Senator Graham threatens immigration over deemed health care

Graham told Democrats, if you force health care on the American people you can kiss immigration reform goodbye.

"If the healthcare bill goes through this weekend, that will, in my view, pretty much kill any chance of immigration reform passing the Senate this year," Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said late Friday.

Senator Graham put it all on the line for Latinos. Late backroom deals have led to speculation that President Obama promised Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), the author of the Congress immigration bill, his word that if he changed his vote from ‘no’ to ‘yes’ the immigration reform legislation would move to the top of the lawmaking list.

Graham’s statement about moving forward on immigration concerns those on the left, as there are currently no other Republicans willing to step in work with Democrats. Insiders say that immigration reform is a dead issue without some form of bipartisanship.

Battered Republicans are staging their final stand by demanding Democrats actually stand in the House and cast their vote the old fashion way by saying ‘yeah or nay’ on Sunday. Although Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is still threatening to “deem the bill passed” which would prevent members of the House from an actual vote.

Taking immigration reform off the table is just the latest tactic Republicans are using to stop Obama care from becoming the law of the land.

Graham has spent months working with Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) to draft an immigration bill. The two Senators met with President Obama last week, presenting a three-page blueprint for immigration reform.

"If the Republicans want to be responsible for killing immigration reform, they are going to send an unmistakable signal to the Latino community that they don't care about them. And the Republican Party will have to take their chances at the polls in November and in 2012," Eliseo Medina, a union representative who is working with the White House on immigration changes.

However, Republicans say the trillion dollar health care plan racked with new taxes and regulation will all but ensure a sweep in the House and the Senate in November.


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