Monday, May 07, 2012

Reintroduction Of The DREAM Act-- And How DSCC "Great Recruit" Joe Donnelly Has Guaranteed It Will Fail In The Senate

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[NOTE: I stumbled on this post accidentally this morning. It was scheduled to run last May but never did. In light of the post we looked at this afternoon about the Indiana Senate race, I thought I'd run it this evening.]

The DREAM Act itself isn't really partisan or even controversial. Last time it was polled it was supported by 66% of Americans and when it was last approved by the House (in December), it passed 216-198, 8 Republicans voting with the Democrats. 55 Senators-- from both parties-- supported passing it but a contingent of the worst of the Republican racists filibustered it and it couldn't come to a vote. This week Dick Durbin and Howard Berman reintroduced the bill which provides a path to conditional legal residency for an undocumented immigrant child if he or she:

·         Was 15 years old or younger when brought into America

·         Has lived in the United States for at least five years before enactment of the law

·         Is of good moral character

·         Has earned a high school degree or a graduate equivalent diploma

Eligible people would have six years to earn lawful permanent resident status if they:

·         Successfully complete two years of higher education, or

·         Complete two years of military service and received an honorable discharge if he or she is discharged

Yesterday, Steve Benen pointed to the shame of one of the Senate's supporters, Indiana Republican Dick Lugar. Lugar has changed his mind-- or lost his balls... or soul. As recently as March, Lugar, a co-sponsor of the legislation, was predicting it would pass this year. And then he wound up with a racist teabagger challenging him in the GOP primary. He also has one of the few Democrats to oppose DREAM, another racist, Joe Donnelly, running against him in the general. By recruiting and supporting Donnelly, the DSCC has guaranteed the failure of DREAM this year. But, ssshhhhhhh... they don't want Latino voters to know that. Benen doesn't look past the primaries and doesn't see the impact racist Blue Dogs Donnelly and Jim Matheson (UT), who also opposed DREAM and is probably going to run against DREAM supporter Orrin Hatch, are having in killing the bill's chance to win.




ADDENDUM, May 7, 2012: Matheson chickened out of running against Hatch, but Donnelly is running for Senate, either against Lugar or Mourdock, depending on who wins the Republican primary tomorrow. Lugar would be a show-in in the general election but Donnelly would have a chance against a deranged fascist like Mourdock. In any of these scenarios, though, Indiana will doom itself to backward, right-wing representation steeped ignorance and cowardice. Apparently, it's what most of them want.

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4 Comments:

At 4:17 AM, Blogger John said...

I will accept your assessment of Joe Donnelly.

I would ask, though, why his presence, specifically, in the Senate would guarantee failure of The DREAM Act.

Assuming Obama is re-elected, to a FIRST approximation, NOTHING legislative pertaining to legitimate human need can possibly pass without a minimum of a Dem 60-seat majority.

That would require a pick-up of 8 seats. (Counting Sanders not Lieberman) Now that's a DREAM in itself!

The refinement then is, what actual majority would the Dems actually need to be able to produce a solid 60-senator cloture vote, given the high proportion of closet Repubs among the Dem caucus. (I currently count 12-15, depending on my mood.)

This is complicated by the Dem senate caucus "villain rotation" phenomenon by which any senate Dem, on any given issue, is capable of acting more like Strom Thurman than, say, Ted Kennedy (No Child Left Behind, notwithstanding.)

This phenomenon has lately been strikingly exhibited by own "liberal" Senator Wyden who has apparently embraced/legitimized the Ryan budget and is a co-sponsor of S. Res. 380, another step towards war with Iran.

Villain rotation: http://tinyurl.com/crr3r62

John Puma

 
At 6:08 AM, Anonymous me said...

John, thanks for the link. I think "villain rotation" is right on the money. This is the reason I hate Democrats even more than I hate Republicans. At least no Republican has ever claimed to be my friend!

 
At 6:36 AM, Blogger John said...

To "me":

You're welcome, glad you found the link useful.

As to being worked over by those claiming to be your friend, I have the same reaction to PBS vs FOX.

I agree with you on Lugar. His aura as a "special" Republican has long been clearly BS.

John Puma

 
At 8:28 AM, Anonymous me said...

PBS used to be OK. Some years ago, republicans forced them to take conservatives as managers, to air conservative commentary, and to play a shitload of commercials. They complied, and that is the reason I am no longer a member.

 

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