Ellen Evolving? Ratner's Tough Talk on Immigration

Fox & Friends Weekend/NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

by Mark Finkelstein

April 1, 2006

Regular readers of this column know the delight that has been taken in skewering Ellen Ratner for her loopy liberalism, as here, here and here.

You can thus imagine my surprise when, on this morning's 'Long & the Short of It' segment on Fox & Friends Weekend, Ratner offered up some tough talk on immigration Ratner's remarks were simpatico with the take of Jim Pinkerton, the conservative side of the equation who is a Newsday and Tech Central columnist. An aside: Pinkerton is one of the rare conservative commentators willing to roll up his sleeves on government reform. Have a look at his recent TCS column which calls for a radical cabinet re-organization that might, inter alia, have averted the Katrina snafu.

But back to Ellen's surprising stance on immigration. This was her opening salvo:

"Here you have an administration claiming law and order and of course they got caught with their hands in the cookie jar as they are bending to Mexican-Americans and business interests of the United States. And [now they are saying] we are going to get tough on the border. It will be a bunch of PowerPoint presentations about how many arrests they made. A lot of catches and releases and ultimately nothing will change."

Check the tape! Was that Ellen Ratner or Tom Tancredo? Pinkerton had a topical take on the unexpected unanimity: "it sounds like April Fool's when both Ellen and I are agreeing on this, but I think we're both saying the same thing."

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Forgot to include the link to the NewsBusters column: http://newsbusters.org/node/4714

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Fox & Friends Weekend/NewsBusters ping to Today show list.

[Terpfen]

a radical cabinet re-organization that might, inter alia, have averted the Katrina snafu.

What? A cabinet re-organization could've averted the lies the MSM put out?

[Miss Marple]

No surprise. Ratner knows this is a divisive issue in the Republican party, so she's stirring the pot. If Clinton were the President she would be praising his stance on this.

Sort of like a week or two ago when she was praising McCain and talking about how much she loved him. Right.

[TomGuy]

Interesting, sensible, lengthy taped discussion of the illegals issue at this link:

Must Have Victor Davis Hanson Audio! (mp3 file/"Podcast"from KMJ-Fresno, CA)(Semi-Vanity)

[PGalt]

Conniving Ellen. Wedge issue. Where has she been the last 20 years.

[Jim Noble]

From Sunday on, the Democrats are going to talk the toughest talk you've ever heard regarding immigration.

Of course, they always lie...

[Toespi]

Is her name for real?

[texianyankee]

I actually sent Julian an email....concerning his questioning the facts that "illegals contribute to crime."


Julian is getting frustrated right now!

[Jim Noble]

No, a cabinet reorganization would have turned the storm.

The Left believes that el Lider is like unto a god - that he can do anything.

Ergo, because children still get runny noses while Bush is President, it's his fault.

[tiredoflaundry]

Julian lost his temper with that Nativo Lopez guy!

[bert]

I think you can conclude that if she said it, it was on the fax she got from the DNC.

She has no mind and cannot construct such a thought on her own.

[texianyankee]

Yeah, you got that right & rightfully so. I'm glad, too. What was the organization that Lopez guy represented, again?

[tiredoflaundry]

Mexican-American Political Association.

[TCats]

The guy is like a robot, all wound up to sling his spiel no matter the question. What;s the point in giving this anarchist an time on the air?

[governsleastgovernsbest]

In fairness to Pinkerton, he did not state in the TCS column that the cabinet reorganization would have averted TCS. My bad. But he does speak approvingly of a proposal by former GOP congressman Bob Walker to shrink the number of cabinet departments from 15 to 5.

[texianyankee]

I wish they woulda just cut away and left him after his non-stop talking...

[TomGuy]

Of course, they always lie...

The other side has been selling us a pig in a poke, too. On this issue, it isn't just the Dems. Pubbies have been irresponsible, too. After all, they've controlled both Chambers and the WH since the 02 election.

In fact, it was a Dem who stopped the last major attempt to get an amnesty for illegals bill. That was shortly after 9-11 and the Senator who stopped it, much to the chagrin of the President (GOP), was Byrd (Dem). Byrd stopped it on a technicality; otherwise, it would have been law by the end of 2002.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Please see #17.