Dream Act Fails 55-41: 5 Democrats Voted No

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Soontir948
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#1 Dream Act Fails 55-41: 5 Democrats Voted No

Post by Soontir948 »

Let me pre-face this. Almost every article I have seen coming out have said that the GOP blocked this bill. The GOP this time did not. There were five Democrats who could have made it 60 and pass it but voted no.

They were Baucus-MT, Hagan-NC, Nelseon-NE, Pryor-AR, and Tester-MT.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised given the states they're from.
CBS News wrote:(CBS) The DREAM Act, a bill to provide a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants who entered the United States before age 16, died on the Senate floor on Saturday morning.

The failure of the bill - amid widespread opposition from Senate Republicans - is a major disappointment for Hispanic activists, who have grown increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress on immigration reform under President Obama.

The vote to end debate on the Dream Act and move to a final vote received only 55 votes, short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a Republican-led filibuster. Forty-one senators voted no.

Three Republicans - Indiana's Dick Lugar, Utah's Bob Bennett and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski - were among the yes votes. Six Democrats voted no: Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Max Baucus and John Tester of Montana, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, and Mark Pryor of Arkansas. The bill had already passed the House and is supported by President Obama.

Dream Act Passes House, Likely Doomed in Senate

The Dream Act would have allowed illegal immigrants to apply for citizenship if they entered the United States as children, graduated from high school or gotten an equivalent degree, and have been in the United States for at least five years. They must also have no serious criminal record and agree to complete two years of college or military service. Applicants would have had to wait ten years for citizenship, pay any back taxes and undergo background checks before gaining legal status.

While Democrats cast the bill as providing opportunity for upstanding young people who are not at fault for their illegal status, Republicans hammered it as offering "mass amnesty" that will encourage more illegal immigration.

The bill has little chance of passage under the new, more Republican Congress taking office in January.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid vowed to move on comprehensive immigration reform this year, saying in April there were "no excuses" for failure. Mr. Obama also called for movement on comprehensive reform this year. That didn't happen, but Hispanic groups, a growing and crucial voting bloc that largely backs Democrats, pushed for passage of the DREAM Act as a first step in that direction.

Republicans say they are unwilling to take action on comprehensive immigration reform or any other immigration bill until America's borders are secure. They accused Democrats of moving forward on a Dream Act vote now for political purposes.

Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, a leading proponent of the measure, strongly denied that claim before the vote. He showed photos of successful young people who could gain citizenship under the bill, including the leader of the UCLA marching band, and argued that the bill was about providing opportunity to those who deserve it. He also called for Republicans to back the bill in what he said would be an "act of political courage" for members of the GOP.

"This is our moment in history to show our courage," Durbin said, referring both to votes on the DREAM Act and on repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that was also taking place Saturday. Young people who had traveled to Washington in hopes of convincing senators to vote for the bill looked on from the Senate gallery as he spoke.

The failure of the DREAM Act gives more ammunition to Hispanic leaders who have begun to publicly wonder why Democrats have failed to move forward on their priorities. It appears unlikely that many will move toward Republicans, however, in light of widespread support in the GOP for the controversial Arizona immigration law as well as the rhetoric from some Republicans on "birthright citizenship" and other immigration-related matters.

Democrats say comprehensive immigration reform should include provisions to improve border security and include stiff fines for those that hire illegal immigrants. They say illegal immigrants applying for citizenship should be forced to learn English, pay a fine and "get to the back of the line," in the words of Mr. Obama.
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#2

Post by LadyTevar »

And Manchin (D-WV) decided he wanted to be with Family instead of doing his job and voting.

*snarl* this is NOT what I sent him to Congress for.
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#3

Post by Soontir948 »

Looks like he would have voted no anyway.
Huffington Post wrote:Newly-elected Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) was missing in action on Saturday as the Senate voted to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell -- a military policy preventing gay service members from serving openly.

Manchin, the only member of his party in the chamber to oppose lifting the ban, reportedly was tied up in his home state while his colleagues were on Capitol Hill. The Charleston Gazette reports on his absence:

In an e-mail to the Gazette-Mail, Manchin spokeswoman Sara Payne Scarbro said the senator and his wife, Gayle, had "planned a holiday gathering over a year ago with all their children and grandchildren as they will not all be together on Christmas Day."

"While he regrets missing the votes, it was a family obligation that he just could not break," Payne Scarbro said. "However, he has been clear on where he stands on the issues."

The Hill reports:

Senate GOP aides noted that Manchin could have booked a seat on a United flight leaving Dulles airport at 5:40 p.m. that would have landed in Charleston at 7:16 p.m., possibly in time to make an evening party.

Manchin cast a vote against a procedural motion to advance repeal legislation earlier this month. The West Virginia Democrat does not support the DREAM Act, which also received a vote in the Senate on Saturday.

Manchin's no-show sparked criticism from the Republican side of the aisle. "I'm sure that most senators, as well as the hundreds of staffers who had to come to work today, would have rather been at a Christmas party like Joe Manchin," explained Brian Walsh, communications director for the National Senatorial Campaign Committee, according to the Gazette.

"But perhaps in Joe Manchin's world today was a win-win," Walsh reportedly said. "Not only was he able to skip work and party but he was also able to avoid voting on two very sensitive political issues."
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#4

Post by SirNitram »

The only reason I'm not wishing I had convinced people to go the other way is that the Floridian he was running against would be worse.
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