The Senate is slated to vote on the DREAM Act tomorrow. Senate majority leader Harry Reid has filed cloture on the version of DREAM that passed the House earlier this month.
“We still are counting 42 no votes,” says Rosemary Jenks, director of government relations at NumbersUSA, adding that four Democrats — Sens. Mark Pryor (Arkansas), Ben Nelson (Nebraska), Jon Tester (Montana), and Kay Hagan (North Carolina) — have announced they will vote against the DREAM Act.
Republican senators Bob Bennett of Utah and Richard Lugar of Indiana have announced that they will vote for the bill.
“The outlook remains dim for Democrat leaders [to pass DREAM], especially if the American people make their voices heard over the next 24 hours,” says a GOP Senate aide.
In a conference call with reporters this morning, Cecilia Munoz, White House director of intergovernmental affairs, said that the White House was hopeful senators on the fence about DREAM “will get to yes tomorrow.”
“He [President Obama] is very deeply engaged [on passing DREAM],” Munoz added. “There’s a whole lot of effort being made across the administration on this issue.”
Education secretary Arne Duncan said that he had been making calls in favor of DREAM. “I will continue to make whatever calls I need to make today,” Duncan said, “This thing has been going the right way, and that ‘s very encouraging. But obviously tomorrow is the big hurdle.”
I think they'll go through the vote to get "against" names listed to use in 12, but it will not pass.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSTART won't make it either, but they may get DADT through, which is a shame for what it will do to front line soldiers and sailors. From reports and the poll, The Combat Marines are against 56% or more, and I'd bet submariners (didn't see any "at sea" Navy stats; and as a bubblehead, I cannot speak to other squids, but can imagine my force) are as well.
If Lugar votes for it, he needs to be primaried. he is a wet on so many issues, we can surely find someone in indiana better that he is.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI pray you're correct Mr. KentBook. I sent notes to my Senators, but obviously I believe prayer to be more effective at this point.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseKentBook, you are correct about the damage DADT repeal will do. Having DADT as a policy in the first place was bad for the service. The old policy of DAD -- Discover and Discharge --was the best policy.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI hope to God that Rosemary Jenks is right in her statement about the 4 Dems. She's saying that all the Republican RINOs and the two liberal Repubs (Brown and Voinovich) are holding a strong "No" position. Perhaps the calls and faxes and emails to the Senate have made a difference. Reid has had ample time to twist arms and get "Yes" votes.
Pryor, Nelson, Tester and Hagan. That means a 55 to 45 vote.
Now, there is also talk that Reid would pull a manuever in bringing back the lame ducks on Jan. 3rd to vote a simple majority on The DREAM Act Amnesty if it fails tomorrow. My question: Would he need a quorum of 100 Senators to hold such a vote? Or if only 50 Senators show up. would a 26-25 vote pass The DREAM Act Amnesty?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDADT won't do anything to our front line soldiers and sailors. They already know who is and who isn't, guess what, it doesn't get in the way of the job.
It is the ultimate insult to our serving men and women to say that having openly gay members of the Armed Forces will cause them distress and take away from their ability to serve. They have much bigger things on their minds than someone being gay, they are much more mature than many who post on message boards.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAs a NC resident, I'm telling you that of the four 'no' Dems, Kay Hagan of NC is the weak link. If any of these four fold, it will be Hagan. Bank on it.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDREAM ACT = AMNESTY.
Is there anything more that needs to be said??
We tried amnesty before and know how well that worked out. Never again! Let the illegals apply for citizenship just like everyone else!
KILL THE DREAM !
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhere's the little NR grid charting where Republican aspirants fall into this?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNR should get Palin's take on START off the marquee and get some read meat anti-amnesty stuff from Krikorian up there. This is huge and the vote takes place tomorrow!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI support a DREAM Act, but not this one. It needs to be narrowly defined.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe people of Utah need to be expressing their outrage in all public places with the message that Bennett is working against the will of the people and that he lost for this very reason and the right thing to do is vote no on the DREAM Act
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAnd what is with many of the major, controversial acts going up for a vote on Sat during this administration?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI live in Indiana and was appalled to see that Lugar will be voting for this bill. I immediately called his office here in Indy. The person on the phone stated that the Senator has not stated which way he will vote. When he asked where I saw the report, I told him "the Corner on NRO" and he was asked what NRO was. That did not make me feel any better.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abusethe republicans promised to filibuster everything until the continuing resolution and the tax rates issues were settled. well, isn't the continuing resolution still up in the air?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWell don't just pray about it everyone, go on over to Numbers USA website RIGHT NOW! And make calls to the DC offices of the Senators listed on the front page alert link.
