Posted on 01/12/2008 8:06:37 PM PST by TornadoAlley3
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Blaise Tishey lays bricks for a living, and for a long time he had more work than he could handle building the high-rise condos and hotels that line the beaches.
Then, a few years ago, as the surging housing market sparked a major construction boom, his workload slackened. An influx of undocumented Hispanic immigrants willing to work for smaller paychecks made it harder for him to find jobs, he said.
"I wasn't willing to work for wages that would have required me to move my family into a trailer with 15 other people," he said.
Polls show illegal immigration is a top issue for voters in South Carolina's first-in-the-South presidential primary Jan. 19. Yet less than a week from the primary, anti-illegal immigrant sentiment has not had nearly the impact on the GOP race that many political observers here expected.
The candidates leading in state polls, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Arizona Sen. John McCain, are also the candidates tagged as softest on the issue by anti-illegal immigrant groups.
"It's a paradox of the electorate. Even though they say it's their top issue, it appears that they are willing to overlook it," or look at it in concert with other issues, said Tim Dale, a political scientist at the University of South Carolina.
Every Republican candidate says the border with Mexico needs to be strengthened. But the field is at odds over how best to handle the estimated 12 million undocumented workers in the country illegally.
In the Senate, McCain co-sponsored legislation that would have provided a path to citizenship. His opponents deride that as "amnesty" while supporters say deporting 12 million people would be impossible - and would cripple the economy.
Huckabee takes a harder line. He and others argue that immigrants who broke the law to come here should be forced to return home and "get in line" to return legally.
Despite that, Huckabee has come under fire for his support of a plan to allow the children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at Arkansas universities.
Tishey, the bricklayer, has discounted both candidates for their immigration stances. He is supporting former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, whom Tishey said would take a harder line against illegal immigrants.
"The war and immigration are the biggest issues for me. Some people say the economy, but for me, immigration is an economic issue," said Tishey, who recently launched a Web site for people to report businesses that hire illegal immigrants.
A Rasmussen poll of South Carolina Republicans in December found immigration was the top issue for 24 percent of likely voters, followed by the economy at 23 percent, national security at 18 percent and the Iraq war at 17 percent.
In upstate regions, workers have seen manufacturing jobs disappear as companies have moved plants to countries like China and Mexico. The backlash against illegal immigrants here is "the flip side" of that outsourcing issue, Gov. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., said in an interview.
"Instead of the plant leaving, now they're worried about someone coming here and taking their job. It's all about the pocketbook," said Sanford, who has not endorsed a presidential candidate. Along the coast, business leaders in the tourism and construction industries say the economy could not function without immigrant workers.
Native-born workers still fill most of the area's tourism jobs, but Hispanic immigrants have taken most of the low-wage jobs that have been added over the last few years, said Brad Dean, who runs the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.
"Businesses are no longer complaining about not being able to find workers, as they were a few years ago, so I suspect the influx of Hispanic immigrants has filled that need," he said.
Summer temporary workers are the lifeblood of the tourism industry, and there are not enough natives to fill those jobs, he said. Businesses would prefer to hire foreign students on temporary visas over undocumented workers. But a cap on those visas has made it tough to bring in enough students.
"Yesterday, I had a conversation with a business that provides lifeguards for the beaches. They will have unfilled jobs this year," because of the lack of student visas, he said. Other factors have helped vault McCain and Huckabee to the front of the pack, USC's Dale said. Strong support from evangelical voters has helped Huckabee, a former Baptist minister. McCain, a former Navy fighter pilot, has found support among the large population of active-duty military and veterans.
"In South Carolina, we're going to elect a president on a bunch of issues, and illegal immigration is only one of those issues," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a McCain supporter, said in an interview.
Immigration Top Issue, but Not Decisive in South Carolina GOP Primary
***I’m starting to wonder if this is true in other primaries as well. Immigration is on the voters’ radar but they don’t know what to do about it. They can’t tell who’s who in the mudfight, and they’re tired of the mud.
Of course, Duncan Hunter is the strongest candidate on immigration, but the other mudfighters have tag-teamed against him so the voters/audience can’t see him.
Hunter’s criticism of Thompson and Romney over this issue is well aimed. We need someone in the white house who isn’t a johnny-come-lately on this issue.
Road to Des Moines Conversions on Immigration (Hunter Press release)
News Which Cannot Lose ^ | 10/25/07 | Duncan Hunter/staff
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1916889/posts
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On Poll Results and the End of Conservatism
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1951282/posts
This presidential election will likely be the voters last chance to put teeth into the uproar that defeated the amnesty bills during 2007. If amnesty advocates such as McCain or Huckabee (don’t believe his recent conversion) win the Republican nomination, I expect the voters will be ignored on this issue in the future. If it’s not a vote-deciding issue now, then the pols will conclude that it never will be.
Then they’ll again listen to the Chamber of Commerce and immigrant advocate groups rather than the majority of Americans who oppose amnesty and non-enforcement, but don’t vote the issue at the polls.
Thursday, Jun 30, 2005
By Wesley Brown
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK - In a impassioned speech before hundreds of influential Hispanic civil rights leaders from across the nation, Gov. Mike Huckabee told a captive audience Wednesday that America is great because it has always opened it doors up to people seeking a better way of life.
"I would hope that no matter who we are, or where we are from, that America should always be a place that opens its arms, opens it heart, opens its spirit to people who come because they want the best for their families ...," Huckabee said as the largely Hispanic audience gave him a standing ovation.
