And, you landed some of the blows!
Update! April 30th: Word goes out to the pro-amnesty crowd to get their comments in too! (see report at VDARE)
Remember on last Wednesday we asked that you tell Senator Marco Rubio what you think of the “comprehensive immigration reform” bill otherwise known as the Gang of Eight Amnesty bill and ask him to strip out the refugee/asylum program changes the bill makes. (We need Congressional hearings specifically on the Refugee Program!).
Yesterday Byron York writing at the Washington Examiner sums up the bad news for Rubio—most respondents are furious! (emphasis mine)
Senator Marco Rubio, the leading Republican behind the Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration reform proposal, has often challenged those who criticize the bill to come up with ways to improve it. And not just his fellow lawmakers; Rubio has opened a new page on his Senate website asking for help from the public. “Visit our website and submit your ideas to ‘Help Us Improve the Bill,’” says an announcement from Rubio’s office Friday. “Since the immigration legislation was introduced, Rubio has received over 1,100 suggestions for how to improve the bill. Rubio encourages the public to continue reviewing the bill and sharing their ideas on ways to make the bill better when the time comes to amend the legislation.”
What is the hold-up? Why aren’t the other one thousand or so posted? York continues:
A visit to the “Help Us Improve the Bill” page shows the senator has posted just 147 out of the 1,100 suggestions he has so far received. Rubio’s staff is reviewing each one — a wise move, given the emotions that the immigration issue can involve and the tendency of some people to say nasty things on the Internet. But even after screening for foul language and general content, the suggestions Rubio has so far received are remarkably negative. Actually, they are overwhelmingly, crushingly negative, criticizing a wide spectrum of issues included in the Gang of Eight bill. The commenters Rubio has invited to speak really, really, really don’t like what he has done.
Read York’s whole juicy piece!
Check out the 100 plus comments posted so far and see that there is a good representation of ones telling Rubio to dump the Refugee/Asylum sections—thank you!
More comments on Rubio’s comments:
VDARE has more useful commentary on Rubio’s gambit. Patrick Cleburne says it’s a dumb move and proves Rubio is dumb. I had the same feeling about Rubio as I watched his dreadful pro-bill TV spot in which he looks like an earnest kid trying to suck up to the big bully boys—like Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin, who are probably enjoying watching Rubio commit political suicide.
Then last evening VDARE reported from a reader who says his reasonable suggestion for changing the bill has not been posted. (My reasonable one has not been posted and I did it mid-week last week). The reader speculates that the Rubio team is selecting the ones that impugn Rubio’s character so that he might treat them dismissively. The readers ends with this:
One can only hope, evidence to the contrary notwithstanding, that the Senator is more intelligent than he may appear, and that these comments be a welcome pretext for him to withdraw his own support for the bill: he tried valiantly, he reached out to the opposition, but the people have spoken.
He/she has expressed my thoughts (hopes!) too, that Rubio will respond to the passion out there and gracefully back out. My blog partner, Judy, expressed misgivings about whether Rubio would make such a brave move. In an e-mail this morning she asked:
Once you’ve joined the ruling class, do you ever leave?
In fact, I would bet at this very moment, the Rubio staff (comrades of Grover) are running to the master and asking Norquist to please help gin-up comments in praise of the bill to balance out what has to be 90-plus percent of commenters who are furious with Marco Rubio.
If you haven’t yet commented, it appears that Rubio’s comment thread is still open even though they have posted nothing new in days!
Go here and tell him what you think! I know you probably hate the whole thing, but tell him specifically to strip-out, dump! the references to refugees and asylees (especially in light of the Boston horror!).
Are you on twitter? If so, please tweet this! And, follow me at Ann C @RefugeeWatcher!