Climate: Graham’s Immigration Hissyfit Threatens Energy Bill, Kerry Delays Debut

(10 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

Senator Lindsey Graham(R, SC) has dutifully assumed his cloak and dagger as the Village Villain du Jour, thrown a last minute hissyfit on the Saturday before Sen. John Kerry was to reveal the long anticipated Climate and Energy Bill on Monday, and is holding his breath and threatening to turn beet red unless the Senate ignores the immigration issue this year.   http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wi…

The support of Graham was sought because it was assumed that of Senators Ben Nelson(D, Mutual of Omaha) and Blanche Lincoln(D, Walmart of Bentonville) would not automatically be forthcoming, after their performances during the health insurance bailout bill which was passed earlier this spring.

Now Graham is petulant, on cue, after the Arizona state legislature went neo Nazi on the Hispanic and Latino voter demographic, and the Arizona governor signed the law yesterday mandating proof of residency be shown on demand to police.  Graham says his confidence is “destroyed” that the Senate would be able to multi task on 2 topics during the rest of the year.

Hurrah!

(Oh well, guess that vacation the Obama family decided to take in the Carolinas for BBQ and golf this weekend didn’t pan out

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/… )

Senator Joe Lieberman(Party of One, Loyalty to None, CT), not to be outdone, issued the following statement tonight:

From the

http://blogs.courant.com/capit…

“I want to thank Senator Graham for his contribution to writing the American Power Act and I regret that allegations of partisan politics will prevent us from introducing the bill on Monday as planned,” Lieberman said.

“I know from all of our work over the past year that Senator Graham shares our commitment to this bill that will create American jobs, move us closer to energy independence, and reduce pollution.  I look forward to Senator Graham rejoining our efforts after we work through the concerns that are preventing us from advancing a cause the three of us believe in so deeply.

“I remain committed to the American Power Act and am excited about what passage of the bill will do to promote energy security and invigorate our economy.  I will not give up and will continue to work with Senator Kerry, Senator Graham, and the broad coalition of industry and environmental support this bill has generated to pass the American Power Act this year.”

(Oh, well, guess that Federal flood disaster declaration for 3 counties in Connecticut recently ravaged by severe flooding signed by the President on Friday didn’t have much of an impact, either. http://blogs.courant.com/capit… )

Majority Leader Reid (D, Deer In the Searchlights, NV), locked in a tough re election race against the Mighty Chicken Wielding Sue Lowden and the Tea Party Goliath PR Machine of Russo Marsh & Rogers, issued one of his usual precise, take no holds declarations as to which issue would be abandoned to the Republican demands for more bipartisanshipthingee today, April 24th.

“As I have said, I am committed to trying to enact comprehensive clean energy legislation this session of Congress. Doing so will require strong bipartisan support and energy could be next if it’s ready,” Reid said in a prepared statement. “I have also said we will try to pass comprehensive immigration reform. This too will require bipartisan support and significant committee work that has not yet begun.”

The plot thickens:

More from Graham:

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wi…

“I want to bring to your attention what appears to be a decision by the Obama Administration and Senate Democratic leadership to move immigration instead of energy,” Graham wrote in a letter Saturday.

“Unless their plan substantially changes this weekend, I will be unable to move forward on energy independence legislation at this time.

“I am very disappointed with this turn of events and believe their decision flies in the face of commitments made weeks ago to Senators Kerry, Lieberman and me. I deeply regret that election year politics will impede, if not derail, our efforts to make our nation energy independent,” the letter continues.

Graham has worked to craft immigration legislation with Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) but accuses Democrats of rushing ahead on the issue haphazardly.

Commitments ?

Working with Schumer already ?

Do tell !

March 20, 2010.  Los Angeles Times.

http://articles.latimes.com/20…

Reporting from Washington – The lone Republican senator inclined to support the Obama administration’s bid to pass a major immigration overhaul said Friday that if a healthcare bill passes this weekend, the immigration effort is dead for the year.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is considered a crucial player in the immigration debate — a Republican prepared to cross party lines and vote for a bill that would provide a path to legal status for the 11 million people living in the U.S. illegally.

Graham has spent months working with Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) to draft an immigration bill. The two met privately with President Obama last week, delivering a three-page blueprint.

Life’s a stitch and then somebody remembers what you said last month.

Chuckie and Lindsey being best buddies in the WAPO the day before, March 19th.  The Right Way to Mend Immigration

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…

Our plan has four pillars: requiring biometric Social Security cards to ensure that illegal workers cannot get jobs; fulfilling and strengthening our commitments on border security and interior enforcement; creating a process for admitting temporary workers; and implementing a tough but fair path to legalization for those already here.

We would require all U.S. citizens and legal immigrants who want jobs to obtain a high-tech, fraud-proof Social Security card. Each card’s unique biometric identifier would be stored only on the card; no government database would house everyone’s information. The cards would not contain any private information, medical information or tracking devices. The card would be a high-tech version of the Social Security card that citizens already have.

Yeah, sure. No government database, uh huh.  This is going to go over swell.

Well, they passed the Health Insurance Bailout Bill and so this turkey already is DOA for the year, so this is just more posturing.

Your move, Senator Kerry.

Climate change. Burning a dwindling supply of fossil fuels endlessly and as fast as we can, acidifying the oceans, dumping CO2 into the atmosphere, and suffocating us under a blanket of heat, melting the glaciers and polar ice caps.  Endless war over finite resources.    Lead ?  Follow ?  Or get thrown out of the way by the Tea Party Republicans ?

The United States Senate.  Where Legislation Goes To Die.