Majority Leader Frist vows to force vote on border fence proposal
By spainishirish Posted in Congress | Spotlight Blogs — Comments (19) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has announced that he will force an up or down vote in the next few days on a proposal to secure the United States/Mexico border (h/t Tom Bevan, Real Clear Politics).
...I strongly support the Secure Fence Act of 2006 … and that’s why I’m bringing this crucial legislation to the floor of the Senate this week for an up-or-down vote. By authorizing the construction of over 700 miles of two-layered reinforced fencing along our southwest border and by mandating the use of cameras, ground sensors, UAVs and other forms of hi-tech surveillance, this legislation would help us gain control over every inch of our borders – once and for all.
Americans deserve secure borders … and Americans deserve to know where their Senators stand on border security. This week, when the Senate votes on the Secure Fence Act of 2006, Americans will know which of their representatives are committed to real action on border security and which aren't.
http://www.volpac.org/index.cfm?FuseAction=Blogs.View&Blog_id=463
Read on . . .
The "Secure Fence Act of 2006" is the same legislation passed last week by the House of Representatives. A third of Democrats joined almost all Republicans in passing the enforcement-first legislation.
Exactly how Sen. Frist can overcome what are certain to be procedural roadblocks and force an up or down vote remains to be seen. Nonetheless, he seems confident he will do so.
The immediate beneficiaries of such a vote would be GOP senators locked in brutal re-election campaigns. This would be particularly true of Sen. Mike DeWine of Ohio. Last week, his Democratic opponent Rep. Sherrod Brown flip-flopped to vote in favor of an enforcement-first bill. Brown previously voted against similar legislation. Congressman Brown apparently saw an advantage to change his position because Sen. DeWine had voted in favor of the much-reviled Senate "comprehensive immigration reform" package earlier this summer.
Other likely beneficiaries would be Sens. Rick Santorum, Jim Talent and Conrad Burns, and possibly even Lincoln Chafee, who used the issue in RNC-financed primary commercials.
All in all, this should prove quite interesting.
I suppose a fence is better than no fence, assuming this even gets through which is doubtful. But a fence isn't much more than a symbolic gesture designed to placate us "ignorant masses" without upsetting the status quo, unless it's accompanied by some serious pain for illegal employers.
Until Republican Senators stand up to the PAC-check writing employers who stick the rest of us with the tax-bill for all the illegal aliens, I have to suspect the Senators really intend to continue the flow of illegals. I know there are some (maybe most) Republican Senators serious about restoring our sovereignty, but probably a minority against the Democrats and their Republican collaborators.
The danger is in putting up a fence, which I do believe has to be done, and then following it up with the same lax workplace enforcement.
And there is almost no chance they will start enforcing the law. The "jobs Americans won't do" meme has become too entrenched. It's a big fat lie, though: there are jobs Americans won't do at that price, because they need to pay the extortionists at the IRS.
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The Presidency is a position more easily critiqued than attained.
But I think there are multiple practical and political benefits to a fence. The first is the obvious deterrent effect. As you point out, the serious action is with employer sanctions but such a barrier does need to be built and could prove very effective. Such a substantive measure also could have a "snowball effect" with legislators on enforcement matters, which in turn would turn up the heat on the Administration. First things first, though.
Sherrod Brown flip-flopped to vote in favor of an enforcement-first bill.
I've been assured by some very self-assured people that the American people are demanding that we give amnesty to the illegals. But with an election on the line those up for election are running from that idea as fast as they can. How strange.
Those Democrats in even nominally contested races voted for the enforcement-first bill. These people must not know what is best for their campaigns
Too bad he had to wait until his last 4 months in office. If we'd had him like this his entire time as Majority Leader, we might've gotten some good stuff passed this Congress.
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Internet member since 1987
Member of the Surreality-Based Community
If he Really did grow them or if maybe he just likes talking about them. My money is that Pelosi has them on her Headboard...
"Always be honest with yourself even if you are honest with no one else...
...It helps you keep track of your lies..."
--Myself
Let's see if he can enforce any semblance of party discipline on the vote.
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If "pro" is the opposite of "con", what is the opposite of "progress"?
After doing nothing on his tour of duty Flip Flop Frist attempts to get the up or down vote on the border fence. He must be aware that he will not get the vote otherwise he would not propose it.
During his term we had no leadership at all. To try now to salvage a possible presidential bid by taking this action will fail.
The good thing about the Senate lately is that they alienate so many voters that we may get a movement going to reverse the way the Senate is elected to the original way that is a body appointed by the state legislators. That would mean more control of the Senators by the States. It would take the money and the corruption connected with it to some extent out of the picture and humble them down somewhat
is not a good reason to have the Senate elected by the State legislatures. In fact, it's an almost sufficient argument for the current system.
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There be one Cap'n here.
Only a month and a half out until the November elections and only a few months left in this Congress. Way to step up to the plate and confront the big issues. That's leadership!
"Everybody needs money! That's why they call it money!"
He caved on all the Democratic obstruction of judicial nominations since the Supreme Court nominations, but has the gall to declare that he's broken the Dem obstructionism.
We'll see if he follows through here on something that was DOA or whether he declares victory while going down in flames.
Reminds me of Baghdad Bob....
Let the Democrats howl. It's time to turn America into a gated community.
(After all, those affluent Dems enjoy their own but we don't have access to it.)
"Good fences make good neighbors."
How can Frist "follow through" when he was replaced by Bob Corker??
Are we out of touch here?
Kate
“It is the American vice, the democratic disease which expresses its tyranny by reducing everything unique to the level of the herd.” Henry Miller
It's from 2006 ... did it pop on your recommended list? Sometimes when the rec list is updating it will populate with old, old stuff for 1 or 2 seconds, so some people's screens will show a bunch of out of date blog entries. Refreshing the page will correct.
absentee
This is something ALL GOP Senators should unite around, while there are still 55 of them. Hopefully, Senator Frist can deliver a good parting shot as Majority Leader, bring all the GOP Senators together, and possibly win over a few Democrats, in order to defeat a filibuster. Even if this is filibustered, it could be used as an issue against the Democrats, since the border fence is a winner in the polls in all states.
The bad news: Conservatism is hard to sell. The good news is that it works.