It’s beginning to look like that monstrosity of an immigration bill, is going down in flames. The Congresscritters are starting to get the message that this is a wildly unpopular bill, and at the moment what we have is a number of people trying to save face. Let me say this plainly, so there’s no mistaking me; We should not let them save face. They should pay the penalty for backing this bill.
John Hawkins [1] has been watching this one closely , perhaps more closely than most. And one paragraph that he puts up fairly well tells the story:
Last but not least, I talked to my source about the shots Trent Lott and Lindsey Graham have taken at people opposed to the bill. My source replied that when this whole thing started, these guys were cocky and thought they’d get this bill through with 70 votes, no problem. But now, because of the blogs and talk radio, they’ve lost the public debate on the issue and they know it. So, at this point, they’re way out on a limb supporting a wildly unpopular bill that may or may not pass, and they’re lashing out in frustration. He added that a lot of Republican senators have been offended and embarrassed by their comments and are worried that the voters will lump them in with Graham and Lott.
Well, no duh. The Republicans should seriously consider cutting their losses on those two.
There are of course others, who have been going along for the sake of Party Unity, who took far too long to respond to the rank and file, such as Kay Bailey Hutchinson. And President Bush, for that matter. Mitch McConnell. And of course John Kyl, who should be handed his walking papers before the echo dies. Byebye. Seeya. These are people that know better, or ought to. There’s no excuse for it.
It’s about time that the message gets sent from the RNC; You either act like Republicans, or you can start acting like ex- officeholders. Lott in particular, as I said earlier today [2], really should know better. The Republicans and an awful lot of their supporters went to the mat for this bozo, basically pulling his cheeks out of the fire… and look at how we get repaid.