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In corporate news mediums, it is being reported that the DREAM Act has failed in today’s session of the Senate. The legislation that would have provided a pathway for citizenship for those enrolled in college, vocational school, or the military was indeed blocked in the Senate today.
But it is not the DREAM Act that has failed. No, instead, it is lawmakers who have failed the DREAM Act.Among the Democrats in the legislative body who turned their backs on an already highly compromised version of the bill: Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Jon Tester of Montana, Max Baucus of Montana, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, and Ben Nelson of Nebraska voted against bringing the bill to the floor. That’s exactly the five votes that were needed to get to sixty and move the DREAM Act along.
Three Republicans crossed the aisle and voted for it. Had these Democrats joined them and not voted as they had, the story of this ten-year long struggle would be much different. But they didn’t and the latest attempt for the legislation was blocked by a vote of 55-41. Placating the irrational anger of xenophobes has been achieved. The following video is the flip side of what that means as lawmakers play with the future of our youth:
It’s astonishing really. In the last decade, the DREAM Act has lost its community service option and gained a military one in its place. For some undocumented youth and their advocates, this added up to being an unacceptable carrot stick draft of poor undocumented immigrants looking for a way – any way – of gaining citizenship. Indeed, the Pentagon, Department of Defense, and war criminal Colin Powell readily supported the DREAM Act as a means to fill the ranks of the military. As today’s vote goes to show, anti-immigrant xenophobia prevails over this sentiment in the Republican Party and among some Blue Dog Democrats.
What is to be sacrificed next to make it palatable? The college provision? The DREAM Act has been attached to Department of Defense budgets and in this latest attempt, was modified with mostly unfavorable changes such as lowering the qualifying age of eligibility. Still that was not enough. With an incoming Republican House next year, the chances for a Federal DREAM Act look grim. And if college students are “first in line” so to speak in terms of immigration reform, a just and comprehensive bill for the community at large looks even grimmer.
The legislation would have had an impact on young residents of Anaheim, Santa Ana and other cities in our county. Indeed, many activists from OC tried everything they could to ensure that a different outcome would prevail today. There is undoubtedly a mixture of despair and resolve.
Attention for students in California will immediately shift to incoming Democratic Governor Jerry Brown and the California DREAM Act. The state version of the bill is without many of the compromises of the Federal version. The only blockage it has faced over the years has been the veto of blockhead Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Brown toppled Whitman in November thanks in part to overwhelming support from the Latino voting community.
It’s time to give us our daps and our DREAMS.
Yeah, thank God for California. We’ve got to try to ignore the rest of the country for the next two years, and show it the way. DREAM Act, climate change, high speed rail … and maybe if the Wyden-Scott Brown bill passes which lets states do their own health care things (as long as it covers at least as much people and saves as much money as Obamacare would) we can follow Vermont and gradually get to single payer, with a robust public option.
“In corporate news mediums”
Ummm, your reporting on it’s failure too. So I guess it’s corporate news mediums, and disaffected, unsatisfied bloggers that are reporting it.
“war criminal Colin Powell”
Hmmm, last time I checked, Powell doesn’t have a room booked at the Hague. Crazy!
“many activists from OC tried everything they could to ensure that a different outcome would prevail”
I disagree. They focused on Loretta Sanchez, who was already supporting the bill. While ignoring every other Republican Congressmember. And what did they do for Loretta when she announced her co-sponsorship? Nothing. They supported Ceci in an effort to split Loretta’s Hispanic votes*, and they even threatened to walk precincts against Loretta, but when she did what they wanted, they didn’t even walk precinct for her. Great way to encourage electeds to support you!
“For some undocumented youth and their advocates, this added up to being an unacceptable carrot stick draft of poor undocumented immigrants looking for a way – any way – of gaining citizenship.”
I don’t think it’s unreasonable at all to ask for military service in exchange for citizenship, and access to Federal Loan$$$. Or in exchange for an education in general. I think it would be worth it, and a decent exchange.
Before you all jump on me, I’d like to point out that I am very much in favor of the Dream Act. I just dislike the amateur methods utilized by their members, and the pontificating that people like Gabriel and Gustavo like to engage in when the subject comes up. And boy do they hate it when any criticism comes their way! Thick skin, boys. Thick skin.
