UPDATE: Possibly Bullshit and Old News; See Last Update
Update: Killer Amendment?
DRUDGE TEASER: "IMMIGRATION BILL ON THE BRINK OF COLLAPSE IN SENATE... DEVELOPING... "

Huh.

Allah says he's watching the wires and no idea yet what Drudge is teasing. I looked myself, and I can only find stuff like this:

Immigration deal survives Senate challenges, backers more optimistic it will pass

...about the Amnesty Coalition's success in thwarting amendments to either tighten security/lmiit the amnesty or make the amnesty even more generous, thus protecting the abortion from both the right and left, insuring it will please no one at all.

Perhaps a few supporters have peeled away due to their support being contingent on one of these amendments passing. Or maybe someone's just blowing smoke at Drudge.

Novak... might have already reported on why the bill may be in trouble. (Assuming it is in trouble.)

Immigration: The Senate became embroiled Tuesday afternoon in a debate over which amendments would be allowed votes on the immigration bill. The resulting squabble endangered the immigration reform bill and the fragile coalition that built it. The bill's future was on the edge this morning.

1. The clash that has led Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to file for cloture came after conservative opponents of the bill faulted the Republican leadership for abandoning them and acquiescing to Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), the bill's main sponsor. The complaint among conservatives had been that Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was not doing enough to insist on votes for their amendments, but McConnell stood up to Reid in demanding time for more votes.

2. Reid responded by announcing that he would file for cloture and that just 20 amendments would receive votes. McConnell, noting that far more amendments were considered last year, objected to the proceedings. Republican senators had been frustrated that none of their amendments could be introduced, since Democrats objected to the introduction of most of them.

3. Republican supporters of the bill -- especially Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) -- denounced Reid for showing bad faith. Reid has relented, however, by allowing some amendments. This impasse could have brought about the end of the immigration bill, leaving several Republican senators holding the bag after taking legislative action that upset their conservative base. This would work out quite well for Democrats, who benefit from keeping the issue alive longer and letting it divide the GOP.

4. Part of the problem with amendments has been that any change -- no matter how mild -- threatened to disrupt and possibly destroy the fragile coalition of senators that has come together behind the bill. The most critical amendment was that of Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), to restrict legalization of violent felons and gang members. That amendment failed 51 to 46, but a weaker version by Sen. Kennedy passed.

This may be all Drudge is teasing.

Nope: That article is already old news, as the Amnesty Coalition has already crowed that they've rescued the bill from the brink by knocking down every amendment.

Still, it is perhaps possible that some weak supporters of the bill have grown annoyed at the iron fist with which this bill -- unamended -- is being shoved down their throats.

Or perhaps they've actually read the polls, showing that "doing nothing" is now favored over their Frankamnestein monster 49-32.

If this is going to be a link, yet again, to the Politico, I'm going to be pissed off.

Nope, Not Just the Politico: Drudge has edited to now say "Reports" (plural) indicate the deal's on the brink, and tmi3rd says it's being mentioned on Fox radio, but without any more detail than Drudge has.

Is This It? If so, it's bubkis. Listen to the Fox radio feed starting around 1:00.

It's nothing, and I hope Drudge has more than this. It's just Harry Reid's promise to withdraw the bill from consideration (and blame Republicans for taking the bill -- something they'd do better to take credit for) unless he gets sixty votes for cloture tomorrow, ending all further attempts to amend the bill.

This isn't new news. He's been threatening to do this for a while. He already demanded a cloture vote tomorrow.

If that's all Drudge has regarding these "reports," then he's not merely overhyped this, then he shouldn't have hyped it at all.

Now This May Be It: Byron Dorgan's been angling to get the guest-worker provision stripped from the bill -- which is the part of the bill most attractive to pro-business(-subsidizing) corporate-conservatives.

Some of the bill's most ardent critics supported this amendment -- believing that without the guest-worker program, there won't be enough conservative supporters in favor of it.

Kaus had this a while ago. Read him for his background on "killer amendments" generally. And he notes that just weeks ago, when the immediate strip-out of the guest-worker provision was proposed, pro-union liberal Democrats voted to keep in place because they felt without the guest-worker provisions they would not have the Republican votes necessary to pass the bill.

So now the guest-worker program is gone -- in five years, at least.

Honestly, are even pro-business(-subsidy) Republican corporatists now getting anything at all out of this bill, apart from the priviledge of not being branded a racist by Lindsey Graham?

posted by Ace at 12:31 AM

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