It is important to note that the State of Florida stands much to gain from the passage of this legislation. By alowing certain youths an opportunity at a solid education and a pathway to citizenship, we can stop the current cycle of immigrant poverty and break the social caste systems that discourage economic and personal growth. Passage of the legislation will also help reduce high school dropout rates, boost college attendance and increas the poll of nurses, teachers, highly qualified recruits for the U.S. armed forces, and other high-need areas of our workforce.
Further, Florida has had a standing tradition of bi-partisan support for immigration reform with Senators Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez helping lead the way with their sponsorship of the DREAM Act. On the House side the legislation enjoys bi-partisan support with eight Florida members currently signed on as co-sponsors.
Kendrick Meek (16 September 2010)
In Arizona, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) is also facing significant pressure. The migrant youth movement in Arizona has been hounding him and converting Republicans wherever he goes. Currently, undocumented youth who would benefit from the DREAM Act are camped outside of his office until he passes the DREAM Act. A few days ago, members of the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition approached his daughter, Meghan McCain, and got her to state her support for the DREAM Act:
So it goes with the rest of the twelve Republican Senators we need to support the DREAM Act as actions happen across the country.
Seven Republicans voted for the DREAM Act in 2007: Bob Bennett (R-UT), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Susan Collins (R-ME), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX), Richard Lugar (R-IN), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME). If they refuse to vote for the exact same bill in 2010 they will expose themselves as the “party of no” that Democrats have accused them of. It is bigger than just the 2010 elections, though. If the Republicans do not vote in favor of getting the DREAM Act passed, now, they will turn off an entire generation of Latino voters.
If the Democrats are playing politics with the DREAM Act, so be it. Moderate Republicans should not let politics get in the way of the lives of millions of migrant youth, or the lives of the voters in the communities that undocumented youth are intertwined with, for that matter. I personally can say that as furious as I’ve been at Democrats for tearing apart our communities with over a thousand deportations a day, they’ve got me focused on Republican votes and the upcoming elections, right now, like I’ve never been before.
If my senator from Massachusetts, Scott Brown (R-MA), votes against the DREAM Act I will work harder than I’ve ever worked on anything like this before to get him replaced with a pro-migrant Senator in 2012. As Latino migrant youth leader Carlos Saavedra said in the New York Times “Our people will remember in November. They will be ready to reward or punish.”
So – how many Democrats are refusing to vote ‘for the exact same act’ as well?
<
p>If you ONLY target the Republicans, and not the others who are opposing – why should they ever expose themselves by voting with you in the future?
Are there any Dems who voted for this before who are saying “no” now? (Excluding of course Byrd of West Virginia and Pryor of Arkansas, neither of whom is representing his state in September, 2010)?
What about the Dems who voted no the first time who are still there to vote now?
<
p>Baucus (Montana)
Conrad (North Dakota)
Dorgan (North Dakota)
Landrieu (Louisiana)
McCaskill (Missouri)
Tester (Mondana)
<
p>What’s up with them?
<
p>Thanks for any news.
The Hill has an article on these Dems:
http://thehill.com/homenews/se…
<
p>At this point I’m worried about the filibuster on Tuesday which moderate Republicans have the most say over. Brown, Snowe, and Collins are obviously key.
those Dems feel pressure from their fellow Democrats to vote to terminate debate — and it’s fairly common for Senators who are opposed to a bill to vote to end debate so that their party can get the vote itself (and then vote against the vote).
<
p>The Republicans in this case are feeling pressure from their fellow Republicans to vote to continue debate — and thus avoid the vote itself.
<
p>So, in terms of putting pressure, Baucus … Tester are feeling pressure from their caucus to vote to terminate debate; the moderate Republicans, however, are feeling pressure to uphold the filibuster. Given that, it makes sense for the pressure to be put on moderate Republicans, since those are the folks who (i) aren’t getting pressure from their side of the aisle’s leadership, and (ii) have constituents which are more likely to be moderate.
Don’t worry I’ll got after Dems on this, too. Fact is though that most Dems favor it and most Repubs are against.
Do you want a revolution? A break down of services all of us need and depend on? We are a meager 300 or so million in a world population of six billion easily exploitable 86 cents per hour non EPA carbon exempt Chinese factory workers selling Americans toxic drywall, lead painted kids toys and crappy dog food. Not to mention the drug lord wars in maquiladora towns created by Clinton with NAFTA and the Bush years promoting the North American Union while the left was silent about giving US soveriegnty over to globalist profiteers while Bush basked in the media bravado of 911 induced fake patriotism.
Why would the DREAM Act cause a revolution?
For front-paging this. I hope the DREAM Act moves forward this time
Whoo….”moderate Republicans”…that was funny…
<
p>What, there was more?
They’re the ones riding unicorns.
globalist billionaires to wipe the American middle class with it’s meager 300 million population and their ungreen entitlement memes when carbon exempt Chinese one child peasants who have never seen a toothbrush will make designer jeans for .86 cents an hour. Yes the wage suppression potential is very clear here.