Posted on 11/26/2007 5:00:56 AM PST by Chi-townChief
Remember Willie Horton? He was the convicted rapist who was allowed out on a weekend pass and attacked another woman while Michael Dukakis was governor of Massachusetts. Playing to white America's fear of black men, Horton was used in a campaign ad against Dukakis when he ran for president in 1988. It probably cost him the election.
Fast forward almost 20 years. Illegal immigrants are the new Willie Hortons of this campaign season. They are being used to rile up American fears of Mexicans and the Latinization of the United States.
Republicans are having a field day taking a hard line and blaming illegal immigrants for everything wrong with this country. Demo-crats, afraid they will also lose big, are too sheepish to take a stand on immigration.
"It's a kind of political cowardice," said Joshua Hoyt, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. "We need people to speak the truth on these issues and not run scared."
Instead of bashing Republicans, who won't change their hard line on immigration, immigrant advocates are now going after U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, Democratic chief strategist, who they say has betrayed the immigrant community.
They're furious Emanuel has called immigration the new "third rail of politics," a topic so charged it could result in political death. They are running ads in Spanish, Polish and Korean slamming Emanuel.
"There's a lack of leadership. There's a lack of action," said Young Sun Song, a community organizer with the Korean American Resource and Cultural Center in Chicago.
Emanuel said Democrats will not give up on immigration reform. But immigrant advocates charge he is backtracking.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is doing it, too. First she kind of said yes, then she said no on giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, an idea proposed and then nixed by New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
Clinton and Congress need to stop flip-flopping and propose real solutions. They failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year. As a result, we have chaos with states and cities proposing everything from asking landlords to play immigration police to the driver's license proposal.
Yes, we do need secure borders. Nobody is calling for open borders. Yes, we also need comprehensive immigration reform to legalize many of the people who are law-abiding and contributing to our economy. So what's the alternative?
Kick out all the illegal immigrants in a nationwide raid. Practically, that won't work, and it would have a devastating effect on our economy. Are you willing to pay $5 for a head of lettuce? Are you willing to pay $12 for a sandwich? This is the kind of inflation we could see without the illegal immigrant work force.
Another cost: Namby-pamby politicians risk losing the legal immigrant vote.
The number of legal immigrants applying for citizenship doubled to 1.4 million in fiscal year 2007. Many have illegal immigrant relatives and are likely to vote for candidates who support amnesty for their families.
Immigrants and their children are and always will be part of the American fabric. For the first time this year, the Census Bureau found two Latino surnames -- Garcia and Rodriguez -- are among the top 10 most common last names in the United States. In the Chicago area, two-thirds of the Latino population are citizens.
>>> AND THE AUTHOR WAITS UNTIL THE END FOR THE RED HERRING <<<
Most Americans are ashamed of the way immigrants have been treated in the past -- from Japanese internment to bigotry against the Irish and the Italians.
We need a real leader to step forward, one who isn't afraid to defend immigrants. We need a leader to remind us how immigrants have -- and will -- strengthen our, and their, homeland.
mailto:tpuente@suntimes.com
What a moronic statement. But she's lib media so at least she comes by it honestly.
White America's fear of black men? How about white (and the rest of) America's anger at a stupid liberal who gave weekend passes to violent criminals?
Nahhhhh, that couldn't have been it. /s
Emmanuel was instrumental in winning the Congress for the RATs in '06. They turned on him because he told the truth: ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION is the third rail of politics. He didn't mention the word "illegal" and didn't mention that the third rail of politics is for political cowards, the DUmbos.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is doing it, too. First she kind of said yes, then she said no on giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, an idea proposed and then nixed by New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
"proposed and then nixed by New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer." LOL! Spitzer didn't propose anything. He issued an EXECUTIVE ORDER" to give illegals driver's licenses! The order was opposed by over 70% of the NY State voters, disobeyed by county clerks and lawsuits filed against it. Nothing stopped Spitter. If it wasn't for the Clinton campaign ordering him to rescind before the RAT debate to protect Ho She Marx!
Are you willing to pay $5 for a head of lettuce? Are you willing to pay $12 for a sandwich?
YES!
Another cost: Namby-pamby politicians risk losing the legal immigrant vote.
BS! I'll take the LEGAL IMMIGRANT VOTE anytime, provided that they are naturalized citizens. No more laws to be broken. Do you hear me, RATs?? I believe it's a hidden fact that more naturalized citizens than not, don't want open borders or illegals legalized.
The number of legal immigrants applying for citizenship doubled to 1.4 million in fiscal year 2007. Many have illegal immigrant relatives and are likely to vote for candidates who support amnesty for their families.
Yeah, that's the ticket! The RATs want to legalize about 40 million illegals who will become 120 million minimum in one day! VOTES, ILLEGALLY LEGALIZED VOTES, to have a one-party system and remain in control of a tenth world country, the USA, for decades!
Nor did his incoherent response about not applying the death penalty if someone raped and killed his wife.
Sandwiches are already $7.00, and lettuce is $2.00
I can live without lettuce AND sandwiches.
The liberal media loved, I mean loved giving out the death toll in Iraq every night when things were going badly. But at least the folks that serve in Iraq and the military knew they were sacrificing their lives for our freedom. They made that choice. The 4000 plus Americans that are murdered by illegals never had a choice or a chance. Families have been destroyed by these criminals and they must be punished.
Pure horse manure. Dukakis being Dukakis cost Dukakis the election.
The Republican party is in real danger about to run their own northeastern liberal against another north eastern liberal. Hillary vs. Hillary lite. No thanks to either of them.
Yes but the truth hurts liberals feelings.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
“We need a real leader to step forward, one who isn’t afraid to defend immigrants.”
Oh, please do defend illegal aliens (not immigrants as you claim). Do it loudly and do it often. Use a megaphone. Let the American people know where Dems stand in regard to amnesty. Show your true colors, Dems. And then get creamed at the polls. Bravo, well done.
Come on Rahm, show us where you stand!!
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
The left has been so gleeful in their attempt to smear Republicans as racists all trying to whip up fear of a ‘Willie Horton’ while applying selective amnesia to the fact that it was Gore who brought up the issue, that Michael Moore even ran the add in “Bowling for Columbine”. Of course it was a splice job of the Gore add, the Bush add (they picked up Gore’s issue), with a incorrect caption added by Moore (originally saying Horton committed murder while out on furlough, since corrected on the DVD to say he committed assault), and showing a picture of Horton which I do not believe was done in either add (any FReeper input on the specifics of the adds clearly showing Horton was a black man?).
Yes, it was Albert Gore, Jr's campaign!
“They are being used to rile up American fears of Mexicans and the Latinization of the United States.”
I have no problemo with Mexicans provided they follow the law. If they don’t then I see them as common criminals and want them gone.
I also found another that I do not remember where one can clearly see that Willie Horton is black.
ML/NJ
She’s right about one thing. This is a ‘wedge issue’ that the Republicans have the better of, at least in the 2008 election.
And what politician looks past the next election?
Dukakis presided over the stupid system that permitted this, didn’t he.
It’s not black men Americans are afraid of, it’s violent men who can’t seem to be punished.
It’s lawbreakers that can’t seem to wait their turn in line, who demand that they be catered to.
Crappity, crap, crap is what this article is.
Hey, what is bullwinkle doing in a tank?
Thanks for the memories. Those were the days when it was easy to see through the DemocRAT lies. They were so pathetic.
However, I must give the pathetic Dukakis credit for rising above the filth on one occasion. It occurred when the MSM was accussing GHWB of being a whimp. A reporter asked Dukakis if he thought George Bush was a whimp? He answered “Bush flew over 50 combat missions in WWII. It took enormous personal courage to fly those missions...”
“Kick out all the illegal immigrants in a nationwide raid. Practically, that won’t work, and it would have a devastating effect on our economy. Are you willing to pay $5 for a head of lettuce? Are you willing to pay $12 for a sandwich?”
Here we go with the lies again......
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