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Why anti-immigration conservatives fell flat in 2006
Reason magazine ^ | February 2007 | David Weigel

Posted on 01/27/2007 8:55:29 AM PST by spintreebob

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Comment #21 Removed by Moderator

To: Condor51; Dane

So far, the response seems to be that the hard-liners would prefer to live in their pretend world than in the world of reality. How is that dis-honesty any different from other forms of dis-honesty.

Note, I am not saying that everybody loves illegals (like I do). But the reality is that most people, including many conservative Republicans, just don't see the reason for the hysteria and irrational passion.

Another way to put it is that the antis are not adept at PR. They are not effective in communicating their message. Their method of communicating their message is generally counterproductive (with 1 exception apparently).


22 posted on 01/27/2007 9:52:51 AM PST by spintreebob
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To: Dane

"Graf, who was running for the seat of immigration moderate (and fellow Republican) Jim Kolbe, got financial support from the border-patrolling Minuteman project. Both men lost congressional seats in districts that had twice voted for George W. Bush."

>>Ouch, that has got to hurt the Bush hating true conservatives on FR, right in the family jewels.

Well, at least in Graf's situation, it doesn't help when the President's men kneecap you. Bush is pro ILLEGAL immigration. If you are proud of that then I'm sure you can delude yourself into believing anything.


23 posted on 01/27/2007 9:53:13 AM PST by FastCoyote
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To: spintreebob
If Bush were on the ballot in 2006, he would have been crushed, and no one claims his pro-amnesty stance would have helped him a whit.

Not finding Bush on the ballot, voters instead smote Congressional Republicans. Such was the voters wroth,and the illegal issue could not protect them.

The GOP is twice screwed by Bush, first by authoring the GOP defeat, second by then using the Dems he helped elect to concoct amnesty plans to cement the Dem majority in perpetuity.

24 posted on 01/27/2007 9:56:18 AM PST by Plutarch (To Bush OBL >> GOP.)
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To: spintreebob

Sorry to say this, but President Bush is the reason.

He's good about security when it deals with oil. Or terrorism.

He's not so good about perspective, when things involve Mexico. In fact, just about everything George Bush believes about with regard to Mexico, seems to be exactly the opposite of the positions he should be adhering to, in order to support his base.

(frustrated beyond words)


25 posted on 01/27/2007 9:57:58 AM PST by Cringing Negativism Network (Mr. President: PARDON NACHO AND JOSE!)
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To: Cringing Negativism Network
...In fact, just about everything George Bush believes about with regard to Mexico, seems to be exactly the opposite of the positions he should be adhering to, in order to support his base.

You insist on getting everything backwards...

...one last time for the 54th time:

If you are really his base,

then you should support him.

It is that simple.

26 posted on 01/27/2007 10:11:32 AM PST by harrowup (Rodham is just pimping for Billy)
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To: Owen
Do you have a link to the exit polling that you mentioned? I ask this because the only exit polling that I am aware was done by a consortium of news orgsnizations headed by AP.

In that exit polling, the importance of corruption was not asked. They did ask about Iraq, terrorism, economy, and immigration.

These results are listed by state and I have never compiled the results for a national number. For one state, AZ, if we total up extremely important and very important the results are as follows:

Economy- 80%
Terrorism- 75%
Immigration- 71%
Iraq- 65%

Texas
Economy- 83%
Terrorism- 76%
Iraq- 68%
Immigration- 67%

2006 Exit Polling

27 posted on 01/27/2007 10:14:37 AM PST by Ben Ficklin
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To: spintreebob
"Real people aren't concerned about immigration. To say that we are is dis-honest. So if the Oberweiss people are dishonest and the Topinka people are dishonest, what is the difference?"

WHAT? Real people...? To say (anything I disagree with) is dishonest...?
Poor as it is, this sounds like just enough to cow 'moderates' into silence;
as it is intended to do.

Republicans lost this election because from top to bottom they let the dems frame issues, create scandals, beat on otherwise dead horses, and define Iraq to fit their 'sixties fixation. Then the Pubby party withheld support to conservative members, mimiced a bunch of PC platitudes, and still asked me for money to sustain their nonactivity.

Sadly, the result has been framed as a mandate to start their 2008 programs today and the majority of Republicans in congress, and the White House, will likely tuck tails and follow along.

28 posted on 01/27/2007 10:16:11 AM PST by norton
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To: spintreebob
"If you're a conservative Republican, watching the news these days can make you feel as though you're in the Twilight Zone....The aliens are here, but they didn't come in a spaceship. They came across our unguarded Mexican border by the millions."

Sounds like an awful commercial. If you show it during the general election, you have to face the fact that most of your audience probably isn't "conservative Republicans," and will tune you out from the beginning.

But beyond that, a candidate represents a package of different positions. Single out one and you lose most of your audience. Play that one issue up too much and you turn people off, even if they're originally sympathetic to your stand.

The general message is "So-and-so cares. Cares about the things you care about. Cares about you and about how hard you work. Cares about this. Cares about that. And even about the other thing." Putting all your eggs in one basket is usually a mistake.

