By Hugh Hewitt
Friday, May 18, 2007
Here's John McCain's decree, announced yesterday:
This is the first step. We can and must complete this legislation sooner rather than later. We all know that this issue can be caught up in extracurricular politics unless we move forward as quickly as possible. This is a product of a long hard trail of negotiation, and I am sure that there are certain provisions that each of us would not agree with, but this is what the legislative process is all about, this is what bipartisanship is all about when there is a requirement for this nation and its security that transcends party lines. I am proud to have been a small part of it.
Meet the new McCain, just like the old McCain. As with McCain-Feingold, the Gang of 14, McCain-Kennedy 1.0 and his duet with Lindsey Graham of last fall on the treatment and trial of terrorists bill, Senator McCain is back and doing his best impersonation of Al Haig.
But for some unknown reason, the GOP Senate leadership seems willing to allow the Arizona would-be president to take them all over the falls.
For all of those unfamiliar with McCain-speak, here's the translation of what McCain decreed:
Deal's done. I am the guy. I made it happen. My opinion mattered, not yours. What I do in the middle of a campaign for president has nothing to do with politics. My critics are all motivated by politics. Since I have already made up my mind, no debate is necessary, so shut up. Republicans especially shut up. This is how things get done in D.C.: You roll over for Democrats. And by the way, cutting half the fence and leaving the other half subject to the whims of the anti-border security bureaucracy equals protecting national security, just like the Gang of 14 was good for the confirmation process and McCain-Feingold good for the First Amendment. So, if you didn't hear me the first time: Shut up. Sit down. I'm your nominee.
The idea that a secret bill of huge importance and around which there is extraordinary public interest, and one not yet even fully drafted, could be introduced on Monday and through the Senate in less than two weeks is repugnant to the idea of representative democracy. No matter where one finds themselves on the spectrum of views regarding the amnesty-lite bill, the process this year has been behind closed doors and without any opportunity for the public to see, read, debate and inform their representatives of their views. Of all the mistakes made in this process, the attempt to pull a jam down is the worst as it involves not merely some bad decisions and a lousy bill, but a repulsive attitude of contempt towards the voters who elected the senators. Can you imagine an Oregon border security activist ever voting for Gordon Smith if he or she isn't even given the time of day by the senator? The same holds true for every other Republican up for re-election in 2008.
Senators aren't even willing to go home to face their constituents before passing this cave-in on to the House.
Senators may be counting on the year-and-a-half between now and the voting to dim the memory of the jam down. Perhaps that's what Mike DeWine was counting on when he signed on to John McCain's Gang of 14. I don't know what Mike DeWine is doing these days, but as anyone who followed Ohio politics last year, the Gang of 14 hadn't faded from a lot of conservative voter's minds when DeWine lost his re-election bid. "That was because of the war," will come the reply. Believe that if you want to, but the angry reaction to the Gang of 14 plagued DeWine throughout '06, just as the even greater anger about this jam down will plague John Sununu, Norm Coleman, and even the very safe Mitch McConnell as well as every other GOPer on the ballot..
Since McCain-Kennedy 2.0 is so warmly received by the Democrats, its memory will motivate and encourage their base. Every discussion of immigration throughout the next year-and-a-half will, for conservatives, remind them of the Senate Republicans' contempt for their views and of the half-fence and the social security benefits for years worked illegally in the country. No Republican candidate, not even the conservatives of long-standing with excellent records on border security, will be free of the label elitist because this jam down is so bald, the disregard for the base so completely on display.
I interviewed Jon Kyl and Duncan Hunter yesterday, the only two elected officials willing to come on the program to discuss the fiasco that is unfolding. Hunter is of course opposed, and Senator Kyl is asking people to wait until they see the bill before criticizing it. After the interview I thought of the obvious reply to that: Why wait to criticize that which hasn't been written when John McCain has not only embraced it but decreed that it will pass quickly before debate slows it down.
The attempt by John McCain to put a gag order on the GOP caucus and its base should be the first reason why Senate Republicans should reject this bill. The leadership obviously underestimated the impact this stunt and these provisions would have on their supporters, but now they have a fiasco on their hands and the only way to resurrect the situation is to have Senator McConnell declare that the GOP insists on being able to wait until the bill is fully available on line and for the senators to go home to gage reaction and get input before moving forward with a decision on whether to filibuster it or not.
At a minimum they must move to amend the bill to get all 854 miles of fence built which were authorized last year, and built before the first grant of amnesty occurs. The physical fence is the outward manifestation of an inward conviction to respect the will of the people. The rhetoric about virtual fence is understood --rightly or wrongly but with certainty-- to be a ruse, a suspicion greatly increased by the attempt to run this jam down of an unwritten bill. Other, only slightly less compelling priorities include the refusal to subsidize the years spent working illegally in this country via a grant of Social Security benefits for those periods, and the publication of the employer sanctions proposed. That we cannot evaluate these provisions because they aren't decided upon underscores the nature of McCain's contempt for the voters.
