The Note: Naughty and Nice
Unlike hearings in San Diego, yesterday's Senate Judiciary Committee field hearing in Philadelphia acknowledged the continuing contribution of immigrants to the U.S. economy and declared support of the Senate proposal to create a guest-worker program and path to citizenship. Sen. Specter stressed the importance of immigrants and suspects that President Bush is moving "toward middle ground" on the matter. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Gaiutra Bahadur has more. LINK
The Philadelphia Inquirer also reports that the issue of amnesty has taken the forefront in Pennsylvania, complicating Sen. Specter's ability to help Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) in his reelection campaign. LINK
The New York Times' ed board knocks the cross-country hearings being held by House Republicans as a "novel approach to governing -- seeking public input on bills after they have passed." LINK
The Los Angeles Times: LINK
Sen. John Warner (R-VA) will bring the immigration debate to Florida, Notes the Miami Herald's Lesley Clark. LINK
Sen. Lieberman's primary politics:
In a story that has rocked national headlines, Mark Pazniokas of the Hartford Courant reports that in tonight's first televised debate Sen. Lieberman intends to make a case for the party to reelect him rather than look beyond the potential outcomes of the state's August primary. LINK
The Norwich Bulletin reports that local voters hope tonight's debate will allow Sen. Lieberman and his challenger Ned Lamont to speak directly about issues important to them. LINK
The editorial board of the Los Angeles Times' writes that while "this page did not support the war, it cannot cheer on liberal activists who run the risk of being guilty of the same sort of insistence on ideological purity that they deplore in Republicans." LINK
The AP's Andrew Miga reports that Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) will get some help from his friends as Sens. Joe Biden (D-DE), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), and Ken Salazar (D-CO) will all stump in Connecticut this coming month to help promote Lieberman's social stances and try to take the sting off his Iraq war support. LINK
Rick Klein of the Boston Globe previews tonight's debate between Lieberman and Lamont. LINK
". . . both men see their race for Lieberman's office as a battle for the soul of the Democratic Party -- specifically, whether Democrats want to become a staunch anti-war party when they have high hopes of winning back Congress," writes Klein.
On the heels of Sen. Clinton's decision to support only the Connecticut Democratic nominee, Sen. John Kerry announced he too will only support the winner of the Nutmeg State's Democratic primary, but went one step further and refused to endorse Lieberman in the primary. LINK
Following Sen. Clinton's lead, Democratic sources confirmed to the New York Daily News (and others) that the party's senior leadership would shun Sen. Lieberman if he loses his August primary. LINK
Per the New York Post, Mayor Bloomberg (R-NYC) went opposite of Sen. Clinton saying he would support Joe Lieberman if he loses the Democratic primary and runs as an independent. LINK
Joan Vennochi of the Boston Globe Notes in her column that in the past Sen. Lieberman has criticized those within his own party, and at times been in her view very self serving. "In short, Lieberman has been thinking about Lieberman. So, he can't be shocked if other Democrats are thinking of themselves first, just as he does," she writes. LINK
The politics of voting rights:
