Posted on 06/04/2007 6:21:31 PM PDT by bd476
Reagan's Lessons for the GOP on Immigration
Four of the Republican nominees once had sensible views on immigration. Apart from McCain, all have now backtracked.
In 1989, Ronald Reagan made his farewell address to the American people and summed up his view of the United States. "I've spoken of the shining city all my political life," he said, "but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. [I]n my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and heart to get here." Today, all the Republican Party can talk about are walls, fences, border guards and attack dogs.
Snip
The compromise immigration bill worked out in the Senate by Sens. Ted Kennedy and John Kyl is imperfect. But in broad terms it solves many of the problems with the current immigration system and, in Kennedy's words, "brings millions of people out of the shadows and into the sunshine of America."
Snip
In 1996 Rudy Giuliani clearly identified it: "The anti-immigration issue that's now sweeping the country in my view is no different than the movements that swept the country in the past," he said. "You look back at the Chinese Exclusionary Act, or the Know-Nothing movement—these were movements that encouraged Americans to fear foreigners, to fear something that is different, and to stop immigration." He was right then. But the Republican Party he wants to lead is becoming the modern incarnation of the Know-Nothings.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
U.S. Elections Decided By Know-Nothings?
Grassroots Institute of Hawaii ^ | February 6, 2007 | Tom MacDonald
Posted on 02/21/2007 9:03:14 PM PST by CyberAnt
Perhaps enough time has passed since the last election for partisan passions to have cooled sufficiently to entertain a question with profound implications for American democracy: Is the average American voter well enough informed to vote intelligently?
In the recent campaign we heard the slogans “count every vote” and “every vote counts” ad nauseam, but did most of those casting ballots know who or what they were voting for?
Not according to George Mason University law professor Ilya Somin who recently wrote, “The sheer depth of most individual voters ignorance is shocking to observers not familiar with the research.” ...
Immigration is not the pox neo-Know Nothings make it out to be
The Jewish World Review | 4/31/2006 | Tony Snow
Posted on 03/31/2006 12:13:03 PM PST by Luis Gonzalez
Princeton University sociologist Douglas S. Massey reports that 62 percent of illegal immigrants pay income taxes (via withholding) and 66 percent contribute to Social Security. Forbes magazine notes that Mexican illegals aren't clogging up the social-services system: only 5 percent receive food stamps or unemployment assistance; 10 percent send kids to public schools...
Immigration is not the pox neo-Know Nothings make it out to be
You forgot the BARF ALERT!
Funny how the shills always leave out the word “illegal” when talking about immigration.
(repost of mine from another thread on the “Know Nothings”)
History may not repeat itself...
but it certainly does rhyme.
Today’s “Know Nothings” are Kennedy, McCain, most of their Senate
colleagues, and a fair sector of the GOP.
Because they seem to “Know Nothing” when it comes to exercising
some common sense in dealing with illegal immigrants.
And they hope that the majority of legal residents of the USA will
“know nothing” about how they are engineering a MUCH WORSE version
of Simpson-Mazzoli. And the order-of-magnitudes bigger mess they are
just about to enshrine in legislation.
I’m insulted to be called a bigot. I have nothing against Latinos or Latino immigration. But I believe we have a right to control our borders, and to determine who is given the right to citizenship. And I believe in the rule of law. These people who are for welcoming every person who comes across the border don’t understand, or even want to deal with, the consequences of their actions. But they have the audacity to insult anyone who disagrees with them on these stupid, ill-conceived policies.
I frankly believe the country is being railroaded on this immigration issue by politicians and a few others who have a stake in bringing illegals into the U.S. It’s not, as far as I can see, in this country’s interest.
these were movements that encouraged Americans to fear foreigners, to fear something that is different, and to stop immigration.
“Is the average American voter well enough informed to vote intelligently?”
No, and that explains the Democrats’ success. Hillary prays every night for more dumb voters.
Thanks VOA.
Oh, how CUTE. The left is now trying to use RONALD REAGAN as an example of someone who would endorse the current proposed legislation.
Reagan did sign a bill for amnesty, it is true. He also endorsed increased enforcement at the border--enforcement that has NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL!
So, what would Reagan do? He sure as hell would not want to continue the balkanization of America by promoting a Welfare State for hordes of illegal aliens and he certainly wouldn't call those looking to defend our borders "know-nothings".
Anyone remember the groups of anti-Americans shouting down this country last year--proudly noting their ILLEGAL STATUS? What kind of country have we become when people excuse those who break our laws while at the same time calling those who want to enforce the laws "know nothings"?
The guy writing this is espousing pure lunacy.
WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! TILL YOU RUN OUT OF INK IN YOUR PEN!
Bombard the Democrats as well, especially the ones that ran on an anti illegal immigration plank and the ones in marginal districts who could be vulnerable. keep pounding on them. This is a bipartisan issue not a Conservative or Liberal issue BUT AN AMERICAN issue.
Thanks for the reference link, Sourcery.
“The compromise immigration bill worked out in the Senate by Sens. Ted Kennedy and John Kyl is imperfect.”
And just the fact that they are willing to go half-assed about it and run this country on something imperfect says a lot about the incompetence of congress.
I am curious about John Kyl's role in this...I really think he is a good man. I wonder how he thinks on this bill and why we can't get an enforcement bill FIRST before we think about Z-Visas, etc.
It is interesting.
And she'll have her prayers answered with 20 million new, uneducated, unskilled, non-English speaking, government dependent, socialism oriented, Democrat voters.
It has taken the Imperial Federal Government School Monopoly a little over 40 years to do it.
The answer to the question is, "Not anymore."
It really isn't all that surprising.
Also not surprising is their attempt to stretch out today's concerns all the way back in an effort to compare this to pre-Civil War woes.
Again(s)t Know-Nothingism
That's true. Sadly, it might be too late to slow down the decline in the numbers of educated voters.
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