Here is all the contact information for the Republican Senators. Call and e-mail each and demand the right to at least read the bill before the cave-in occurs.
Alexander, Lamar- (TN) (202) 224-4944
alexander.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Allard, Wayne- (CO) (202) 224-5941
allard.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Bennett, Robert F.- (R - UT) (202) 224-5444
bennett.senate.gov/contact/emailmain.html
Bond, Christopher S.- (MO) (202) 224-5721
bond.senate.gov/contact/contactme.cfm
Brownback, Sam- (KS) (202) 224-6521
brownback.senate.gov/CMEmailMe.cfm
Bunning, Jim- (KY) (202) 224-4343
bunning.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Email
Burr, Richard- (NC) (202) 224-3154
burr.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Chambliss, Saxby- (R - GA) (202) 224-3521
chambliss.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactU...
Coburn, Tom- (OK) (202) 224-5754
coburn.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Cochran, Thad- (MS) (202) 224-5054
cochran.senate.gov/contact.htm
Coleman, Norm- (MN) (202) 224-5641
coleman.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm
Collins, Susan M.- (ME) (202) 224-2523
collins.senate.gov/public/continue.cfm?FuseAction=Contact...
Corker, Bob- (TN) (202) 224-3344
corker.senate.gov/Contact/index.cfm
Cornyn, John- (TX) (202) 224-2934
cornyn.senate.gov/contact/index.html
Craig, Larry E.- (ID) (202) 224-2752
craig.senate.gov/email/
Crapo, Mike- (ID) (202) 224-6142
crapo.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
DeMint, Jim- (SC) (202) 224-6121
demint.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Dole, Elizabeth- (NC) (202) 224-6342
dole.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInformation.C...
Domenici, Pete V.- (NM) (202) 224-6621
domenici.senate.gov/contact/contactform.cfm
Ensign, John- (NV) (202) 224-6244
ensign.senate.gov/forms/email_form.cfm
Enzi, Michael B.- (WY) (202) 224-3424
enzi.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInform...
Graham, Lindsey- (SC) (202) 224-5972
lgraham.senate.gov/index.cfm?mode=contact
Grassley, Chuck- (IA) (202) 224-3744
grassley.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Gregg, Judd- (NH) (202) 224-3324
gregg.senate.gov/sitepages/contact.cfm
Hagel, Chuck- (NE) (202) 224-4224
hagel.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Hatch, Orrin G.- (UT) (202) 224-5251
hatch.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Offices.Contact
Hutchison, Kay Bailey- (TX) (202) 224-5922
hutchison.senate.gov/contact.html
Inhofe, James M.- (OK) (202) 224-4721
inhofe.senate.gov/contactus.htm
Isakson, Johnny- (GA) (202) 224-3643
isakson.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Kyl, Jon- (AZ) (202) 224-4521
kyl.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Lott, Trent- (MS) (202) 224-6253
lott.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Email
Lugar, Richard G.- (IN) (202) 224-4814
senator_lugar@lugar.senate.gov
Martinez, Mel- (FL) (202) 224-3041
martinez.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactIn...
McCain, John- (AZ) (202) 224-2235
mccain.senate.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=Contact.Home
McConnell, Mitch- (KY) (202) 224-2541
mcconnell.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm
Murkowski, Lisa- (AK) (202) 224-6665
murkowski.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Roberts, Pat- (KS) (202) 224-4774
roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInf...
Sessions, Jeff- (AL) (202) 224-4124
sessions.senate.gov/email/contact.cfm
Shelby, Richard C.- (AL) (202) 224-5744
senator@shelby.senate.gov
Smith, Gordon H.- (OR) (202) 224-3753
gsmith.senate.gov/webform.htm
Snowe, Olympia J.- (ME) (202) 224-5344
snowe.senate.gov/contact.htm
Specter, Arlen- (PA) (202) 224-4254
specter.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInfo.Home
Stevens, Ted- (AK) (202) 224-3004
stevens.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Em...
Sununu, John E.- (NH) (202) 224-2841
www.sununu.senate.gov/webform.html
Thomas, Craig- (WY) (202) 224-6441
thomas.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Thune, John- (SD) (202) 224-2321
thune.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Vitter, David- (LA) (202) 224-4623
vitter.senate.gov/?module=webformIQV1
Voinovich, George V.- (OH) (202) 224-3353
voinovich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact....
Warner, John- (VA) (202) 224-2023
warner.senate.gov/contact/contactme.cfm
Hugh Hewitt is a law professor, broadcast journalist, and author of several books including A Mormon in the White House?: 110 Things Every American Should Know about Mitt Romney.
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Damning The Jam Down: The GOP Senate's Collective Contempt For Its Base
By Hugh Hewitt
Friday, May 18, 2007
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Here's John McCain's decree, announced yesterday:
This is the first step. We can and must complete this legislation sooner rather than later. We all know that this issue can be caught up in extracurricular politics unless we move forward as quickly as possible. This is a product of a long hard trail of negotiation, and I am sure that there are certain provisions that each of us would not agree with, but this is what the legislative process is all about, this is what bipartisanship is all about when there is a requirement for this nation and its security that transcends party lines. I am proud to have been a small part of it.
