Posted on 10/01/2011 10:43:57 AM PDT by shield
In one of the more heated moments of the Republican presidential debate in Orlando, Fla., last week, several of the candidates took turns criticizing Texas Gov. Rick Perry for giving undocumented immigrants college tuition breaks.
"If you say that we should not educate children that have come into our state for no other reason that they've been brought there by no fault of their own, I don't think you have a heart," he said, defending the bill he signed in 2001 that allows undocumented students who've graduated from a Texas high school and who have lived there for three years to pay in-state tuition at the state's public universities.
Rep. Michele Bachmann is among the chorus of critics, and she's using aspects of Perry's immigration record to fundraise.
"Perry was the first governor in America to give in-state tuition benefits to illegal immigrants and said to America that if you disagree... You don't have a heart," Bachmann wrote in a fundraising email over the weekend, according to the Huffington Post. "For too long, Washington has turned a blind eye to immigration and as President I will put an end to that."
It turns out that Bachmann voted for a similar measure in 2005 while serving in the Minnesota Senate. The language, which was included in a larger higher education funding bill, would have allowed students who had attended a Minnesota high school for three years or more, had graduated and had enrolled in public Minnesota college to pay in-state tuition.
During debate of the bill, Bachmann spoke in support of an amendment that would have required such students to be legal residents as well.
"Is citizenship a privilege, or is it a right?" she asked on May 5, 2005, the day the chamber debated the bill. "It seems like the understanding we've always had in this nation is that citizenship is a privilege for those who are not born in this nation... This [bill] is affirmatively having our state make a new decision about citizenship. And really by doing this, we are answering that citizenship is now a right as opposed to a privilege."
She voted for the amendment, which failed.
But when it came time to vote on final school funding bill, Bachmann was one of 63 senators who voted in favor of the legislation; three lawmakers, including two Republicans, opposed the bill.
Later that day, the Senate replaced the House's bill - which did not include the tuition language - with its version of the legislation; again Bachmann voted in favor of the bill.
Ultimately, the language was stripped in conference committee, so it never became law.
The following year, Bachmann voted against another bill that would have allowed undocumented students to get in-state tuition.
Perry and Bachmann appeal to similar voters, namely those who are evangelical Christians and those who identify with tea party ideals, making the Texas governor Bachmann's most obvious opponent during the primaries.
So, Bachmann's been highlighting other aspects of Perry's record on immigration to set herself apart.
For instance, Perry's opposed to building a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. For her part, Bachmann says she "would build a fence... on every yard, on every foot, on every inch of the southern border."
Michelle Bachmann is an Alynskite and what’s more she’s using democratic lies to support her position. At this time I wouldn’t vote for her for dog catcher. She knows she can’t win it and she’s trolling for a Mitt Romney VP slot, and become his butt buddy thinking she’ll step up into the presidency through him.
I’m getting a flavor of that now with Herman Cain.
The criteria for participating in migrant and seasonal Head Start programs is low family income and agricultural employment, she said. “Since the Head Start program was started in 1965, we have never asked families if they are citizens, and it’s never been a requirement,” she said.
Migrant and seasonal Head Start programs operate in 39 states and serve more than 30,000 migrants and 3,000 children of seasonal farm workers, she said.
They serve children from 6 months to school age and also provide a variety of health, nutritional and transportation services.
United Migrant Opportunity Services operates eight migrant and seasonal Head Start programs in Wisconsin that serve 530 children.
“Several kids and babies died in the fields because parents were fearful of sending them to Head Start,”
http://www.miamiherald.com/2008/08/28/662335/officials-tracking-down-illegal.html
Not all American children of tax paying American Citizens qualify to be in the program and get free baby-sitting and viddles.
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Representative Bachmann voted YES
Of interest, Texas Rep Poe, who is VERY strong on immigration, voted NO. He is also the one who has some legislation that I don't see Bachmann co-sponsoring. She could be making an effort to help us this very minute, more than words on a campaign trail.
I suppose Rep Poe could be heartless and Bachmann was just showing heart for those poor, children, who are "limited English proficient and children of migrant or seasonal farm workers".
I think Bachmann needs to come out with a real plan, not just *I support a fence and I will have the states and ICE's back.* Lets hear a REAL plan! If she is so pure on this subject, as she claims.
Bachamnn refuses and consistently skirts the issue of what what she would do with all the illegals living here, once the border is secure.
And sometimes, as a state governor, you have to do something you don't like.
Excuses for the goose are excuses for the gander.
You didn’t read the entire article did you -
“Ultimately, the language was stripped in conference committee, so it never became law.
The following year, Bachmann voted against another bill that would have allowed undocumented students to get in-state tuition. “
A much larger bill to keep the government running? What was in this MN bill that was so critical?
LOL excuses, excuses, excuses. She’s on record for voting for this. She shouldn’t have gone there in attacking Perry over this to the point of using the issue as a fundraiser.
Did she call anyone who doesn’t agree with her a racist? No
Perrytards are desperate
“A much larger bill to keep the government running? What was in this MN bill that was so critical?”
Give it up, you guys are looking silly on this one. If she had voted against the amendment, you’d have a point (a good point).
The point is she voted for it period. She could have voted no.
Yes the bill failed, but not with her help.
Talk about a misleading headline.
Perry couldn’t win High School Class Prez now.
Point is the headline is misleading, the thread is misleading and Perrybots are desperate
Bachmann isn’t even polling in the top 5 now and you guys are still frothing at the mouth about her.
Of the announced candidates, I have to go with Cain and (as much as it pains me to say so) Newt second.
No matter how you try to disguise them, Romney, Perry and Christie aren't conservatives. Acting like a cowboy and being a “good ol’ boy” doesn't make one a conservative (except in Texas).
“In-state tuition for undocumented students part of Bachmann’s past, too”
Well then it simply MUST be an acceptable conservaitve policy, huh?
Think not.
Grasping at straws aren’t they?
The title is what it is. Take it up with the Minnesota Public Radio as they aren’t exactly “Perrybots”. She went there on the attack over this issue and by God she’s going to get this vote of hers thrown back in her face. I don’t care if she is polling lower than Gary Johnson.
She’s still head and shoulders better than Perry.
Live with it, Perry-bot.
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