Friday, June 28, 2013

Friday, June 28, 2013

Senate Passes Amnesty Bill 

Yesterday the Senate passed its quasi-amnesty bill on a vote of 68-to-32. Fourteen Republicans joined all 54 Democrats in voting for the bill. They are: 
 

  • Lamar Alexander (TN)
    Kelly Ayotte (NH)
    Jeffrey Chiesa (NJ)
    Susan Collins (ME)
    Bob Corker (TN)
    Jeff Flake (AZ)
    Lindsey Graham (SC)
    Orrin Hatch (UT)
    Dean Heller (NV)
    John Hoeven (ND)
    Mark Kirk (IL)
    John McCain (AZ)
    Lisa Murkowski (AK)
    Marco Rubio (FL)

Often people complain, "Why can't Congress just work together and get something done?" Be careful what you wish for, my friends. More often than not, big, bi-partisan votes happen when supposed conservatives cave and support liberal ideas. 

The bill is now headed to the House. So far Speaker John Boehner is saying the right things. At a press conference yesterday, Speaker Boehner told reporters: 
 

  • "The House is not going to take up and vote on whatever the Senate passes.  We're going to do our own bill, through regular order, and it'll be legislation that reflects the will of our majority and the will of the American people.  For any legislation -- including a conference report -- to pass the House, it's going to have to be a bill that has the support of a majority of our members.

    "Listen, immigration reform has to be grounded in real border security.  That's what the American people believe, and it's a principle that our majority believes in as well.  …And if immigration reform is going to work, it's essential that the American people have the confidence that it's being done correctly.  That's how the House will approach this issue."

I was glad Speaker Boehner mentioned the "conference report." Let's assume the House comes up with a good bill that emphasizes security and guarantees that amnestied illegal immigrants can't access welfare benefits. You would have two very different bills from the House and the Senate that would go to a conference committee of a few selected representatives and senators to work out the differences. 

Time and again this closed-door, back room "conference" is where conservatives have been betrayed. We're putting the leadership on notice that we won't fall for it again. 

Perry Orders Legislators Back 

Kudos to Texas Governor Rick Perry! Perry isn't being pushed around by an angry left-wing mob and its liberal media allies. 

After a liberal filibuster killed legislation to ban late-term abortions and other important bills, Perry called the Texas legislature back for a second special session. Perry said, "I am calling the Legislature back into session because too much important work remains undone for the people of Texas. Texans value life and want to protect women and the unborn." 

The media's reporting on Wendy Davis's filibuster speaks volumes about its liberal bias. This previously unknown state senator is now a "national political star" on the left. She has gotten glowing press coverage from virtually every media outlet. 

Even the White House got in on the act with a tweet from Barack Obama. The mob that shouted down the people's elected legislators was hailed as "democracy in action." 

Where was Obama's voice when abortionist Kermit Gosnell was standing trial for "snipping" the spinal cords of live babies? Reporters had to be shamed into covering Gosnell's trial. 

Just imagine how different the coverage would be if a conservative legislator were filibustering a bill to legalize same-sex "marriage" in a liberal state and a crowd of evangelicals, Catholics and Orthodox Jews turned out to support him. There would be no tolerance, much less praise, from CBS or the New York Times. They would be denounced as bigots and fascists attempting to thwart the will of the people.

Just How Loony Is The Left? 

Pretty darn loony. Here's a good measure: A Rasmussen poll this week asked voters to identify the nation's top terror threat. Most said radical Muslims. But voters who approved of President Obama's job performance were split: 29% said radical Muslims, while 26% identified the Tea Party as the nation's top terror threat. 

My friends, do you understand why I warned yesterday about the threat to religious liberty and Christianity? A quarter of liberals believe the Tea Party is a greater threat to national security than radical Islamists! How many innocent people have been beheaded or blown up by Tea Party supporters? 

When a poll came out some years ago indicating that quite a few conservatives thought Obama was a Muslim, MSNBC's Chris Matthews would begin virtually every interview with a conservative guest by asking if they believed Obama was a Muslim or a citizen. No matter what the topic of the show was supposed to be, that is how Matthews would begin. 

It was clear what he was doing. He was trying to force that senator or congressman to insult many conservatives or look like an extremist to the average viewer. Hello, Sean Hannity! Every liberal who goes on your show should be asked whether he agrees with the quarter of his party that equates the Tea Party with radical Islamists. 

And here's one more example of loony liberalism run amok. The FBI is seeking the public's help in tracking down its most wanted terrorists. It produced a poster with the pictures of 16 terrorists with the captions "Faces of Global Terrorism" and "Stop a Terrorist. Save Lives. Up to $25 Million Reward." You can see poster the here.

Last week Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) sent a letter to FBI Director Robert Mueller complaining that the "ad featuring sixteen photos of wanted terrorists is not only offensive to Muslims and ethnic minorities, but it encourages racial and religious profiling." But according to the Seattle Times, "Seven [of the 16] are from African countries, four are from the Philippines, one each is from Malaysia and Chechnya, and three were born in the United States."

Nevertheless, Obama's FBI dutifully complied and announced Tuesday that the posters would be taken down. 

Stand With Israel 

Join me in our nation's capital for the Christians United for Israel Washington Summit!

Led by Pastor John Hagee, CUFI's Washington Summit will be held July 22-24. This year's Summit features an outstanding lineup of speakers, including:
 

  • Rep. Michele Bachmann
    Glenn Beck
    House Majority Leader Eric Cantor
    Sen. Ted Cruz
    Gov. Mike Huckabee
    And many more!

Reserve your seat today. I look forward to seeing you there!