And the only unknown among the 16 Democrats seeking another term is freshman Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who missed the December vote because he was attending a family Christmas party. Manchin spokeswoman Emily Bittner said the former West Virginia governor is still studying the latest version of the legislation, looking for any changes.

“As he made clear last Congress, one of his major concerns with the DREAM Act was that the legislation did not require the completion of a college degree,” Bittner wrote in an e-mail. “Overall, the Senator believes, as most Americans do, that our immigration system is broken and must be fixed. His sincere hope is that we can find responsible and commonsense ways to address this issue.”

Even if vulnerable Democrats tried to back peddle on the bill now, they are already on record supporting nearly identical legislation. Republicans have already hung the vote around their necks saying the bill provides amnesty for lawbreakers.

“You can’t un-ring a bell,” said Angela Kelley, the top immigration advocate at the liberal Center for American Progress.

Still, that hasn’t stopped one Republican from trying. Fending off a tea-party challenge from the right, Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar, a longtime DREAM Act co-sponsor who voted for the bill last winter, says he now doesn’t support it. That’s left Democrats without a GOP partner.


Lugar, who was first elected to the Senate in 1974, blames President Barack Obama’s immigration speech Wednesday in El Paso, Texas.

“I think it’s unfortunate that President Obama gave what turned out to be, I believe, a very partisan speech on immigration. …” Lugar told POLITICO.

“I think President Obama has decided to make it a campaign issue and not a piece of legislation,” he added. “I think it’s killed off any possibility of immigration legislation this year because it will require both parties, and that’s not going to be available given the vibe that came from [Tuesday’s] speech.”

For pro-immigration activists, Lugar’s flip-flop is unforgivable.

“It’s disappointing that Dick Lugar, a defender of the DREAM Act and someone who’s been creative in finding smart solutions, wouldn’t be a co-sponsor on this bill,” Kelley said. “His record on this is done in Sharpie, not in pencil. If he’s trying to erase it, I’m not sure he’ll be successful.”

Speaking to supporters near the border in El Paso, Obama renewed his push for comprehensive immigration reform and chided Republicans for filibustering the DREAM Act in the lame-duck session.

“It was a tremendous disappointment to get so close and then see politics get in the way,” Obama said.

On a 55-41 vote, the Senate fell five votes short of overcoming the GOP filibuster. Five Democrats split from their party and voted no; Lugar and two other Republicans voted yes.

After Republicans took control of the House and picked up six Senate seats last fall, the DREAM Act faces almost no chance of passing either chamber in the next two years. Republicans have consistently dismissed Democrats’ push for the DREAM Act as little more as pandering to the party’s Hispanic base.

“It’s all a political exercise,” said Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, a Republican from the border state of Arizona.

“I don’t know why anyone would expect a different result,” added Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), a vocal critic of the DREAM Act. “I assume it’s all politics.”

At a Capitol Hill news conference Wednesday, Reid gave no time line for when he plans to bring the DREAM Act to the floor, nor did he really outline a strategy for getting to the magical number of 60 votes. In what amounts to a legislative Hail Mary, Reid said he hopes Republicans who have backed the legislation in the past will get behind this latest effort.

“I am someone who maintains the faith,” Reid said.

To be eligible under the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, applicants must have come to the country before age 15; have lived in the U.S. for at least five years; have obtained a high school degree or GED equivalent; and have attended college or serve in the military for at least two years.

“This is not just a piece of legislation. This is a matter of justice,” said Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the chief sponsor of the bill. “The fundamental premise of the DREAM Act is that you should not punish children for the actions of their parents.

Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) are going to block this thing again fucking ass holes .

Here is the basic info of the bill and its introduction. The text has not yet been received from the Government Printing Office.


S.952
Latest Title: A bill to authorize the cancellation of removal and adjustment of status of certain alien students who are long-term United States residents and who entered the United States as children and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] (introduced 5/11/2011) Cosponsors (32)
Latest Major Action: 5/11/2011 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

MEMBERS OF THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy [D-VT]
Ranking Member Sen. Charles Grassley [R-IA)
Sen. Richard Blumenthal [D-CT
]Sen. Thomas Coburn [R-OK]
Sen. Chris Coons [D-DE]
Sen. John Cornyn [R-TX]
Sen. Richard Durbin [D-IL]
Sen. Dianne Feinstein [D-CA]
Sen. Al Franken [D-MN]
Sen. Lindsey Graham [R-SC]
Sen. Orrin Hatch [R-UT]
Sen. Amy Klobuchar [D-MN]
Sen. Herbert Kohl [D-WI
]Sen. Jon Kyl [R-AZ)
Sen. Mike Lee [R-UT]
Sen. Charles Schumer [D-NY]
Jefferson Sessions [R-AL]
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse [D-RI]

our old fucking pal Jeff sessions....

[quote=Alex QA;216832] MEMBERS OF THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy [D-VT]
Ranking Member Sen. Charles Grassley [R-IA)
Sen. Richard Blumenthal [D-CT
]Sen. Thomas Coburn [R-OK]
Sen. Chris Coons [D-DE]
Sen. John Cornyn [R-TX]
Sen. Richard Durbin [D-IL]
Sen. Dianne Feinstein [D-CA]
Sen. Al Franken [D-MN]
Sen. Lindsey Graham [R-SC]
Sen. Orrin Hatch [R-UT]
Sen. Amy Klobuchar [D-MN]
Sen. Herbert Kohl [D-WI
]Sen. Jon Kyl [R-AZ)
Sen. Mike Lee [R-UT]
Sen. Charles Schumer [D-NY]
Jefferson Sessions [R-AL]
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse [D-RI]

our old fucking pal Jeff sessions

Senator Smeagel.

After the whole Osama scandal... I think Obama will get more support than last time. However, its too late to pass Dream Act. He could've done it before, him trying just makes it obvious that he just wants your shoulder to cry on!