Posted on 05/17/2007 3:58:23 PM PDT by loreldan
Boston, MA - Governor Mitt Romney issued the following statement on today's U.S. Senate agreement on immigration reform:
"I strongly oppose today's bill going through the Senate. It is the wrong approach. Any legislation that allows illegal immigrants to stay in the country indefinitely, as the new 'Z-Visa' does, is a form of amnesty. That is unfair to the millions of people who have applied to legally immigrate to the U.S.
"Today's Senate agreement falls short of the actions needed to both solve our country's illegal immigration problem and also strengthen our legal immigration system. Border security and a reliable employment verification system must be our first priority."
He is right about this. Good for him for coming out solidly and clearly against this.
The Senate believes the correct way to start your career in the USA is to break the law.
I was waiting for one of them to see the opportunity here and denounce it. Mitt is anything but stupid.
A thousand page Bill which almost no one has read! Thats our Congress for you. Vote ‘em all out at the very first opportunity.
McCain said at the last debate that he has never supported amnesty, but he sure didn’t miss the photo op with Kennedy and Specter today to show his support for this bill, which is basically an amnesty bill.
This is good news. Hopefully, he’ll be vocal about his opposition.
Bump.
ping
sw
I’m very glad to know that Mitt’s opinion has been heard. What would really thrill me to hear would be for him to say what he would do as President if this bill made it to his desk.
I know this is harsh, but it is time folks, we are overrun and unless we do some very vital and effective pushing out of these illegals and stop the flow to a trickle it is not good for the SW and eventually the entire nation as they are moving into your hometown USA everyday. When you realize this it will be to late.
It is no longer just Mexifornia, but the United States of North and South America or just Mexico North for short.
We are no longer protecting citizens of our own country. Us southern folks know because it has already begu--the decimation of our towns, cities, and states. In LA our mayor is out as a protester against our police chief for defending our citizens from some of these illegals in appropriate behavior.
“What would really thrill me to hear would be for him to say what he would do as President if this bill made it to his desk.”
Based on what I know, it deserves to be burned.
Good for Mitt. Somehow we have to find 41 votes in the Senate to defeat this.
Well said, Mitt!
Good call by Romney. It shows guts and that he knows where the American people stand. It speaks well for him.
Romney forthrightly opposes the amnesty instead of hiding in the tall grass.
Go Mitt!
Good for Mitt. He moves up a notch, in my book.
05-17-2007 Statement From The Communications Director
Below is a statement from Giuliani Communications Director Katie Levinson regarding the immigration bill agreement announced by the Senate today:
"Rudy's top priority and main objective is to ensure our borders are secure and to stop potential terrorists and criminals from coming in. The recent Fort Dix plot is a stark reminder that the threat of terrorism has made immigration an important matter of national security. We need to know who is coming in and who is going out of this country if we are going to deal with those who are here illegally.”
This is very good news and reinforces what Romney’s been saying all along in the campaign. I think he and Hunter have the best ideas about how to secure the border and deal with the illegal immigration issue.
“Who wants to chide Romney today for supposedly being a RINO?”
Don’t worry...if someone posts anything with “Romney” in the title, they will come. ;)
gutsy move bump
I hope there’s a place for Cornyn in a Romney administration. But, looking at this bill’s chances of passing and Bush signing it, it may be too late...the damage will be irreparable.
I’m starting to like him. Hope it doesn’t cost him too much with the one-worlders and the RNC.
Mitt changes his chance to fit his agenda.
Mitt changes his chance to fit his agenda.
You mean Mitt waited until todays vote to express his opinion?
And Mitt what did you say about it when it voted on last year??
Come on Mitt fans give real ammo or blanks.
The stuff Romney is supposedly a RINO on doesn’t bother me a twit. If he’s tough on this and is serious about reducing government waste and spending and strengthening the military to fight what he calls the “global jihadists,” and he promises to appoint conservative justices, he’s all right in my book. Plus, he’s clearly modeling “family values” which is supposed to be one of the core principles of the Republican party.
The fact that he is slick, smart, and calculating is okay by me, too. It’s about time Republicans dump the unsophisticated hicks with constipated communication skills. Stick to your guns on this, Mitt, and you have my vote.
One statement from Mitt does not absolve him from being RINO.
You mean Mitt waited until todays vote to express his opinion? He did not know about this bill???
And Mitt what did you say about it when it voted on last year??
Come on Mitt fans give real ammo or blanks.
McCain reminds me of the Manchurian Candidate. Unfortunately more and more senators are starting to look like MC also.
