Skip to main content

DEAR FRIENDS,

If you haven't tried to place a call to your Senators today (or haven't been able to get through), please do so right now. (See lists below for where we see your Senators leaning right now.)

Rosemary Jenks (our NumbersUSA director of government relations) just called me and said her team of lobbyists is reporting that the White House has dispatched officials at the highest level to "buy" votes.

She said Senate staffers are confirming that the Administration is offering various favors of all kinds to Senators who have publicly committed themselves to a NO on cloture but who might be willing to switch votes and to Senators who haven't declared themselves yet.

"We'll have a pretty good idea after the vote tomorrow which Senators sold," Rosemary said.

Senate offices should have no question where their constituents stand -- and that is the opposite of what the White House is buying.

Our date with destiny is Tuesday morning (tomorrow) at 11:30.

That is the schedule for dealing with two unrelated bills, including the cloture vote to allow the S. 1639 Kennedy/Bush Comprehensive Amnesty Bill back on the Senate floor.

Your NumbersUSA team of lobbyists -- and our allied organizations and Senate staffers -- feel that at this time we are 5 votes short of killing this monstrosity of a bill in the first round.

But those last five are proving to be extremely difficult votes to get. Constituency pressure is proving to be about the only thing that works -- and it has worked remarkably well in places like Georgia, Texas and even beginning to work in Michigan.

The good news is that the No. 2 Democratic leader, Sen. Durbin (D-Ill.), has said he doesn't believe he can get more than 37 of the majority party to vote for the amnesty. That means the Republican leader, Sen. McConnell (R-Ky.), must persuade 23 of the 49 Republicans to go against their base and support the amnesty. And McConnell himself still isn't committing to a YES for the amnesty.

The pro-amnesty forces must get 60 Senators to vote YES tomorrow to keep the bill alive. The grassroots citizen army of people like you is the only thing that has gotten us this close to stopping the Kennedy/Bush plan.
TAKE YOUR ACTIONS

ACTION 1: Phone Your Senators

Senate Switchboard: 202-224-3121

All DC and local phone numbers for all Senators:
http://www.numbersusa.com/congressinfo/

2. ACTION 2: Fax Your Senators
www.NumbersUSA.com/actionbuffet
PEEL OFF MORE DEMOCRATS

I am so proud of all of you Democratic members of NumbersUSA who report heavy phoning of the Democratic National Committee, warning it of the political dangers of allowing the party to be solidified in the public mind as the party of amnesty.

And most of you are pledging to withhold any more donations to your Party if it continues to make amnesty a Democratic Mandate. (Thanks to all of you Republicans who are making the same pledge to the RNC.)

We think the message is starting to get through in many Democratic offices. The authoritative Roll Call newspaper reported today that the No. 2 Senate Democratic leader "Durbin has warned Republicans repeatedly that Democrats will be able to muster no more than 37 votes of the 60 needed to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the bill."

Durbin said: “Thirty-seven votes is our high-water mark. We may not be able to get that again.”

I believe you can whittle that number down before tomorrow.

DNC: 202-863-8000

We can win this fight if you can persuade NO on cloture vote out of the majority of these six Democratic Senators who are leaning against S. 1639, but who won't commit to a NO on cloture:

Bingaman (D-N.M.) -- voted NO on cloture two weeks ago
Boxer (D-Calif.) -- voted NO on cloture two weeks ago

Conrad (D-N.M.) -- voted YES on cloture but concerned about violations of the Senate budget process

Levin (D-Mich.) -- voted YES on cloture two weeks ago, but up for re-election next year and perhaps influenced by the state's junior Sen. Stabenow who has pledged a NO on cloture.

Nelson (D-Neb.) -- voted YES on cloture two weeks ago but NO on the amnesty last year. He campaigned for re-election last year as an anti-amnesty candidate. Problem is that he generally votes for cloture as a matter of principle to allow issues and candidates to get their debate. He needs to be helped to feel secure in a NO vote because the way S. 1639 is being brought up violates normal procedure and that the debate already occurred in May.

Webb (D-Va.) -- voted NO on cloture two weeks ago -- says he will likely vote NO on final bill but may vote YES on cloture to see if his amendment passes -- his amendment would reduce the number of illegal aliens getting amnesty by perhaps a third -- most people who know him well feel he has a great distaste for this whole matter of rewarding illegal behavior, as do most Virginians.

THESE DEMOCRATS HAVE PROMISED A 'NO' ON CLOTURE

Baucus (D-Mont.)
Byrd (D-W.Va.)
Dorgan (D-N.D.)
Landrieu (D-La.)
McCaskill (D-Mo.)
Pryor (D-Ark.)
Rockefeller (D-W.Va.)
Sanders (I-Vt.)
Stabenow (D-Mich.)
Tester (D-Mont.)

If any of those are your Senators, please keep calling and ask them not to accept any favors from the White House.

And please keep the pressure on all other Democrats to listen to the AFL-CIO's opposition to this bill and vote NO. I know that we have already provided you with the text of the letter of Samuel Gompers, the founder of the AFL, when he made the case for protecting American workers and unions from massive flows of foreign labor.
PERSUADE A FEW MORE REPUBLICANS?

The following list contains the Republicans most favorable toward voting NO but also who may be most susceptible to the favors the White House is selling this afternoon.

REPUBLICAN SENATORS LEANING NO ON FINAL PASSAGE BUT PROBABLY LEANING YES ON CLOTURE (when it counts)
Please do everything you can to get to these Senators and help them understand what is at stake and where the citizens of your state stand.

Bond (R-Mo.)
Burr (R-N.C.)

Cochran (R-Miss.)
Ensign (R-Nev.)

Gregg (R-N.H.)
Hatch (R-Utah)

In addition, there still is a remote chance you can persuade:

Bennett (R-Utah)
Coleman (R-Minn.)

32 DEFINITE REPUBLICAN 'NO' ON AMNESTY CLOTURE
Many of you will find ways to express tremendous appreciation and to help solidify them so that no offer from the White House or party leadership can turn them at the last moment. We know that White House and other Administration officials are meeting this afternoon and evening with some of these to change their vote.

Alexander (R-Tenn.)
Allard (R-Colo.)
Bunning (R-Ky.)

Chambliss (R-Ga.)
Coburn (R-Okla.)
Corker (R-Tenn.)

Cornyn (R-Texas)
Crapo (R-Idaho)
DeMint (R-S.C.)

Dole (R-N.C.)
Enzi (R-Wyo.)
Grassley (R-Iowa)

Hutchison (R-Texas)
Inhofe (R-Okla.)
Isakson (R-Ga.)

Roberts (R-Kan.)
Sessions (R-Ala.)
Shelby (R-Ala.)

Smith (R-Ore.)
Sununu (R-N.H.)
Thune (R-S.D.)
Vitter (R-La.)

ALL OTHER SENATORS NOT LISTED ABOVE APPEAR TO BE PLANNING TO VOTE TO HELP PASS A BILL THAT WOULD BE:
· largest amnesty for illegal aliens in history
· largest increase in foreign labor in history
· largest expansion of social welfare programs in history (to handle the 35-40 million -- mostly low-educated, low-skilled -- foreigners who would get Green Cards over the next 20 years alone

All those Senators need your constant phoning, as well. A few could still be brought to the side of American workers, students and communities and vote NO on the amnesty. And the rest need to be shown full wrath to help the others decide to stay on the side of the voters.
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Add Reply

Post

Untitled Document
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×