Huckabee was the keynote speaker, along with Tyson Foods Inc. Chairman and CEO John Tyson, at a noon luncheon of the League of United Latin American Citizens, which is holding its 76th annual convention in Little Rock.
About 10,000 political, community and business leaders, along with exhibitors and speakers are in Little Rock attending the convention at the Statehouse Convention Center. The convention started Monday and runs through Saturday.
Although he never actually talked about the U.S. or Arkansas immigration policy, Huckabee made it very clear where he stood on the issue. In his opening remarks, he said the nation will need to address the concerns of the Hispanic community because of its growing influence and population base.
He told the LULAC delegates that their presence in the state's capital city was very important because Arkansas has one of the fastest growing Hispanic populations in the nation. "Your gathering is so very significant for our state," Huckabee said. "We are delighted to have you."
Despite several light moments, Huckabee did not stray away from several controversial issues that made him a target of criticism during the recently ended 85th General Assembly. He said Arkansas needs to make the transition from a traditional Southern state to one that recognizes and cherishes diversity "in culture, in language and in population."
"This is an issue that is going to require extraordinary efforts on both sides of the border, particularly those coming from Mexico," Huckabee said of verifying the status of illegal aliens. "But I am confident that our government will recognize that we should accommodate people who wish to provide the best opportunities for their families (and) employers so that we can make sure our economy has the necessary work force."
During the legislation session, Huckabee criticized an immigration bill by Republican senators Jim Holt of Springdale and Denny Altes of Fort Smith as un-Christian, un-American, irresponsible and anti-life. Senate Bill 206, which died in the Senate, would have required proof of citizenship to register to vote and also force state agencies to report suspected cases of people living in the country illegally. Holt, R-Springdale, replied later to Huckabee's comments that Christian charity does not include turning a blind eye to lawbreaking.
Senator Santorum....
“John McCain was the guy who was working with Ted Kennedy to drive it down our throats, and lectured us repeatedly about how xenophobic we were, lectured us, us being the Republican conference, about how wrong we were on this, how we were on the wrong side of history, and that you know, this is important for his…because having come from Arizona, knowing the strength of the Hispanic community, that we were going to be seen as racists, and he wasn’t going be part of that, that he was not a racist, and that if we were for tougher borders, it was a racist thing. Look, John McCain looks at things through the eyes, on these kind of domestic policy issues, looks at it through the eyes of the New York Times editorial board, and accepts that predisposition that if you are not, if you stand for conservative principles, there’s some genetic defect. “
Amazing, how the washington compost wants to tell what issues the people in South Carolina are voting on before the vote.
Do those Evangelicals know Leviticus 18:22?
Do they know that Huckabee has hired a "gay" Republican activist as a campaign adviser?
I guess Huckabee wants homosexuals to come "out of the shadows" too.
I hear Graham will easily win his primary election. Apparently SC voters were not disgusted with him like some at FR claimed.
>>Huckabee takes a harder line. He and others argue that immigrants who broke the law to come here should be forced to return home and “get in line” to return legally.<<
He argues that they should “get in line” out of one side of his mouth, but out of the other side, they will be able to return in “days or maybe weeks.” Pretty sloppy analysis.
However, if we believe the polls, and believe that immigration is really a “top issue,” that makes it more puzzling.
Lets not forget Huck on immigration.
As he hurriedly put together an anti-illegal immigration plan late in his campaign (some are now putting forth the idea it was taken from someone elses stand on the issue), here is a telling tale of Huck and Mexico.
In 2003, on a visit to Mexico, Mike Huckabee asked Vicente Fox to establish a consulate in Arkansas. Huckabee even arranged discount office space in a state office: just $1 per year.
Since the consulate opened, it’s passed out countless “Matricula Consular” ID cards to illegal aliens. Those cards help illegal aliens send billions of dollars back home, helping to prop up the corrupt Mexican government. And, their consul even encouraged civic leaders to advocate for illegal immigration.
FBI has called those ID cards a security risk.
Huck tough on illegal immigration? Maybe he should have started in his own state instead of aiding and abetting.
Maybe they have forgiven him, but I suspect the reason is that he is trying to act like he did a 180 degree turn on immigration since August 2007. If I were a SC voter, I would still remember how despicable he was last year.
And just look at the few that are willing to vote for that over the hill piece of trash Mclame.
I haven’t forgotten.
I try to make sure that others haven’t forgotten, either.
But to Senator Graham, I’m just one of the “Loud folks”, and “Bigots”.
Oh well as Christ said He foretold US all things, and these things need be.
Not to SC voters: If we as a nation toss our sovereignty into the dumpster, all those other issues aren't gonna matter a hill of beans.
That Immigration Gumballs video clip I just posted a link to has an interesting bit on good intentions near the end of it.
Thank you for the the link. The reality of what is described is already upon US. The benefactors lining their pockets using these people are but a few, and they willingly push these peoples basic needs upon the tax system, US.
“Pretty soon, Southern white guys like me may be in the minority,” Huckabee said jokingly as the crowd roared in laughter.
It is NOT a joke!! You have to blind NOT to see it!!
My neck of the Woods the Whites are becoming a Non race.
New Employment Logo “If you are willing to move your famliy into a trailer with fifteen other people we are hiring” This Logo approved by the Republican Party with the consent of the Democratic Party
Immmigration is the top issue, but not the decisive one in South Carolina GOP primary???? Please explain: the headline makes no sense to me.
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