Via NBC, Lindsey Graham is about to declare victory:
On Monday the Senate is scheduled to vote on a 1,200-page amendment offered by Sen. Bob Corker, R- Tenn., and Sen. John Hoeven, R- N.D., which has an initial cost of $46.3 billion – money to be used hire 20,000 Border Patrol agents and to deploy them along the Mexican border, as well as building add border fencing and setting up an electronic visa entry/exit system at all air and sea ports of entry where U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers are currently deployed.“The bill will pass,” Graham said on Fox News Sunday. “I think we are on the verge of getting 70 votes. That is my goal. It’s always been my goal. We are very, very close to 70 votes. The Hoeven-Corker Amendment I think gets us over the top.”
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But don’t think this will gain any love for Republicans:
Via The Hill:
A senior Democratic senator predicted Sunday there could be massive demonstrations in Washington if House Republicans try to block a bill to grant legal status to millions of immigrants.Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), the lead Democratic sponsor of the Senate immigration reform bill, said House Republicans would likely spark massive civil rights rallies if they try to quash measures to create a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country.This has the potential of becoming the next major civil rights movement. I could envision in the late summer or early fall if Boehner tries to bottle the bill up or put something in without a path to citizenship — if there’s no path to citizenship, there’s not a bill — but if he tries to bottle it up or do things like that, I could see a million people on the Mall in Washington,” Schumer said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Schumer said business leaders, evangelical leaders and CEOs of high tech companies would join the public call for action by the House on immigration.Schumer has counted about 67 votes for the Senate immigration bill and believes close to 70 will support final passage later this week.
The Republican Senate strategy is beyond comprehension. Schumer and others will pocket Lindsey Graham’s victory and then use it to launch protests and demagoguery against other Republicans.
If Graham thinks he’s getting his Sally Field moment, it will be just for a moment.
Update: One of the few Senators who can be proud of standing against the Gang of 8 bill, Sessions On Face The Nation: Monday Vote On 1,200 Page Immigration Amendment No One Has Read:
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