This bill is amnesty without question. I’ve been a supporter of the previous work program Bush proposed for the most part, but I part with him here. This one goes WAY TOO FAR. I’m only an open borders guy to a point. This one had better be stopped.
I have to give Romney credit for saying the right things and quickly. We will see how many follow suit.
Mitt did say in the last debate: “I fear that McCain/Kennedy will do to immigration reform what McCain/Feingold did to campaign finance reform.” A good line when it was delivered but even better now. Republicans, it’s time for an outsider and Mitt Romney is that man.
Yes, but Fred Thompson’s statement was much better, and even clearer, than Romney’s. Romney said he “strongly opposed” it, but he didn’t continue with the “strong” language. He said it’s the wrong approach, unfair to legal immigrants (as if that’s the main problem, or equal to the main problem), and “falls short.” Pretty weak tea, I’d say. Typical CEO, moderate, forgettable language. Conservative position, but comes off like a wet noodle.
Yes, it is encouraging to see. I hope to see all of the Republican candidates clearly come out against this amnesty, and it would be very nice contrast if the Democrat candidates would as directly support it.
Romney has the money to get a campaign ad on television right away. It would really give him the boost he needs. He’s doing very well in Iowa as of the latest polls.
Re: the comparison to McCain-Feingold — I’m all for digs at McCain, and it’s a clever line by Romney, but only political junkies will get it. Too understated and too complicated.
Hmmm. Liking Mitt more and more.
What was the statement by Fred?
“The stuff Romney is supposedly a RINO on doesn’t bother me a twit. If he’s tough on this and is serious about reducing government waste and spending and strengthening the military to fight what he calls the “global jihadists,” and he promises to appoint conservative justices, he’s all right in my book. Plus, he’s clearly modeling “family values” which is supposed to be one of the core principles of the Republican party.
The fact that he is slick, smart, and calculating is okay by me, too. It’s about time Republicans dump the unsophisticated hicks with constipated communication skills. Stick to your guns on this, Mitt, and you have my vote.”
My sentiments, exactly. I love how some people are quick to call Romney a RINO without considering how difficult it would be to be a conservative governing the most liberal state in the nation because technically, any bill or measure that you agree to sign is drafted by extremely liberal lawmakers. If you aren’t willing to at least make a few concessions here and there to the opposition, nothing would ever get done. But it ends up being a double-edged sword in Romney’s case because people automatically assume that he’s for {{insert liberal position here}} and at a national level (where the legislature would be balanced a lot closer to his own ideology), he wouldn’t govern as a conservative when in fact, I would argue he’d finally be able to govern closer to his conservative ideology than he was allowed in Massachusetts.
I, like you, am leaning more and more towards Romney because of his successful leadership skills and his strong stances on immigration and the war on terror. Truth be told, he’s really the only candidate I’ve heard who seems to be knowledgeable about the entire dynamics of the Middle East. He’s proven that he can get things done and that’s definitely what Washington needs.
And as you mentioned, we might finally have a Republican candidate who can sell the ideas to the American people without sounding like a total Gomer.
Also in Romney’s statement: What’s this about “strengthen our legal immigration system.” What does it mean, and why is it such an urgent need that it belongs in this brief statement?
You’re right, however, that it’s important to see how many other candidates follow suit. I’d also say, important to see how quickly they do it — a clue to their boldness, and to how closely they’ve been following this issue. And how strongly and clearly and memorably they denounce the bill. And how many times they repeat their comments over the next few crucial days. And how eager they are to do that.
Thompson’s comment is brief but excellent. It’s either here on FReep, or it’s at National Review Online (nationalreview.com) — look on the right-hand blog column; it’s somwhere in there, if it’s not on FReep.
“Also in Romney’s statement: What’s this about “strengthen our legal immigration system.” What does it mean, and why is it such an urgent need that it belongs in this brief statement?”
Well, from what I’ve seen and read, I think Romney’s always been a supporter of legal immigration and thinks there are badly reforms needed there as well.
Which may be true, but it raises two questions: Does Romney want to reform legal immigration in ways that encourage more legal immigrants or less, more assimilation or less? And, why does he consider this, apparently, of equal importance to border security, let alone to cracking down on the illegals?
We need fewer legal, as well as fewer illegal, immigrants.
pong
~~I just don’t trust him.~~
I am really starting to like old Mitt. First, he suggested we double the size of Gitmo and now this. Of the so-called big three of McCain, Giuliani, and Romney, Mitt is clearly the Man.
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