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Immigration and the GOP Is it still the party of Reagan, or of Tom Tancredo?
Wall Street Journal ^ | 3/31/2006 | Review and OUtlook

Posted on 03/31/2006 3:41:14 AM PST by pageonetoo

As Congress battles over immigration, the consequences are likely to be far greater than the details of border walls or green cards. The most important political outcome may turn out to be the message that Republicans send about the kind of the party they are and hope to be.

To wit, do Republicans want to continue in the Reagan tradition of American optimism and faith in assimilation that sends a message of inclusiveness to all races? Or will they take another one of their historical detours into a cramped, exclusionary policy that tells millions of new immigrants, and especially Hispanics, that they belong somewhere else?...

...The immediate danger is that Republicans will ignore their longer-term interests by passing a punitive, and poll-driven, anti-immigration bill this election year. Any bill that merely harasses immigrants and employers, and stacks more cops on the border, may win cheers in the right-wing blogosphere. However, it will do nothing to address the economic incentives that will continue to exist for poor migrants to come to America to feed their families. And it will make permanent enemies of millions of Hispanics, without doing anything to draw illegals out of the shadows and help them assimilate into the mainstream of American culture and citizenship.

This is not Ronald Reagan's view of America as a "shining city on a hill." It is the chauvinist conservatism usually associated with the European right. How Republicans conduct and conclude their immigration debate will show the country which kind of "conservative" party they want to be.

(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: gop; illegalimmigration; illegals; invaders; rino; wsj
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To: EternalVigilance
...a cramped, exclusionary policy that tells millions of new immigrants, and especially Hispanics, that they belong somewhere else?...

How about just calling them by the right term...INVADERs. They do belong somewhere else. they are not American and they do not want to becomne Americans. They want to suckle the teat, then kill the mother providing their sustenance.

I am sick...sick...sick, of this elitist crap, condoning their crime!

41 posted on 03/31/2006 4:48:41 AM PST by pageonetoo (You'll spot their posts soon enough!)
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To: Paul C. Jesup
Why does everyone think it is the House that is going to be hurt, most of the Republican Congress members have gone on record as supporting deportation.

Absolutely.

The House conservatives are the heroes in this whole thing.

They're the only real power base conservatives have at the moment.

Our people should be working hard for the reelection of the scores of good Republicans in the House.

'Send reinforcements' has been my motto for a very long time...

42 posted on 03/31/2006 4:49:03 AM PST by EternalVigilance (www.usbordersecurity.org)
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To: 4Freedom
Ronald Reagan had respect for the rule of law. He had that 1986 amnesty forced down his throat by a Liberal Democrat congress

He could have vetoed it.

The irony of it all.

43 posted on 03/31/2006 4:51:05 AM PST by Dane ( anyone who believes hillary would do something to stop illegal immigration is believing gibberish)
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To: Deconstructionist

Actually, America is only of importance to them as their globocop. They are always keen on American boys dying for them.

Their world will be something like the 19th century where the militaries of the imperial powers were like loanshark leg breakers for third world countries that were behind on their bond payments.


44 posted on 03/31/2006 4:51:37 AM PST by Sam the Sham (A conservative party tough on illegal immigration could carry California in 2008)
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To: Deconstructionist

They may be like Judas, selling us out for 30 pieces of silver, but that doesn't mean we need to be like Esau who sold his birthright for a bowl of meat.


45 posted on 03/31/2006 4:51:44 AM PST by normy (Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.)
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To: Sam the Sham

I have called by yhr bots all sorts of names etc etc, however, I for one volunteered my butt off in 2000 and 2004. I am done. I will vote for people I like, but GOTV for the GOP?

Let the CEO's go walk the Bronx streets like I did, let them go poll watch in areas where English in a second language.


46 posted on 03/31/2006 4:52:45 AM PST by chris1
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To: EternalVigilance

What we need to do is to legally wreck the next election (in the primaries if possible) of the two of three leaders of the RINOs in the Senate, like McCain, and the rest of the republicans in the Senate will fall in line.


47 posted on 03/31/2006 4:52:56 AM PST by Paul C. Jesup
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To: pageonetoo
And it will make permanent enemies of millions of Hispanics...

A little warped don't you think, for people that willingly break the law by coming here illegally. Typical rhetoric from the appeasers of law breakers.....apparently 11,000,000,000 of these aliens will permanently hate me – while taking from the largess of this country. The only rational idea here is to return to a country that respects and follows the laws of its land rather than the feel good politically correct mistake of the Kennedy/McCain amnesty – Carter made the same mistake.