(The legislation would have had an impact on young residents of Anaheim, Santa Ana and other cities in our county.)
What about for you? Would the Dream Act have had an impact on Gabriel San Roman?
*which, btw, could have, in an alternate reality, put Van Tran in Loretta’s seat, and would have thus eliminated one of their votes, idiocy!
That sure is a lot of b.s. to swift through!
1) There is a distinction between how the corporate press reports the DREAM Act and the commentary here. It stands in spite of your lightweight intellectualism.
2) Colin Powell spread lies at the U.N. that led to an illegal invasion of Iraq. It’s a sad day when so-called Liberals are apologizing for that criminal act. Last time I checked, there was a lot of dead Iraqis and no WMD.
3) Many of the DREAM Activists in OC slagged off Ceci Iglesias. Her campaign manager partied at DREAM killer Meg Whitman’s Santa Ana office and she was called on it. Iglesias’ FB page deleted/censored all criticism from the activists. I was supposed to write that up for OJ but never got around to it. Sorry, you don’t have a point there your beloved Sanchez be damned.
4) Any and all legislation has an impact on society. Why ask how the DREAM Act impacts me personally when you claim support of it as well? It would have a positive effect in terms of social justice. That is a question that extends beyond the individual.
Hmmm no response from you in regards to my statement about Military service being a fair requirement of citizenship. 2 years active, or 4/5 reserve seems like a fair rate, don’t you think? Well we know you don’t think, but I think most reasonable people would say that it’s a fair exchange when people receive American Citizenship and all it’s benefits in return.
You didn’t counter any of my points on DT’s actions towards Loretta or INACTIONS against OC Republicans at all, probably because you know they were LAZY in those regards.
And finally, I was curious, is Gabriel San Roman a registered voter? Obviously you don’t have to answer… I’m not trying to make you feel bad about it or anything, I just thought it would be interesting if here Gabriel is, pontificating about this legislation, using terms that would indicate that he is not going to be a direct beneficiary of this legislation… when in fact he might be… and not owning up to that fact. Like I said… just curious!
If I were advising the DREAM Team – and we’ve been over this – I also would have told them not to WASTE THEIR TIME on Roharabacher, Royce, etc. Are you f-ng kidding? The only reason to go to their office to make the case for undocumented immigrants would be for theater maybe. And as far as I know they did go to them too, I shouldn’t assume they didn’t, because this is exactly what people were saying about us anti-war activists in 2007:
We met with Roharabacher and Royce at length and many times, presenting all the cases for getting out of Iraq; they listened politely but refused to change their hawkish votes, so we eventually did protests outside their offices. With Loretta, who had voted against the war but had voted repeatedly since then to continue to fund it, we met with her to try to convince her to stop FUNDING IT, and we had some protests outside her office too. Since she is a lady who understands democracy, she drove past us once and thanked us for what we were doing, which could be considered “having her back.” And SHE CHANGED HER VOTE, and stopped voting to fund the war. BECAUSE OF US.
And then what did we hear from the OC blogosphere, Steve’s precursors – specifically, Art, Claudio, Sean, and the Liberal OC? What jerks and idiots we were to protest Loretta, the one OC legislator who is somewhat on our side, and why were we too wimpy to go to the Republican men? Buncha idiots. Still makes me mad. You’re following in their footsteps.
NO offense Vern, but the only thing the dream team should hire you for is to play the piano for them. Buttttt I think they’d prefer an accordion player.
Nice dumb comeback to everything I just said, Steve.
Steve, you’ve already said all that at length, and it’s still just as off target as ever. We had this argument at length, months ago.
And what do we know since then? Ceci was no threat at all to Loretta, despite the flirtations of SOME Dreamers; Van Tran didn’t come close to knocking off Loretta. And was the bill helped? It passed the House, it came pretty close in the Senate. What’s for sure is the debate over the bill in the OC raised people’s awareness of it, which I think is always a good thing.
We’re still waiting for your post on something new, thick-skinned guy.
