I used these anti-DREAM Act talking points (mix & match) in phone calls to the DC offices of the six Democratic senators from Montana and adjacent states, plus Nebraska. I’ve also sent several letters to the editor today using these ideas, but even if printed, they likely won’t be in time for the vote, which will probably be Tuesday afternoon, 9/21.
I’ll also provide links below to two resources from NumbersUSA. People need to step up, Tuesday morning, and phone their own senators saying “No DREAM Act under any circumstances,” then pick some neighboring-state senators and do the same.
Talking points:
- It’s actually mass amnesty for up to 2.1 million illegal aliens (supposedly young people, but actually up to age 35!).
- It will inevitably lead to the DREAM beneficiaries’ parents getting legal status later, sponsored by their amnestied offspring, so it’s really an amnesty-with-a-delay for those parents, too (they’re the original criminals)
- It will be as fraud-ridden as the 1986 amnesty, since it contains no safeguards against it. The government would actually have to disprove fraudulent claims.
- That 1986 IRCA amnesty legalized 2.7 million (instead of the expected one million). IRCA was promised to be one time, never again, but it was followed by six further amnesties.
- And now there are at least 10 million illegal aliens in the country!
- Amnesties solve nothing. They merely play us citizens for fools.
Here’s a the link to a pointed essay about DREAM by Rosemary Jenks, NumbersUSA’s chief expert on Capitol Hill. And below is Roy Beck’s commentary on which senators need our attention (a large fraction of them!). But first, to emphasize one thing Roy says below:
Frankly, friends, we need not only to defeat this amnesty but to crush it in order to scare off Senate leaders from bringing this or another amnesty up for a vote during the lame duck session after the elections.
Here is Roy Beck’s message:
DEMOCRATS WHO VOTED AGAINST AMNESTY IN 2007 BUT NOT YET RELIABLE THIS WEEK Folks, if we don’t hold these seven Democrats, we may be in big trouble. Capitol Hill news services are reporting today that they don’t find a single one of these who has yet committed to voting AGAINST the DREAM amnesty this week, even though they voted against it when NumbersUSA activists mobilized to kill it in autumn of 2007.
Not surprisingly, none of these seven is up for re-election this year. So, you need to hit them forcefully enough to make them think you will remember when they DO come up for re-election in later years.
Some of these Senators are talking like there are significant changes in the bill that may allow them to vote for it this time. Talk about that when you call their offices. Tell them that this bill still:
- covers everybody up to age 35;
- is wide open to fraud because people only have to CLAIM to meet criteria and the government has to PROVE that their claims are false;
- is open to at least 2.1 million illegal aliens (even before fraud);
- allows illegal aliens to arrive as late as age 15 and claim that they don’t know the language or culture of their home country and, thus, should not be forced to go back home.
These are top priorities:
Sen. Pryor of Arkansas 202-224-2353 501-324-6336
Sen. Landrieu of Louisiana 202-224-5824 225-389-0395
Sen. McCaskill of Missouri 202-224-6154 314-367-1364
Sen. Baucus of Montana 202-224-2651 406-657-6790
Sen. Tester of Montana 202-224-2644 406-449-5401
Sen. Conrad of North Dakota 202-224-2043 701-258-4648
Sen. Dorgan of North Dakota 202-224-2551 701-239-5389
DEMOCRATS ON THE FENCE WHO ARE GOOD PROSPECTS Senators Stabenow and Ben Nelson voted for the amnesty in 2007. But we feel they could be persuaded to vote otherwise now that we are in a Jobs Depression.
And Sen. Hagan is a new Senator who has been indicating opposition to the amnesty but still doesn’t seem guaranteed.
Sen. Stabenow of Michigan 202-224-4822 313-961-4330
Sen. Nelson of Nebraska 202-224-6551 402-441-4600 or 402-391-3411
Sen. Hagan of North Carolina 202-224-6342 336-333-5311 or 919-856-4630
REPUBLICANS ON THE FENCE Here are Republicans who still won’t promise to vote against a massive new illegal-alien amnesty.
Frankly, friends, we need not only to defeat this amnesty but to crush it in order to scare off Senate leaders from bringing this or another amnesty up for a vote during the lame duck session after the elections.
Most of these Republicans (not all) tend to put the desire of greedy businesses for cheap foreign labor over the needs of their unemployed constituents. They can use your educational assistance.
Sen. Murkowski of Alaska 202-224-6665 907-271-3735
Sen. LeMeiux of Florida 202-224-3041 904-398-8586
Sen. Lugar of Indiana 202-224-4814 317-226-5555
Sen. Brownback of Kansas 202-224-6521 785-233-2503
Sen. Collins of Maine 202-224-2523 207-945-0417
Sen. Snowe of Maine 202-224-5344 207-874-0883
Sen. Brown of Massachusetts 202-224-4543 617-565-3170
Sen. Gregg of New Hampshire 202-224-3324 603-225-7115
Sen. Voinovich of Ohio 202-224-3353 614-469-6697
Sen. Hutchison of Texas 202-224-5922 214-361-3500
DEMOCRATS WHO MAY BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO PRESSURE FROM THEIR CONSTITUENTS These tend to lean in favor of foreign workers over unemployed Americans.
But they have NOT co-sponsored the DREAM Act amnesty even though Party Leaders have almost made support of this amnesty a litmus test for being a real Democrat. So, something is holding them back. Provide them some more reasons.
Sen. Begich of Alaska 202-224-3004 907-271-5915
Sen. Shaheen of New Hampshire 202-224-2841 603-647-7500
Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico 202-224-6621 505-346-6791
Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio 202-224-2315 216-522-7272
Sen. Wyden of Oregon 202-224-5244 503-326-7525
Sen. Casey of Pennsylvania 202-224-6324 412-803-7370
Sen. Johnson of South Dakota 202-224-5842 605-332-8896
Sen. Warner of Virginia 202-224-2023 804-775-2314
Sen. Webb of Virginia 202-224-4024 703-573-7090
Sen. Goodwin of West Virginia 202-224-3954 304-342-5855
Sen. Rockefeller of West Virginia 202-224-6472 304-347-5372
SENATORS WHO ARE CO-SPONSORING THE ‘DREAM’ AMNESTY
Just because the following Senators are outspoken in their support for favoring illegal foreign workers over unemployed U.S. citizens and legal immigrants already here, they should not be allowed to feel that such a position is safe.
I know a lot of you want to shout in anger at Congress. Well, here’s your list.
You can reach these through the Switchboard at 202-224-3121 or in our Congress directory (I apologize that this directory is loading sluggishly today).
Give special attention to Boxer, Gillibrand, Lincoln and Mikulski, all of whom are running for re-election in November.
(AR) Lincoln (CA) Boxer (CA) Feinstein (CO) Bennet (not Bennett of Utah) (CO) Udall (not Udall of New Mexico) (CT) Dodd (CT) Lieberman (DE) Carper (DE) Kaufman (FL) Nelson (HI) Akaka (HI) Inouye (IL) Burris (IL) Durbin (IN) Bayh (IN) Lugar (IA) Harkin (MD) Cardin (MD) Mikulski (MA) Kerry (MI) Levin (MN) Franken (MN) Klobuchar (NV) Reid (NJ) Lautenberg (NJ) Menendez (NM) Bingaman (NY) Gillibrand (NY) Schumer (OR) Merkley (PA) Specter (RI) Reed (RI) Whitehouse (VT) Leahy (VT) Sanders (WA) Cantwell (WA) Murray (WI) Feingold