REFILE - REPEATING WITH CORRECTED SPELLING OF SECRETARY U.S. President George W. Bush (C) speaks about immigration alongside Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff (L) and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington May 17, 2007. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators reached agreement on Thursday on an immigration reform bill that would legalize millions of illegal immigrants and establish a merit-based system for future migrants, lawmakers said. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES) Meet the new McCain, just like the old McCain. As with McCain-Feingold, the Gang of 14, McCain-Kennedy 1.0 and his duet with Lindsey Graham of last fall on the treatment and trial of terrorists bill, Senator McCain is back and doing his best impersonation of Al Haig.
But for some unknown reason, the GOP Senate leadership seems willing to allow the Arizona would-be president to take them all over the falls.
For all of those unfamiliar with McCain-speak, here's the translation of what McCain decreed:
Deal's done. I am the guy. I made it happen. My opinion mattered, not yours. What I do in the middle of a campaign for president has nothing to do with politics. My critics are all motivated by politics. Since I have already made up my mind, no debate is necessary, so shut up. Republicans especially shut up. This is how things get done in D.C.: You roll over for Democrats. And by the way, cutting half the fence and leaving the other half subject to the whims of the anti-border security bureaucracy equals protecting national security, just like the Gang of 14 was good for the confirmation process and McCain-Feingold good for the First Amendment. So, if you didn't hear me the first time: Shut up. Sit down. I'm your nominee.
The idea that a secret bill of huge importance and around which there is extraordinary public interest, and one not yet even fully drafted, could be introduced on Monday and through the Senate in less than two weeks is repugnant to the idea of representative democracy. No matter where one finds themselves on the spectrum of views regarding the amnesty-lite bill, the process this year has been behind closed doors and without any opportunity for the public to see, read, debate and inform their representatives of their views. Of all the mistakes made in this process, the attempt to pull a jam down is the worst as it involves not merely some bad decisions and a lousy bill, but a repulsive attitude of contempt towards the voters who elected the senators. Can you imagine an Oregon border security activist ever voting for Gordon Smith if he or she isn't even given the time of day by the senator? The same holds true for every other Republican up for re-election in 2008.
Senators aren't even willing to go home to face their constituents before passing this cave-in on to the House.
Senators may be counting on the year-and-a-half between now and the voting to dim the memory of the jam down. Perhaps that's what Mike DeWine was counting on when he signed on to John McCain's Gang of 14. I don't know what Mike DeWine is doing these days, but as anyone who followed Ohio politics last year, the Gang of 14 hadn't faded from a lot of conservative voter's minds when DeWine lost his re-election bid. "That was because of the war," will come the reply. Believe that if you want to, but the angry reaction to the Gang of 14 plagued DeWine throughout '06, just as the even greater anger about this jam down will plague John Sununu, Norm Coleman, and even the very safe Mitch McConnell as well as every other GOPer on the ballot..
Since McCain-Kennedy 2.0 is so warmly received by the Democrats, its memory will motivate and encourage their base. Every discussion of immigration throughout the next year-and-a-half will, for conservatives, remind them of the Senate Republicans' contempt for their views and of the half-fence and the social security benefits for years worked illegally in the country. No Republican candidate, not even the conservatives of long-standing with excellent records on border security, will be free of the label elitist because this jam down is so bald, the disregard for the base so completely on display.
I interviewed Jon Kyl and Duncan Hunter yesterday, the only two elected officials willing to come on the program to discuss the fiasco that is unfolding. Hunter is of course opposed, and Senator Kyl is asking people to wait until they see the bill before criticizing it. After the interview I thought of the obvious reply to that: Why wait to criticize that which hasn't been written when John McCain has not only embraced it but decreed that it will pass quickly before debate slows it down.
The attempt by John McCain to put a gag order on the GOP caucus and its base should be the first reason why Senate Republicans should reject this bill. The leadership obviously underestimated the impact this stunt and these provisions would have on their supporters, but now they have a fiasco on their hands and the only way to resurrect the situation is to have Senator McConnell declare that the GOP insists on being able to wait until the bill is fully available on line and for the senators to go home to gage reaction and get input before moving forward with a decision on whether to filibuster it or not.
At a minimum they must move to amend the bill to get all 854 miles of fence built which were authorized last year, and built before the first grant of amnesty occurs. The physical fence is the outward manifestation of an inward conviction to respect the will of the people. The rhetoric about virtual fence is understood --rightly or wrongly but with certainty-- to be a ruse, a suspicion greatly increased by the attempt to run this jam down of an unwritten bill. Other, only slightly less compelling priorities include the refusal to subsidize the years spent working illegally in this country via a grant of Social Security benefits for those periods, and the publication of the employer sanctions proposed. That we cannot evaluate these provisions because they aren't decided upon underscores the nature of McCain's contempt for the voters.
Here is all the contact information for the Republican Senators. Call and e-mail each and demand the right to at least read the bill before the cave-in occurs.
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