Especially call the Senators in red, and urge them to vote no for a plethora of reasons:
1. The act is poorly written
2. it contains NO verification provisions,and will assume anyone who CLAIMS to meet the minimum standards DOES meet the minimum standards
3. Anyone who claims this standard is given a 10 YEAR work permit!!!!
4. The "students" and "young children" who this act is billed to serve can be up to 30 years old! That's not a child!
5. With 20 MILLION unemployed and under employed Americans, and 42 MILLION on food stamps, we CANNOT afford to compete with millions more illegal aliens and illegal workers.
Just call the Senators or call the Senate switch board and ask for your Senators: (202) 224-3121
Don't delay! Call today! You can just say one of those points above and then hang up, under a minute.
If you want this act voted down, then your Senator needs to hear from you today!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIn addition, Senator Sessions outlined these 10 reasons to vote NO on the Dream Amnesty:
•The DREAM Act Is NOT Limited to Children -- Applicants can be up to the age of 29
•The DREAM Act Will Be Funded On the Backs Of Hard Working, Law-Abiding Americans -- CBO failed to assess costs for education, increased levels of unemployment due to the addition of workers to the workforce, and increases in potential applicants because of loopholes.
•The DREAM Act PROVIDES SAFE HARBOR FOR ANY ALIEN, Including Criminals, From Being Removed or Deported If They Simply Submit An Application -- Burden of proving inaccurate information on a DREAM Act application is on the Department of Homeland Security.
•Certain Inadmissible Aliens, including those from high-risk regions, Will Be Eligible For Amnesty Under The DREAM Act
•Certain Criminal Aliens—including drunk drivers—Will Be Eligible For Amnesty Under The DREAM Act -- The DREAM Act allows applicants be convicted of 1 felony or up to 3 misdemeanors.
•Conservative Estimates Suggest That At Least 1.3 Million Illegal Aliens Will Be Eligible For the DREAM Act Amnesty. In Reality, We Have No Idea How Many Illegal Aliens Will Apply
•The DREAM Act Does Not Require That An Illegal Alien Finish Any Type of Degree (Vocational, Two-Year, or Bachelor’s Degree) As A Condition of Amnesty -- The applicant only has to complete the equivalent of two years of college.
•The DREAM Act Does Not Require That an Illegal Alien Complete Military Service As A Condition For Amnesty, and There Is already A Legal Process In Place For Illegal Aliens to Obtain U.S. Citizenship Through Military Service
•Despite Their Current Illegal Status, DREAM Act Aliens Will Be Given All The Rights That Legal Immigrants Receive—Including The Legal Right To Sponsor Their Parents and Extended Family Members For Immigration
•Current Illegal Aliens Will Get Federal Student Loans, Federal Work Study Programs, and Other Forms of Federal Financial Aid
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOkay Indiana, it's time for Sen. Lugar to go away. Between his pushing for START 2 to be ratified in the lame duck session and even the possibility of him voting for the DREAM Act, he does not deserve to a senator any longer. Now, if he were to vote against DREAM and at least stop pushing so hard for a vote on START 2 right now, I might be willing to cut him some slack, but something tells me that's not happening, at least on START 2. But, at the very least those Republicans who support some of these measures should realize that the lame duck session is the wrong time to vote on these issues and that the Congress that was just elected should get the final say on them, even if it means that something these guys support fails. I can have some respect for a moderate Republican who disagrees with me on some issues, but I have no respect for a RINO who tries to shove something down our throats that he knows the new Congress would vote down.
As for Bennet in Utah, he should never be elected to anything ever again, not even dogcatcher. With his actions during this lame duck session, he has proved that he has no concept of what it means to serve the people, and is only interested in either serving his own interests or ensuring that his views triumph, no matter what the voters think. Hopefully those in Utah will remember this if he ever does try to run for office in the future.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbusePlease keep calling the undecided Senators to urge them to oppose the "Dream Act" amnesty and vote NO on cloture. Leave voice mails at their D.C. and local offices.
Thanks!
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@David Levine - a quorum is defined at the US Senate wbsite as follows:
quorum - The number of Senators that must be present for the Senate to do business. The Constitution requires a majority of Senators (51) for a quorum. Often, fewer Senators are actually present on the floor, but the Senate presumes that a quorum is present unless the contrary is shown by a roll call vote or quorum call.
Link here: External Link
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