1) The DREAMERs that could vote, didn’t vote for Iglesias. Skywalker has not a point there. He just doesn’t like it when movement pressure is applied to establishment politicians (because the politics of a corporate state are so much more “enlightened”)
2) I don’t like the military provision as it would function as a backdoor draft. No comprehensive immigration reform, school enrollments tightening up…these are the perfect conditions for majority recruitment of undocumented youth with few to no options. My father was a Vietnam Veteran. Oddly enough, considering the DREAM Act’s two heads, he stressed education to keep me from living the experience that is the hell of war. That being said, I understand the political dynamics of D.C. and even with a militarized version of the bill, it can not pass. Sad days indeed. The DREAM Act should include the community service provision as a way to not limit the options of the youth and make the suave talk of recruiters less persuasive.
3) As to whether or not I’m a registered voter. Yes I am. Since 2000 when I cast my vote for Ralph Nader out of pure disgust of the Clinton presidency and the Gore/Libierman ticket!
I think 2008 was the only year I voted for the winner in a Presidential election. And most days I feel a little bit like a sucker for my high hopes for Obama. Of course, all those years I either lived in Texas or California, so it didn’t matter that much who I voted for, the Reep was gonna win in TX and the Dem in CA.
80 – Carter
84 – Mondale
88 – Dukakis, holding nose (couldn’t stand the thought of 4 more years of a Republican)
92 – Nader
96 – Nader
2000 – Nader (tho’ I called my friends in places like Ohio and Missouri and begged them to vote for Gore)
04 – Kerry, holding nose
08 – Obama, with high hopes.
Yea, DREAM on pal…this worthless piece of crap is dead forever. This was pure and simple amnesty for illegals. Too bad. Want a cause? Go fix your mother country and get the hell out of mine.
Solanzo, you’re quite the ignorant idiot. Fix their country? what?
The Dream Act:
A ideal deserving of merit, whapped around a POS law.
If you want Mexicans to become Americans in one act, try Annexation Act instead.
“this latest attempt, was modified with mostly unfavorable changes” (even Gabriel San Roman thinks it’s a POS)
Isn’t it time that the mighty USA stop stealing the youth of Mexico to work in McDonalds or Jack in Box. Its time to let the educate youth of Mexico return home and build a better country for themselves and their families.
I’d also like to ask, since Steve claims to support the Act, and has obviously put so much thought into it: What has he done, and what will he do, to help it pass? What is the great Skywalker’s wise course of action?
Vern,
I don’t ‘claim’ anything. This isn’t some abstract policy position for me, like I suspect it is for you. My parents came to the USA as illegal immigrants. Economic refuges really, but whatever, it’s just a term. Just some personal info, my entire family except one small branch came here that way. Smuggled in cars. Walking across deserts. Constantly under the threat of rape, murder, or robbery. I never claimed to be an active proponent of it, I merely stated that I ‘supported’ it. For example, had it been a referendum item, or were I an elected official, I’d be pre-disposed to voting for it. It’s not an issue I invest any time in what-so-ever, and I never made it seem otherwise.
Nice ouch-contest litany. You win. If I were you I’d probably be more outspoken and active on immigration reform in general. Not just “pre-disposed to vote for it.”
Also, justice and equality is more than just an “abstract policy position” to me; it helps me get out of bed in the morning.
Good Vote !! Wow, choosing Americans over illegals. What is this world coming to? I don’t know about the Cal Dream Act but it would not surprise me to have it happen here. We are going down anyway here, might as well enact it here, have all the illegals flock here and spare the rest of the nation the expense and crime of illegal immigration.
Who were the Repuglicans who voted for Dream Act?
The good Republicans were three who are unafraid of Tea Party primary challenges or punishment from Mitch McConnell:
Bennet of Utah who was already primaried-out by a Tea-Partier and had time for one brave last vote;
Lisa Murkowski who was thrown under the bus by the GOP, and you lot are gonna have to keep an eye on her for the next six years!
and Dick Lugar who has a long history of being reasonable on this and other issues – in fact he helped write the bill. He IS being threatened with a Tea Party primary challenger in ’12 but HE DON’T CARE CUZ HE’S A HOOSIER INSTITUTION!
What a deal! the Dream Act did not pass BECAUSE DEMOCRATS!!!!!!!!!!><Ho..Ho…Ho..MErry Cristmas LIBERALS !. What a sad day!!!!!!!!.
