Posted on 06/15/2014 10:53:29 AM PDT by PoloSec
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) offered a pointed rebuttal Sunday to strategists and pundits who say embracing immigration reform will put GOP incumbents at risk in future primaries.
Graham said if Republicans let the status quo stand and hope illegal immigrants leave the United States because of poor conditions, they will obliterate their chances of winning the White House in two years.
“If we keep playing this game that self deportation is the only answer for the Republican Party, we will have destroyed our chances in 2016 and dealt a death blow to our party because by 2050 the majority of the country is going to be African American, Hispanic and Asian,” he said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
Media pundits and conservative strategists have declared immigration reform in 2014 dead in the wake of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s (R-Va.) shocking primary loss last week.
“It was a matter of immigration. It’s ridiculous that people are saying, “Immigration wasn’t an issue.’ It was the main issue in the race,” said William Kristol, the editor of The Weekly Standard, on ABC’s “This Week.”
But Graham, a co-author of comprehensive immigration reform bill that passed the Senate, warned his party not to be “delusional” about the need for the House to act on the issue as well.
“If we become the party of self deportation, if that again is our position in 2016, we’re going to drive a deep wedge between us and Hispanics,” he said on CBS.
In contrast to Cantor, Graham defeated a crowded field of conservative challengers Tuesday and avoided a runoff in South Carolina, a state considered more conservative than Virginia.
Proponents of immigration reform have pointed to Graham’s victory as evidence that Cantor’s defeat at the hands of economics professor Dave Brat, who campaigned extensively on illegal immigration, isn’t a message to the GOP from its conservative base to oppose comprehensive reform.
Graham on Sunday renewed his call for reform, including a pathway to citizenship for an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants.
“A pathway to citizenship, after you secure the border, control who gets a job, more legal immigrations where they have to pass a criminal background check, learn the English language, wait 10 years before you can apply for a green card," he said.
"If you solve the immigration problem in a good, American, responsible way, our party's back in the game and we can dominate the 21st century," he added.
This is evidently what the Republicans in South Carolina wanted. Woohoo! Lindsay the dreamboat candidate!
You lock down the border tight and let us see how that works first. Secondly enforce the laws and deport people who are here illegally. Then after that ... “We’ll talk.”
“because by 2050 the majority of the country is going to be African American, Hispanic and Asian,”
Spoken like a true political whore along for the ride. Republicans are the party of managed decline.
Linda moves back to the left.
Who ever said, "self deportation is the only answer for the Republican Party"? And how would it follow that, "we will have destroyed our chances in 2016 and dealt a death blow to our party because by 2050 the majority of the country is going to be African American, Hispanic and Asian"? There are as many nationally prominent Hispanic and Asian politicians who are Republican as Democrats.
A straw man argument followed by non sequiturs. Who taught this doofus logic? Obama?
The liberal definition of multiculturalism:
1. Immigrants (legal and illegal) are encouraged to maintain
their culture, language, identity.
2. Americans are supposed to “celebrate” this diversity by
giving up their culture, identity.
3. If Americans complain, it is only because they are racist,
and as George W. Bush said at Ford’s funeral, there is
noting worse than racism.
A now very nonfree market is heaving in its death convulsions. It probably IS some sort of near term gain to bring in these folks. The way the dust settles is another question.
Good grief,,the status quo is not hoping immigrants will leave on their own..my goodness. The status quo is housing homeless illegals on our military bases. This is what Graham is for?
Those against Graham should be very clear they are advocating for the enforcement of current immigration laws.
Graham is lost. Completely lost.
“...we will have destroyed our chances in 2016 and dealt a death blow to our party because by 2050 the majority of the country is going to be African American, Hispanic and Asian,” he said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
The black members of the 47% are here to stay. But we CAN — and MUST do something about those HERE ILLEGALLY or the entire culture here will be unalterably changed for the worse. The vast majority of these people will be Democrat voters if only for the free chit they’ll be promised.
And that will go on until the few remaining producers either leave, die off or just give up and the entire scam comes screeching to a halt. And THAT will be when the RIOTS and SOCIAL COLLAPSE start and America — the IDEA the Founders sought to leave us — joins all the others on the ash heap of history!
Whose votes does he expected to win over with Amnesty?
The MSM for sure, but no registered voters. ..he's delusional.
...after you seal the border....”.
Anyone catch that? He said it. Tucked in his to-do list was “..after you seal the border... “. THAT is how he sold himself to South Carolina.
So, why don’t Establishment Republicrats pound that point home? They never give light of day to our current border law that is being expressly ignored, and to such an extent as to be easily impeachable.
They never discuss enforcement of current law, or of sealing the border. All we hear about is who gets amnesty.
Thankfully he’s POWERLESS, at least for now.
Like so many other issues, the fate of our Republic teeters on this. We can either quit caving, quit shutting up, start fighting back and secure the borders, or resign ourselves to a FEMA camp and/or a bloody nightmare.
No Way, Jose (No Se Puede!) by 10 Pound Test
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
The open borders Republicans are delusional if they think that amnesty is going to endear them to the illegals. The illegals will continue to vote their way into the pocketbooks of the people who are here legally.
Good. Maybe then they'll go back home where they belong.
Right, but I would still love for someone from FOX or even a local journalist to go and ask voters of Linda Graham if they are happy they voted for him or if they realized they could have voted him out by voting for any one of the 6 other candidates as it would have went to a run-off, or if they are as dumb as those people you usually see interviewed on Jay Leno in those Jaywalking segments.
Hey, Lindsey... There’s already a huge wedge between the GOP and Hispanics. And, as long as we continue to allow ANYONE to break the law as their first action on arrival in the US, we will NEVER be a party of ‘law and order’.
Even amnesty will not appreciably increase the hispanic vote for conservatives. These folks are here for what they can get from the gubmint, like all LIBTARDS.
Pull your head out of your 3-point of contact and DO THE RIGHT THINGS.
1. Secure the border. Really.
2. Criminalize the knowing use of illegals in employment.
3. Require proof of citizenship to receive fedgov largesse of any sort.
4. Provide buses to the South and North, and planes from to the East and West to get these folks back from where they came.
Stop the stupid shenanigans, you a$$clown. Amnesty is a NO WIN solution.
FOAD...
Why couldn’t this guy have gotten beat...oh, another 6 years of this...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.