Illegal Immigration Watch: Reid’s Cloture Motion Fails – Is Senate Immigration Bill DEAD?

Senate Refuses to Limit Debate on Immigration Plan

The Senate refused to limit debate on overhauling U.S. immigration law as Democrats urged President George W. Bush to rally Republicans to rescue the legislation.

The 33 votes to shut off debate were 27 short of the 60 needed by Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada to bring to a conclusion debate on legislation to grant legal status to 12 million undocumented aliens. He said he would seek another vote later today.

Reid appealed to Bush to twist the arms of Republicans who voted against limiting debate, saying an inability to pass the legislation would produce headlines that the “president fails again.”

“This is the president’s bill. He has worked long and hard,” Reid said. “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.”

Looks like the Senate Immigration Bill is on life support after Senate Majority Leader’s Cloture motion failed this morning. Reid has previously stated that he’d pull the bill from the floor if he doesn’t get 60 votes, saying there’s been ample time to debate and vote on this bill — and that he’s got an ambitious legislative schedule ahead.

But, what Reid is NOT saying is the Democrat leadership wants to prohibit GOP corrective amendments that the GOP base demand. So, he blames President Bush.

Damn…. Reid sounds like a broken record – blame Bush.

The bill looks dead.

Let’s hope so.

Update:

Apparently not.

There will be another cloture vote this evening.

Even after it failed this morning, Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid says there will be an identical procedural vote later today on the immigration reform bill. That vote, which requires 60 for passage, would limit debate and amendments and put the bill on the path to a final vote. It failed earlier 33-63, with all the Republicans and about a third of Democrats voting against Reid.

Moments ago in a off-camera briefing, Reid said if the vote failed again he’d pull the bill from the floor indefinitely saying, “the bill’s over with. The bill’s gone.” He never said it was dead, but indicated he clearly had other priorities to put before the Senate in the coming weeks.

If the GOP fails to block this bill, there will be an uprising of the GOP base. If Senators like Trent Lott ( who spoke this morning) think the GOP voter base will sit still for this,they are sadly mistaken.

There WILL BE an angry reaction for this GOP lay down.

And CONSEQUENCES.

Previous:

Illegal Immigration Watch: Senate Immigration Bill Supporters More Optimistic

Illegal Immigration Watch: Recipe for Failure

Michael Ramirez on President Bush and the Senate Illegal Immigration Amesty Bill

Illegal Immigration Watch: WSJ and the Senate Immigration Bill

Illegal Immigration Watch: Republican National Committee Fires Phone Solicitors

Miss USA Booed by Mexican Miss Universe Audience

Mark Steyn Watch: So Much News, So Little Sense

Illegal Immigration Watch: The Gang of 12

Rudy Giuliani Watch: Rudy Opposes Senate Immigration Bill

Illegal Immigration Watch: Senate Postpones Immigration Bill

Illegal Immigration Watch: Rush to Border Judgment

The Illegal Immigration Archive

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