29 posted on 01/27/2007 10:20:43 AM PST by x
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To: Cringing Negativism Network

You fail to honestly face reality.
The conservative Republican base is split right down the middle on immigration. My side does not have a majority of conservatives. Nor does your side have a majority of conservatives. What is Bush to do?

The following Republicans are more pro than anti
- Free market capitalits like me
- libertarians
- Abolitionists who see a parallel between "illegal" and Dred-Scott
- Compassionate conservatives like Dubya and my GOP township committteeman St Rep Froehlich, IL.
- Mercantilists who oppose capitalism, but find it convenient that capitalism is good for business in this case (as if it weren't always good for business).
- Businesses, employeess, customers who benefit from immigration. If illegals didn't work beside me in IT, they would be in India and my project would be shipped to India, leaving me unemployed. If illegals didn't clean my office at night, I might have to stay late and do it myself.
- Those with personal entanglements. They have family, friends at church, neighbors, who are illegal. This is a surprisingly large group in the religious right.
- Suburban moms (PTA moms) who want to be "nice" and are afraid of being called "racist".
- Karl Rove wannabes who see a large demographic group who are conservative on 10 of 12 issues, but who vote primarily on who appears freindly or unfriendly.


30 posted on 01/27/2007 10:21:48 AM PST by spintreebob
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To: FastCoyote
"Bush is pro ILLEGAL immigration."

If you can delude yourself into believing that then I'm sure you can delude yourself into believing anything.

There, fixed it for ya...
31 posted on 01/27/2007 10:22:07 AM PST by rockrr (Never argue with a man who buys ammo in bulk...)
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To: Condor51

thanks for that link with stats by hawkins. the pro amnesty people here cannot be convinced though, and i even heard my senator martinez right after the election say the GOP lost being too tough on illegals. sigh.


32 posted on 01/27/2007 10:23:28 AM PST by libbylu
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To: spintreebob
My co-worker said "Real people aren't concerned about immigration. To say that we are is dis-honest. So if the Oberweiss people are dishonest and the Topinka people are dishonest, what is the difference?

I don't know these candidates, but if you plug in "slavery" or "abortion" or "what's happening overseas" for "immigration" someone could have made the same statement at various points in our history. And they'd have been wrong.

I'm not saying that immigration is on par with those other issues. But it's not dishonest for a candidate to be more interested in an issue than the average person in the street is and to present it as a matter that the country should care about.

33 posted on 01/27/2007 10:25:04 AM PST by x
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To: harrowup

You insist on getting everything backwards...

...one last time for the 54th time:

If you are really his base,

then you should support him.

It is that simple.

-

I said base. Not servants.

I support who I BELIEVE IN. When my leader acts in ways I do not believe are good for America, I speak up.

I am not a "good German". Don't ask me to be one.

Even for George Bush.

BUILD THE FENCE. Stop the flood of illegals. Free the Border Patrol agents. Then let's all get together by the campfire and sing Kumbaya.

Until then, feh to your requests for unconditional loyalty.


34 posted on 01/27/2007 10:32:16 AM PST by Cringing Negativism Network (Mr. President: PARDON NACHO AND JOSE!)
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To: spintreebob
That ignores that fact that the real conservatives, such as Oberweis, in my IL, couldn't even win the primary. If the real conservatives could win the primaries by being smart, and honest and in touch with reality, then we would not have to worry about faux conservatives in November.

Disingenuous. The conservative vote was split in the primaries and the RINO won by default. All we heard from the FRINOs is that we need someone who is electable except that she didn't get elected. That's what happens when the GOP ignores the conservatives and does business as usual.

35 posted on 01/27/2007 10:38:00 AM PST by TradicalRC ("...this present Constitution, which will be valid henceforth, now, and forever..."-Pope St. Pius V)
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To: spintreebob

The American people are 70+% on our side about securing the borders, but even Reason insists on conflating all immigration together -- olegal and illegal. They refuse to see teh difference between the guy who filled out the papers, waited, got a card, and came eagerly to America and the guy who sneaked in.


36 posted on 01/27/2007 10:39:03 AM PST by TBP
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To: spintreebob

When posting Reason articles, you might want to also post a link to their blog where you can leave comments letting them know what you think. In this case:

reason.com/blog/show/118330.html


37 posted on 01/27/2007 11:00:13 AM PST by lonewacko_dot_com (http://lonewacko.com/blog)
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To: Dane
And your answer would be for Tom Tancredo to be the baton leader, I surmise as I roll my eyes.

You know, if Pee-Wee Herman ran for president on an anti-illegal immigration platform, I'd vote for him.

38 posted on 01/27/2007 11:09:21 AM PST by Dan Evans
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To: harrowup

"If you are really his base,

then you should support him.

It is that simple."

You have the positions and roles reversed.


39 posted on 01/27/2007 11:13:49 AM PST by EnochPowellWasRight
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To: spintreebob
But the reality is that most people, including many conservative Republicans, just don't see the reason for the hysteria .

They can't see because they have their heads buried in the sand. Another good swift kick in the butt might do the trick though.

40 posted on 01/27/2007 11:14:05 AM PST by Dan Evans
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