Rubio: ‘I’m done’ if immigration bill includes gay couple amendment

[pinto]

Rubio: ‘I’m done’ if immigration bill includes gay couple amendment

By Chris Moody, Yahoo! News | The Ticket

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, a co-author and key proponent of the Senate immigration bill, said he will revoke his support if an amendment is added that allows gay Americans to petition for same-sex spouses living abroad to secure a green card.

"If this bill has in it something that gives gay couples immigration rights and so forth, it kills the bill. I'm done," Rubio said Thursday during an interview on the Andrea Tantaros Show. "I'm off it, and I've said that repeatedly. I don't think that's going to happen and it shouldn't happen. This is already a difficult enough issue as it is."

The amendment, introduced by Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, would grant green cards to foreign partners of gay unauthorized immigrants who seek legal status under new rules in the bill. Leahy originally introduced the measure during the Senate Judiciary Committee markup of the bill, but he withdrew it under pressure from Republican lawmakers who said it would reduce the chance of the bill passing.

The effort underway in Congress to overhaul the nation's immigration system is a bipartisan one, and its success hinges on a fragile coalition of political, business and religious groups that span the ideological spectrum. Opponents of Leahy's amendment have said repeatedly that his proposal would cause some key groups to withdraw their support and kill the bill. Rubio's exit would be especially devastating to its survival.

The Senate is expected to vote on Leahy's amendment soon.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/rubio-m-done-immigration-bill-includes-gay-couple-160223193.html

[dgibby]

1. Way to stay classy there, Rubio. n/t

[PDJane]

2. Why are these self-righteous, self-important people tolerated?

Since when did "My religion says you can't do that" become the law of the land, and why?

[MjolnirTime]

3. Marco thinks he matters.

[pinto]

6. He's certainly struggling to remain in the national press pool coverage.

[Major Hogwash]

9. Yeah, he's treading water at the shallow end of the pool.

While peeing in it!!

[pinto]

11. LOL. n/t

[Proud Liberal Dem]

4. He can't handle democracy?

Last edited Thu Jun 13, 2013, 04:46 PM - Edit history (1)

Too bad for him. If he wants to take his ball and go home, then that's on HIM, not anybody else. Personally, I've long believed that he is really looking for an excuse, any excuse, to back out of the whole venture anyway.

Also, immigration reform isn't all about him either and it's not up to him to decide whether or not immigration reform succeeds or not. That's *supposed* to be up to us citizens? It's really arrogant for him to make this all about him.

[msongs]

5. ya suppose he only favors immigration for heterosexual catholic latinos/hispanics? nt

[sharp_stick]

10. Still too broad

heterosexual catholic Cubans. That ought to do it for him.

[Blue Idaho]

7. Rubio is playing both sides against the middle.

Now that he has plenty of video clips showing him as a passionate pro-reform leader for his future campaigns he is trying desperately to find a way back to the extreme right. In the end he will be able to talk about how hard he worked for reform but those mean old Democrats made it impossible for him to support reform.

This is all about his political future and has absolutely nothing to do with reforming anything.

Republicans don't govern, they just fund raise.

[pinto]

8. Good points.

[WeekendWarrior]

12. So if we can hate on the gay

can we hate on the Hispanic, too? What about the women? Shall we pare it down to just white straight males? Could we get a vote that way?

[Squinch]

13. The Republicans have already checked the box this week for hating on the women.

And we won't forget it!!!

[we can do it]

14. Go ahead and quit ya big crybaby.

[mgcgulfcoast]

15. he is just trying to make the bigots happy.

[duuser5822]

16. Just quit already, then. You won't be missed

Whiny homophobic prick.

[BlueStater]

17. What a baby.

I guess this jackass doesn't have as much influence in his party as he believed himself to have had.

[VWolf]

18. Dude, you were 'done' when

you reached for that bottle of water.

[NCLefty]

19. O'Reilly was also being an ahole...

(The way he said "gay friends" and "partners" was very snide...)

O'Reilly is talking to Rubio. O'Reilly said, "Senator Leahy from Vermont says that he wants gay illegal aliens to bring in their gay friends and their gay partners or whatever and he's trying to get that rider, that amendment on the immigration bill. Is that gonna happen?"

RUBIO: If that happens, the bill is dead. It certainly won't have my support. I've been very clear on that. I respect people's views on the issue, but that is not -- this is already tough enough as it is; to inject something as divisive as that, if that gets on the bill, the bill's gonna die. There's no doubt about it.