The wicked/wimpy immigration bill is dead

The Senate on Thursday night rejected an effort to shut down debate on comprehensive immigration legislation, casting doubt that the 110th Congress will hand President Bush a signature domestic achievement in his final two years in office. Supporters couldn't even muster a majority vote.

Ending two weeks of emotional debate, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is pulling the bill from the floor after the 45-50 vote. Supporters of the measure fell 15 shy of reaching the 60 vote threshold needed to move toward a final vote on the underlying bill. Reid said he may bring the bill back to the floor later this year if there can be an agreement with Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on debating a set number of amendments.

[The Hill] [LA Times] [Roll Call Vote on Cloture]

John Hawkins @ Right Wing News gives the inside story.

Bloodspite @ Techography has a roundup of posts by blogs and columnists fighting for its death, and now celebrating.

Thanks to all who helped fight off this bad bill.

optional ACE comments and more in the continuation

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Now that this omnibus bill (with more words than the Bible) conceived in a smoky back room is dead, we can push for a series of simpler bills which address the problems in a logical priority order.

We first need a bill dealing only with border security (stopping the leak), and we need to see progress on its provisions.  Enforcement (and possibly strengthening) of laws against the hiring of illegal immigrants will also help stop the inward flow. We need to deport those illegal aliens who are increasing crime and are a net drain on our economy by using services which outweigh their contribution. Then, and only then, we can seek to accommodate those illegal aliens who have shown themselves to be candidates for good, solid citizens.

Politically speaking, both parties will try to pin the blame on the other one, in hopes of gaining hispanic voters. Despite bringing up two votes for cloture, Reid says the Republicans were given ample opportunity to bring up amendments. He's calling it "the President's bill:"

"This is the president's bill. He has worked long and hard. This bill that's on the floor is not a Democratic bill, it is a bill that was worked on by Democrats and Republicans in cooperation with the president.''

Don't you know if it had passed, he would have lauded it as Ted Kennedy's bill and a great success for the new Dem majority.

But, it may backfire on Reid, as the average Hispanic is only going to notice the majority Dems couldn't get a bill passed.

In any case, a bad bill shouldn't be passed just to gain votes.

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Hot Air sums up WaPo's chastising of all concerned as "Can't we all just get get along and pass this crappy, ruinous legislation?"

Per the Conservative Outpost, the latest Rasmussen Poll showed weak (and weakening) public support for the bill:

Public support for the Senate immigration reform bill has slipped a bit over the past week. A Rasmussen Reports poll conducted Monday and Tuesday night found that just 23% of voters now support the bill while 50% are opposed.Last week, 26% supported the Senate bill while 48% were opposed.

While favoring an immigrant-friendly society, most Americans also favor a society in which the laws are observed by everyone. By a 3-to-1 margin, voters say it doesn’t make sense to consider additional laws until the government first gains control of the borders and enforces existing laws.

The marshaling of pressure against the ill-conceived bill has been impressive, but we must remain vigilant.

Billy Hollis @ QUANDO:

It's possible that this is a feint by the backers while they reposition and hope for some cool-down in public opposition. Let's hope not. Even if one assumes (as I most certainly do not) that we need comprehensive immigration reform before focusing on enforcement of existing law, it's still a dumb idea to fling something together and try to rush it past the public, without even the writers of the bill having time to consider the likely consequences.

Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) summarizes (in 8 minutes worth watching) the history of immigration law and the current "grand compromise" [h/t Hot Air]

Jeff Sessions (R-AL) says what he thinks of the "Masters of the Universe" who developed the compromise and the process of voting down amendments which disagree with the master plan: