These Poor Fools Still Have Not Learned ...
Trent Lott apparently likes sticking his foot in his mouth. He did it when the PorkBusters took him to task, and he uttered this infamous line:
"I'll just say this about the so-called porkbusters. I'm getting damn tired of hearing from them. They have been nothing but trouble ever since Katrina."
Now he has decided to double-down, and come after the opponents of the immigration bill:
Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-Miss.) said he has told the most virulent Republican opponents that he will not tolerate a raft of amendment votes designed simply to filibuster the measure, and he castigated his own party's senators for their vote switches.
"We're going to do this damned thing, and if we don't, I think we should dissolve the Congress and just go home," Lott fumed.
My Lord, he does sound a lot like he has not learned his lesson. The president did when he was surprised at the opposition to the bill, and he has cooled his rhetoric. Senator Lott, however, seems to enjoy the nearly imperial Congress, and he is not happy that a good majority of America is calling the efforts of the Senate to task.
This has been a primary complaint we have had regarding this bill since it's inception. The Senate is demanding we eat this, and like it, and damn common sense to Hell. No, I am sorry, but this is simply too bitter a pill to swallow. It is a mess of the first order, and they do not seem to understand the problems the public has with this.
We are not going to stand for being taken to the cleaners in terms of fiscal support. $2.5 trillion is way too much to ask American taxpayers to fork over in the assistance of illegal aliens in America, especially when the Senate is not being serious about security! We must have secure borders. We must know who is here, and if they are criminals or Islamofascists they need immediate deportation. Do not pass "Go;" do not collect $2.5 trillion. In addition, there is still no solid and serious efforts to identify "persons of interest" from "nations of interest." Has the Senate forgotten that the Fort Dix Six were here illegally? Did they forget about the 9/11 hijackers?
Obviously Trent Lott has, and that is a sad testament to the efforts of the Senate to get the bill right. At least some are trying. But Trent Lott's comments on the floor of the Senate today emphasize that he is not taking this bill seriously, or simply does not care about what the American people have, as concerns, towards this bill:
If anybody in America likes where we are with illegal immigration and legal immigration, if they think what we've got now is good or tolerable, fair or responsible, then fine. Let's try and kill this bill. Kill it with amendments. Kill it with the debate. Vote it down. I don't think that is responsible. This is one of the biggest issues facing this country and the question is do we have the courage, tenacity and the ability to get anything done anymore. If we can't do this, we ought to vote to dissolve the Congress and go home and wait for the next election...
Can we do anything anymore? I don't like a lot of these amendments. I don't like a lot of what is in the bill. I was in and out of the meetings, but I was not one of the people that worked in the so-called Grand Bargain. Some people are acting now like it was a sinister operation. I don't believe so. Everybody knew there was an effort underway. Republicans were involved. Democrats were involved. The Adminstration was involved. Conservatives, liberals, agriculture, everybody. Now we are going to pick it to death. I just don't think this is responsible. I am getting calls, but I would say to my constituents, "Do you ahve no faith in me after 35 years? That I'm just going to buy a pig in a poke here? Or be for something that's bad?..."
Last year I voted against what we came up with because I didn't think it got better. It got worse. But we have an obligation to try and we should not get all in a twit because we made one mistake or we don't get the one we wanted. Look I voted for amendments that passed and amendments that failed. I voted for bills Bush...get over all of that. This is a big issue. This is the United States Senate, the great deliberative body. Are we going to belie that description, or are we going to step up to this challenge and try and get it done right? We should vote down cloture now.. Cloture shouldn't have been filed. You can't ram the Senate. You can't ram the minority around here. This won't work. All it does is make people get madder and it takes longer...
So we're going to have a vote on cloture and we're going to defeat cloture becaue more amendments are legitimately pending. But I'm serving notice that I'm going to be a part of trying to help to find a way to get to a conclusion, to a vote. Vote it up. Vote it down. But to try and kill it with all these amendments, you know, that are being thrown up here for the purpose of killing it to me is not an appropriate way to proceed....
This is time where we are going to see whether we are a United States Senate anymore. Are we men or mice? Are we going to slither away from this issue and hope for some epiphany to happen? No. Let's, let's let's legislate. Let's vote. I think the majority leader has a right to expect at some point we end it. Try and cover as many objections with as many amendments as we can. But at some point we have got to get this done....
Senator Kennedy, I appreciate the legislative leadership you have been providing. I know it is not easy, you know, and your own colleagues and those of us over here have been beating you up. I mean, your a nice poster child. Thank you very much for what you do. But I'll tell you one thing I have learned the hard way. When it comes to legislating, when you are dealing with Senator Kennedy, you had better bring your lunch, because you are going to get educated, you are going to learn a lot, and you are going to get a result. Hopefully it is going to be a good one. Good luck, senator from Massachusetts. I yield the floor.
I could care less about his praise of Senator Kennedy. There is far too much of that inthe Senate as it is. And the amendments are not trying to "kill the bill." It is amending it; it is trying to make it a btter bill that will address the concerns of Americans. Congress is being bombarded by the public. "Damn the torpedoes, and full speed ahead," as it was when it comes to this bill. If they are going to try and make this bill better, fine. But to say that people are trying to kill it with the amendments is irresponsible.
The appeal he makes to his constituents is misplayed. There are few within the base that does have faith in Trent Lott anymore. If he is truly unhappy with this bill, then withdraw support. Let it die. Force the Senate and the House to work through a new bill. And for God's sake, LISTEN to your base! Listen to the nation! Please, get on the phones, ladies and gentlemen -- 202-225-3121
Marcie
"I'll just say this about the so-called porkbusters. I'm getting damn tired of hearing from them. They have been nothing but trouble ever since Katrina."
