The Senate: Kerryesque Nuance Re The Border Fence

Source: wapo

Senate votes to fund the fence

The Senate did an abrupt about-face yesterday, voting overwhelmingly to begin paying for 370 miles of fencing and 500 miles of vehicle barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border, just three weeks after voting against the same spending.
The amendment's sponsor said senators were so embarrassed by that July 13 vote that most felt they had to reverse course and vote for it this time -- especially after so many were on record in May voting to build the fence in the first place. The amendment, which provides nearly $2 billion for the project, passed 94-3, with 66 senators switching from "no" to "yes" votes since last month.
"I think people wanted to get right," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, Alabama Republican. "People heard from their constituents after they voted to authorize the fence in May and then voted against funding it a couple of weeks ago."

Blogger reax round-up:

Right Wing News: There's a simple message the people are sending here: the House approach is right and the Senate approach is wrong. That's something every Republican in the House should remember when they sit down with the Senate later this month to try to hammer out a compromise. If something gets done, it better be because the Senate came 90% of the way towards the House, not vice-versa. If that isn't the case, if the Senate wins out, it will probably cost the GOP the House and the Senate, no matter what else happens and that's no exaggeration.

Power Line: This episode shows, I think, two things: one, how committed most of the political establishment is to "comprehensive immigration reform" that doesn't necessarily involve much in the way of border enforcement; and, two, how committed the American people are to an "enforcement first" approach to immigration reform.

Sundries Shack: Whether any of us like it or not, a wall is the very minimum level of security we can put at the border. Building more wall, and making the wall we have stronger and more effective only gives us a more secure border.

Say Anything: North Dakotans are very strong proponents of border security. It's too bad our Senate delegation is 180 degrees off of the North Dakota mainstream.

Iowa Voice: This is THE hot-button issue for this election cycle, mark my words. If voters think, even for a second, that their Representative or their Senator is going to stab them in the back on this issue and vote in an amnesty program, then they can kiss their seat good-bye. We most likely will not see an immigration bill come out of this Congress before the election (which I predicted a while back), and the reason is that it's not going to be a bill the American people are going to like, so they're not going to pass it and cost themselves an election.

Polipundit: Read My Lips. No Guest Worker Program!!!

Punditguy: The fact of the matter is, after the “no fence” vote, the constituent phone rang off the hook. Those who got through left bone chilling messages like, “I won’t be voting for you in November because you are weak on border security, and you’re an idiot too.”

Daily pundit: More boob-bait for the bubbas. The US-Mexico border is 1951 miles long. Further, as LT has pointed out many times, while the open border policy is part of the problem, it doesn't address a closed border that legally permits entrance to millions of immigrants.

Look for this bit of sleight-of-hand to be trumpeted as a "victory" for the "anti-immigration" forces.
That’s what it takes to get a reaction out of Washington. Too bad we don’t do it more often.

My take:  I think this shows just how unserious our representatives are when it comes to securing the borders and protecting it's citizens.  This is embarassing.

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