If what Steve says is true, and he comes from a family of mojados, then I nominate him as a bigger vendido than the Don Papi and the epitome of that old American adage that immigrants love to pull up the bridge behind them after they crossed over. Only in Orange County…
Steve: I have heard few people talk as much crap on Dreamers as you. You’re a disgrace to true progressives, which means you’re a natural for the OC Democratic Party.
I never talked ‘crap’ on dreamers, merely provided my opinion on their campaigning here in OC. Which in my opinion, and the opinion of others who are competent and work in campaigns in OC, was very poor indeed. It appears that it was poor on a much larger scale as well… seeing as how their lobby failed to garner the support it needed in the Senate.
Maybe if they talked to more Republicans…. oh wait! That was Steve’s advice!
Say what you will about me, but at least I don’t make my living off salacious statements integrated with witty uses of derogatory terms. Those 10 mins are almost over!
5 Democrats in the Senate essentially killed the DREAM Act. Three Republicans crossed the aisle. DREAM Activists, contrary to your “enlightenment,” phone banked and lobbied the hell out of them to get their vote.
Again you have no point. Personal disdain and detachment are misinforming you.
See… you choose to look at it like ‘5 Dems KILLED the Dream Act’. Really, a stupid way of analyzing the situation. They aren’t obligated to vote by party lines. They never proclaimed to support the Dream Act. They never said they would. They all come from politically anti-immigrant states…So tell me how 5 Dems killed it when they never supported it? What about the Reps, who overwhelming voted against it? Didn’t they kill it really? Don’t be thick, especially somewhere that will save the evidence of your stupidity forever.
Oh and of course, Here’s Gabriel coming to the rescue of his master and idol!
It’s not a stupid way at all. You just don’t like it because it is critical of the Democrats (a party I have never supported or joined)
And where do I “come to the rescue” of anyone? You call a a certain lawmaker “Queen Bee” and have no stance from which to criticize anybody of idolatry!
These are the convenient arguments you resort to because you have wrongly accused OC DREAM activists of supporting Ceci Iglesias until the end and of not taking into their strategy the phone banking and lobbying of Republican lawmakers…
Contend with those if you seek any future responses from me.
It appears that it was poor on a much larger scale as well… seeing as how their lobby failed to garner the support it needed in the Senate.
Maybe if they talked to more Republicans…. oh wait! That was Steve’s advice!
Yeah, right, it’s the OC Dream Team’s fault that Baucus and Pryor and 3 other DINOS voted against it; if only they had made their case for liberalized immigration to Dana Rohrabacher, Baucus would have listened. Just stop this.
It all boils down to Loretta Sanchez and little more…
horray today america won over the evils of ILLEGALS AND ALL THEIR AMENSTY BACKERS . . so my song ot them is HEY BABY NO PASO . american kids get 1st crack not illegals .
(speakin’ of what gustavo just described, our vendido cubano right on cue!)
pull the bridge after they come over . most of them that come here DONT ASIMULATE WITH THIS COUNTRY . you got the illegal alien lovers like pedroza , vern , gustavo and san gab , who dont understand AMERICAN KIDS COME 1ST . this was a backdoor amensty program to try and get more illegals here ..
Gustavo – pardon, but I could use a definition of mojado and vendido – I honestly do not know what those words mean.
mojados = wetbacks
vendidos = sellouts
Thank God this didn’t pass. What a terrible idea, rewarding law breakers. This just shows how out of touch congress is with the majority of the American people. What a travesty that this “dream” act, or maybe better called a night mare act was even considered in the first place.
Lee —
Before you spew Know Nothing psuedo-truisms, try a little research, like finding this Gallup poll showing a majority of Americans to be in favor of the DREAM Act.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/145136/Slim-Majority-Americans-Vote-DREAM-Act-Law.aspx
Shame on DEMOCRATS with ALL the senator that they have currently “they”coul not pass the dream act!!!!!!!!!!!.
LETS MAKE THIS CLEAR THIS ACT DID NOT PASS BECAUSE DEMOCRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!,. ?No question about it!!!!!!!.
Vern – thanks. Now I can make some sense of it, so I guess I am now enlightened.
Re: A good reason why I placed my emphasis on Democrats (and am not the only one to do so):
From Politico:
Senate Democrats came up five votes short of the 60 needed to advance the House-passed bill, which would provide a path to citizenship for up to illegal immigrants brought to the country as children if they attend college or join the military for two years. The 55-41 vote was mostly along party lines, though a handful of Democrats — perhaps fearful of their 2012 election outlook — also voted against the DREAM Act.
From Matt Coker’s Navel Gazing blog post:
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin pleaded with his colleagues from the floor to vote for the DREAM Act:
“Many of you have told me that you’re lying awake at night, tossing and turning over this vote, because you know how hard it’s going to be politically, that some people will use it against you,” Durbin reportedly said. “But I might say, if you can summon the courage to vote for the DREAM Act today, you will join ranks with senators before you, who came to the floor of these United States and made history with their courage. Who stood up and said the cause of justice is worth the political risk.”
The U.S. Senate chambers is obviously the wrong place to go searching for courage.
Yeah Gabe but on the other hand don’t neglect the larger picture – over 90% of Dems DID vote for this, and for some of THEM it was a brave vote, coming at an anti-immigrant time in our history. I join you in anger at the 5 DINOs and the bulk of Rethuglicans.
And maybe if I put these two facts in bold, Steve will notice them and file them away, and be quiet and go write about something new like I’ve been hoping he would:
Members of the OC Dream Team who could vote, did NOT support Ceci.
And-
Hello, Steve, are you listening? The Dream Team DID lobby Republicans, tirelessly. Just like us war protesters have, ever since 2003. You got that? You are not entitled to your OWN FACTS.
You and I have gentlemenly disagreements as to the bigger picture. A Democratic administration had deported more immigrants than the previous Bush regime and has continued with secure communities/287 (g) etc.
True, Democrats were the only hand to play for the most part for this bill. But they watered the DREAM Act down from what it was ten years ago (in courting rightward conservatism) It was a failed strategy ultimately. Also the bill’s greatest supporters couched their advocacy in speeches that derided the acts of DREAMers parents. I’m sure DREAMers don’t think of what their parents did in similar terms.
Secondly, two small modifications to your bold print type.
OC DREAM Activists took Iglesias to task for her campaign manager’s support of Meg Whitman. I didn’t say they ultimately supported or voted for Sanchez.
And, my other statement was to the larger national DREAM Movement’s phone banking and lobbying of the Senate Republicans who crossed the aisle. (Not to mention the targeted sit-ins at John McCain and other Senator’s offices in DC where LA/OC DREAMers took part in.)
Fixed. Gracias.
Cool. I guess all that left to do is have those questions contended with 😉
Hey, where did Steve go???
One more reason why No minority SHOULD NOT BE A DEMOCRAT!. THIS PARTY FROM ITS ROOTS SUPPORTS SLAVERY! DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE RECENTLY DEATH DEMOCRAT SENATOR ROBERT BIRD? HE WAS A RECRUITER OF THE KKK! DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE DEMOCRAT PARTY AND EX PRESIDENT JACKSON COMMITED A GENOCIDED AGAINST CHEROKIES AT GEORGEA AND IS DOCUMENTED AS THE TRAIL OF TEARS!? BE CAREFUL WHAT ARE YOU WISH FOR!. DEMOCRATS HAD MONTHS AGO FILIBUSTER MAJORITY IN THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE, BUT THEY “DECIDED” NOT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS SOCIAL ISSUES,. THEREFORE IT THEIR SOLO RESPONSABILITY FOR KILLING THIS ACT!!!!!!!!!!! NOT SCAPE GOAT ALLOWED!
P.S.
I’m not going for the republicans either!
i was a victim of affirmative action in college. why did the sins of my parents get visited upon me?
DWM, no offense, but it’s hard to believe that your race is what kept you out of whatever college you didn’t get into.
I’m just sayin’, your spelling, your punctuation, I’m sure you’re a fine contractor but maybe not the scholarly type?
it was not about “not getting in”, I was heavily recruited. It was about the “perks” given to minorities and not to me. this is a blog, I type fast so don’t rely on spelling = smarts (except for genious, lol)
One obvious structural critique that this political drama lays bare and that I failed to mention is how incredibly UNDEMOCRATIC the Senate is. Once again, with the House and public opinion being what it was, the Senate, and its procedural systems, has once again served its historical purpose as a systemic block against the expressed desires of “the bewildered herd” (in the words of Lippman)
Democracy? DREAM on…