A final plea to the sensible, common sense electorate

If you care about the future of this nation as much as Marcie and I do then this plea is to you. According to Allahpundit we are still about a half dozen votes away from killing this thing the moment Harry Reid tries to bring this monstrosity back to life on the Senate floor tomorrow. He has the numbers rounded up over at Hot Air, and you may want to pay close attention to them. some senators are lying their @$$e$ off to constituents that are calling their offices. And a good amount are playing the game. They'll vote for cloture to begin the debate, but vote against it in the end. The problem is that there only needs to be a majority to pass it and the pro-shamnesty side probably has that locked up. Allah's got the link to the Senate phone numbers, but you can still reach these yay-hoos through the main switchboard -- 202-225-3121.

The other thing that Allah notes, and one the pro-shamnesty crodd might want to take notice of is the new Rasmussen poll out that tells the tale of the tape:

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 22% of American voters currently favor the legislation. That’s down a point from 23% a couple of weeks ago and down from 26% when the debate in the Senate began. Fifty percent (50%) oppose the Senate bill while 28% are not sure.

Among the public, there is a bi-partisan lack of enthusiasm for the Senate bill. It is supported by 22% of Republicans, 23% of Democrats, and 22% of those not affiliated with either major party. It is opposed by 52% of Republicans, 50% of Democrats, and 48% of unaffiliateds.

Bet me that these are the ones that Trent Lott and Lindsey Graham attacked last week for not knowing what's in the bill, right? Nevermind the fact that we've read it, know what it means for the nation, and we don't want it. What will be amusing tomorrow is if cloture fails, which attack dogs will the president send out to call us all bigots again?

Get on the phones, folks. We don't urge people to call their elected representatives for the fish. We don't ask people to engage in this sort of activism often. This is important. Everyone from the guys and gals at NRO's Corner, to Allah and the guys over at Hot Air, and the big guns in the 'sphere are pleading with the nation to call. Do what you have to do to get them to listen. Assure these people that if they don't vote to kill it's reintroduction tomorrow, there will be primary challengers for them in their next election. Assure them that this is one mistake that won't be forgiven or forgotten. It must be stopped tomorrow. If it's not, then the possibility of it's passage increases.

The benefit we have in that is that the House GOP is getting ready to play hardball with the president. They have let him know that they will take the necessary steps to kill it themselves if it passes the Senate, and if it's a showdown he wants, they're the ones willing to give it to him. They are holding purse strings hostage on this one with an issue near and dear to the president:

Conservative leaders among House Republicans say that President Bush's upcoming showdown with them on immigration could threaten support for the Iraq war as well as for the president's other top policy goals.

"The White House should keep in mind that if they have a direct confrontation with House Republicans on [immigration], it could affect the vote on the Iraq appropriation in September," said Rep. Peter T. King, New York Republican. "It will not affect me. I intend to stand by the president. But I do think it is something they should keep in mind for other Republicans who are borderline."

Mr. King last week introduced legislation that would focus on border security while eliminating many of the guest-worker and path-to-citizenship provisions in the Senate proposal, which he called an "amnesty bill."

Rep. Adam H. Putnam, Florida Republican, warned that a lackluster immigration bill could do "irreparable harm" to House Republican support for the president.

"If the president makes it clear he'll sign any immigration bill that gets to his desk, no matter what it looks like, then it certainly will do more harm than good," said Mr. Putnam, who as chairman of the House Republican Conference is the third-ranking House Republican.

Mr. Putnam said that a speech by Mr. Bush in Glynco, Ga., last month — which the president's conservative base perceived as harsh criticism of its opposition to the immigration bill — was a "major step backwards."

Rep. Brian P. Bilbray, California Republican, said: "The president is obviously looking for a legacy on immigration. He's looking for a legacy on Iraq. And I'm not so sure the legacy that he's striving for is what he's going to get."

I know that looks crappy. We know it's a dangerous game to be playing, but the president has to understand that the nation knows that this bill is a dog; it's a sham of the first order, and we're not as dumb as he and his supporters believe.

Publius II