The fact that some have been living here for years, knowing they were breaking the law, is no excuse for amnesty – it is analogous to the law breaker who hides from the law for years before he/she is caught and pays for the crime…they knew what they were doing.

The guest-worker with the proper papers should work, it did in the past – IF – we have a proper INS and people in place that respect and follow the law.

48 posted on 03/31/2006 4:53:58 AM PST by yoe
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To: Dane

You must be in all your glory with all this.

Additionally, as we discussed the other day, I have yet to hear anything whatsoever about a timeline for people to sign up and what happens if they don't.


49 posted on 03/31/2006 4:54:01 AM PST by chris1
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To: Paul C. Jesup
What we need to do is to legally wreck the next election (in the primaries if possible) of the two of three leaders of the RINOs in the Senate, like McCain,

mccain ain't up for re-election until 2010 and I would doubt he would run for re-election anyway if he is not the 2008 nominee since he is getting up in years.

50 posted on 03/31/2006 4:55:39 AM PST by Dane ( anyone who believes hillary would do something to stop illegal immigration is believing gibberish)
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To: yoe
Typical rhetoric from the appeasers of law breakers.....apparently 11,000,000,000 of these aliens will permanently hate me –

Uh it's 11 million, not 11 billion as you wrote above and how do you know they hate you personally, did you talk to all 11 "billion" of them?

51 posted on 03/31/2006 4:58:09 AM PST by Dane ( anyone who believes hillary would do something to stop illegal immigration is believing gibberish)
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To: pageonetoo

The editorial writer and most of the posters here are at odds, but the real issue becomes one of politics. IF the GOP cannot make this into a law-and-order issue and becomes a more racial/polarizing issue, I agree with the WSJ- it will cost us big-time. The issue must be framed as one that is PRO immigration/anti-ILLEGAL immigration. The media will spin it thier way, regardless, so Bush and the GOP members need to to begin taking back the territory in the public arena - even if Bush needs to do so in Spanish.

Yes, we're all fired up about it. Yes, nobody wants to see some blanket amnesty program. But this has now become a real firebomb; a wrong move here will be a boon for the Dems, as all they are doing right now is watching us implode. We need to tread wisely.


52 posted on 03/31/2006 4:58:15 AM PST by Amalie (FREEDOM had NEVER been another word for nothing left to lose...)
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To: EternalVigilance
There can be no sovereignty without borders.

And of a border doesn't exist if someone sneaks across it. Just like a stop sign isn't there when I run one. Correct?

53 posted on 03/31/2006 4:58:34 AM PST by UNflagburner
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Comment #54 Removed by Moderator

To: pageonetoo; Torie; sinkspur
"I didn't see too many friendlies in the streets this week!"

I keep thinking about the claim that all Muslims evidently support terrorism as evidenced by the lack of world wide protest condemning terrorism being staged by Muslims.

If that holds true, then I must also reason that Americans support illegal aliens on our soil as evidenced by our inability to stage massive protests condemning illegal immigration.

55 posted on 03/31/2006 5:00:57 AM PST by Luis Gonzalez (Some people see the world as they would want it to be, effective people see the world as it is.)
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To: Dane
mccain ain't up for re-election until 2010 and I would doubt he would run for re-election anyway if he is not the 2008 nominee since he is getting up in years.

Fox and Friends is just reporting that McCain is being hurt by his stance on aiding illegal immigrants.

56 posted on 03/31/2006 5:01:52 AM PST by Paul C. Jesup
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To: pageonetoo

Theodore Roosevelt had it right;
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."


57 posted on 03/31/2006 5:02:33 AM PST by outlaw1_2003 ("Don't piss on my leg, and tell me it's raining!")
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To: Luis Gonzalez

Isn't it amazing that people "who come here to work" can take the time to protest while most "lazy fat americans" are too busy working to protest?

The fact is that most Americans fear their Gov't, with good reason I add that if they protest the King on this one their will be ramifications.


58 posted on 03/31/2006 5:04:57 AM PST by chris1
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To: pageonetoo
Do you see any assimilation in this photo?
59 posted on 03/31/2006 5:05:26 AM PST by conservativecorner
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To: wrathof59
WSJ just wants cheap labor for the companies, these are the Rockefeller wing of the party.

Hard to argue with that proposition.

The Journal is nothing if not consistent.

60 posted on 03/31/2006 5:06:10 AM PST by The Iguana
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