Now he has decided to double-down, and come after the opponents of the immigration bill:
Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-Miss.) said he has told the most virulent Republican opponents that he will not tolerate a raft of amendment votes designed simply to filibuster the measure, and he castigated his own party's senators for their vote switches.
"We're going to do this damned thing, and if we don't, I think we should dissolve the Congress and just go home," Lott fumed.
My Lord, he does sound a lot like he has not learned his lesson. The president did when he was surprised at the opposition to the bill, and he has cooled his rhetoric. Senator Lott, however, seems to enjoy the nearly imperial Congress, and he is not happy that a good majority of America is calling the efforts of the Senate to task.
This has been a primary complaint we have had regarding this bill since it's inception. The Senate is demanding we eat this, and like it, and damn common sense to Hell. No, I am sorry, but this is simply too bitter a pill to swallow. It is a mess of the first order, and they do not seem to understand the problems the public has with this.
We are not going to stand for being taken to the cleaners in terms of fiscal support. $2.5 trillion is way too much to ask American taxpayers to fork over in the assistance of illegal aliens in America, especially when the Senate is not being serious about security! We must have secure borders. We must know who is here, and if they are criminals or Islamofascists they need immediate deportation. Do not pass "Go;" do not collect $2.5 trillion. In addition, there is still no solid and serious efforts to identify "persons of interest" from "nations of interest." Has the Senate forgotten that the Fort Dix Six were here illegally? Did they forget about the 9/11 hijackers?
Obviously Trent Lott has, and that is a sad testament to the efforts of the Senate to get the bill right. At least some are trying. But Trent Lott's comments on the floor of the Senate today emphasize that he is not taking this bill seriously, or simply does not care about what the American people have, as concerns, towards this bill:
If anybody in America likes where we are with illegal immigration and legal immigration, if they think what we've got now is good or tolerable, fair or responsible, then fine. Let's try and kill this bill. Kill it with amendments. Kill it with the debate. Vote it down. I don't think that is responsible. This is one of the biggest issues facing this country and the question is do we have the courage, tenacity and the ability to get anything done anymore. If we can't do this, we ought to vote to dissolve the Congress and go home and wait for the next election...
Can we do anything anymore? I don't like a lot of these amendments. I don't like a lot of what is in the bill. I was in and out of the meetings, but I was not one of the people that worked in the so-called Grand Bargain. Some people are acting now like it was a sinister operation. I don't believe so. Everybody knew there was an effort underway. Republicans were involved. Democrats were involved. The Adminstration was involved. Conservatives, liberals, agriculture, everybody. Now we are going to pick it to death. I just don't think this is responsible. I am getting calls, but I would say to my constituents, "Do you ahve no faith in me after 35 years? That I'm just going to buy a pig in a poke here? Or be for something that's bad?..."
Last year I voted against what we came up with because I didn't think it got better. It got worse. But we have an obligation to try and we should not get all in a twit because we made one mistake or we don't get the one we wanted. Look I voted for amendments that passed and amendments that failed. I voted for bills Bush...get over all of that. This is a big issue. This is the United States Senate, the great deliberative body. Are we going to belie that description, or are we going to step up to this challenge and try and get it done right? We should vote down cloture now.. Cloture shouldn't have been filed. You can't ram the Senate. You can't ram the minority around here. This won't work. All it does is make people get madder and it takes longer...
So we're going to have a vote on cloture and we're going to defeat cloture becaue more amendments are legitimately pending. But I'm serving notice that I'm going to be a part of trying to help to find a way to get to a conclusion, to a vote. Vote it up. Vote it down. But to try and kill it with all these amendments, you know, that are being thrown up here for the purpose of killing it to me is not an appropriate way to proceed....
This is time where we are going to see whether we are a United States Senate anymore. Are we men or mice? Are we going to slither away from this issue and hope for some epiphany to happen? No. Let's, let's let's legislate. Let's vote. I think the majority leader has a right to expect at some point we end it. Try and cover as many objections with as many amendments as we can. But at some point we have got to get this done....
Senator Kennedy, I appreciate the legislative leadership you have been providing. I know it is not easy, you know, and your own colleagues and those of us over here have been beating you up. I mean, your a nice poster child. Thank you very much for what you do. But I'll tell you one thing I have learned the hard way. When it comes to legislating, when you are dealing with Senator Kennedy, you had better bring your lunch, because you are going to get educated, you are going to learn a lot, and you are going to get a result. Hopefully it is going to be a good one. Good luck, senator from Massachusetts. I yield the floor.
I could care less about his praise of Senator Kennedy. There is far too much of that inthe Senate as it is. And the amendments are not trying to "kill the bill." It is amending it; it is trying to make it a btter bill that will address the concerns of Americans. Congress is being bombarded by the public. "Damn the torpedoes, and full speed ahead," as it was when it comes to this bill. If they are going to try and make this bill better, fine. But to say that people are trying to kill it with the amendments is irresponsible.
The appeal he makes to his constituents is misplayed. There are few within the base that does have faith in Trent Lott anymore. If he is truly unhappy with this bill, then withdraw support. Let it die. Force the Senate and the House to work through a new bill. And for God's sake, LISTEN to your base! Listen to the nation! Please, get on the phones, ladies and gentlemen -- 202-225-3121
Marcie
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 5:22 PM
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