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."
“Grasping at straws aren’t they?”
TOTALLY. But it does show that Perry is still being stung by his CODDLING of illegals.
You are missing the point, it’s the hypocracy of hers that is being highlighted. She claims to be this uber evangelical born again Christian yet she has no problem of lying in order to gain political power.
I think Perry is going down.
Grasping at such lame straws won’t help him float a second longer.
Flame-out, Perry boy!
The funny thing is, that you can tell the headline-only readers on this thread. They ignore (and probably never read, but if they had, would still ignore), the fact that Bachmann proposed an amendment that would make the tuition ONLY for citizens. Did Perry Veto the Texas Dream act? Did he lobby to have illegals not get benefits?
No, and neither is going to be President of the U.S.A., but the “pick your pony” crowd has a logical breakdown in their rabid attacks of one another. Humorous, but sad.
She polls 4% so why would Perry supporters care about her at all if not to make their boy look better on an issue where he really, REALLY screwed up?
Is Perry the one who brought this up or is it the Minnesota Public Radio who did this. Since it’s MPR it’s not like they are a big fan of hers or Perry for that matter. KWIM? The libs can’t stand her.
If she’s angling for the VP slot then she still needs vetting. She’s also still a sitting US Representative. How she votes is still important.
Sorry but she went there and that’s the way this game is played.
No executive experience was a killer for me with Bachmann from the begining. I always had a great deal of respect for her because of her conservative values. But to lower herself to the level of lying ‘caused me and a whole lot of other people to readjust our whole perception of her. Today, she just another one of those untrustworthy politicians.
I am not amused by this.
If Bachmann continues to disappoint, I may run for Cain - or Paul.
Perry is a RINO. Romney, on the other hand, is a full-fledged Rat.
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.Doesn't sound quite the same, does it?
Did Perry Veto the Texas Dream act?
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I suppose it would have looked better on paper. Wouldn’t have meant much. 181/4
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Can the legislature override a governor’s veto?
Yes, overriding a governor’s veto requires a vote of two-thirds of the members present in the chamber from which the legislation originated, and a vote of two-thirds of the members in the opposite chamber Texas Constitution Article IV, Section 14). The legislature cannot override a governor’s veto after the session ends. Top
http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/genInfo/FAQ.cfm#override
I don’t think Michele is a threat to Perry any longer.
Perhaps he could go after Romney?
“I don’t think Michele is a threat to Perry any longer.”
They seem to think she might return (although I don’t). That’s why they’re lashing out like this.
Really, really desperate. They are tying themselves in knots to make excuses for Perry. What Bachmann did here is not what Perry did, and they know it. It’s pathetic.
The perrywinkles like the joe the plumber liberal attack. Truth is a stranger to them.
Thank you for stating this obvious truth which Perrycites need to see. No amount of trashing other more conservative candidates will cause people to run to their RINO.
Mittens and his mittbots tried to do this same thing using Reagan as the target and it got them exactly no where four years ago. This tactic just makes the Perrycites and their candidate by reflection look even worse than they already appear.
Wow...this is the best the Perry Campaign can do? She pushed an amendment to mandate citizenship and it failed. Voted for bill. Bill was stripped away and wasn’t part of final vote? Uh, a bit less direct than Perry: advocated it, signed bill into law. Period.
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