Posted on 11/28/2005 7:24:33 PM PST by neverdem
Tancredo for president, and other battles
Meet Jorge Humberto Hernandez Soto. The Mexican national is helping to flog Congress toward a showdown over the nation's immigration laws. Soto—unlicensed, illegal, and drunk—managed to get a borrowed Ford Explorer going 100 miles per hour the wrong way down Interstate 485 outside Charlotte, N.C., hitting another car and killing an 18-year old college student in the process.
Incidents like the one involving Soto, who was sent back to Mexico at least 17 times by U.S. authorities before his deadly wreck two weeks ago, are fueling popular demand for action—any action—at the federal, state, and local level. Across the nation, reliable weather-vane politicians like North Carolina Rep. Sue Myrick are rushing to demonstrate their tough-on-immigration credentials, lining up behind tougher immigration and border control legislation.
As a result, what was once Rep. Tom Tancredo's (R-Colo.) own personal hot-button issue is now a national immigration-reform movement. Fanned by talk-radio, not to mention Republican mania for some kind of wedge issue now that they've abandoned fiscal conservatism, immigration is shaping up as the Us vs. Them issue, certainly for next year's midterm election and perhaps 2008 as well.
Tancredo is sniffing around Iowa and has the dreaded and dread-filled potential POTUS candidate's book—In Mortal Danger—on the way. His Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus now has 91 members and expects to get actual House floor votes on several of its reform bills when Congress returns. With the GOP leadership in disarray, there is no telling how many votes the proposal might get.
As ever, a clumsy Bush administration move sparked the political firestorm. The White House spit out a half-hearted immigration reform plan, the core of which was a conceptually sound but poorly explained guest worker program. Many conservatives of a populist stripe never heard anything past the words "guest worker." A guest worker has to work somewhere, you see, and work means a job. A job that an American citizen would otherwise have. This is an absolute article of faith among the immigration reform camp.
They believe, for example, that contrary to several decades of experience, there exists a wage rate at which American citizens will claw sweet potatoes out of the sandy South Carolina soil with their bare hands, Jorge Humberto Hernandez Soto–style.
The reformers also promise harsh penalties on employers who hire illegal labor, a reflection of the certitude that the Bush administration is slow to act on the issue because "big business" wants cheap labor. You know, those corporate sweet potato buyers who could pay $10 a pound for tubers, but just like sticking it to the working man in between sipping double-scotches and buying yachts.
However, nothing reflects the profound shift in congressional thinking about immigration than the sudden conviction that "anchor babies" are part of America's immigration problem. Children born of illegal parents in the U.S. become citizens automatically, thus serving to anchor their parents to the country, sucking up entitlements and public school seats in the bargain. Along with a sturdy border fence, an end to anchor babies has become one of the magic-bullet fixes many reformers insist upon.
"I'm all in favor of people from other countries becoming U.S. citizens, but I don't know that it is appropriate to become a citizen automatically just by having the parents come into this country illegally and then be born here," Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) told The Arizona Republic last week.
Shadegg is one of 69 co-sponsors of a bill that would end America's policy of birth-rights citizenship. At one time advocating this change—which would seemingly require an amendment to the Constitution—was mostly for show. But reformers have recently embraced the interpretation of the 14th amendment offered by Chapman University School of Law professor John Eastman.
Eastman turned heads in September in testimony before the House Immigration, Border Security and Claims subcommittee by arguing that the amendment could be read to mean that children born to illegals in the U.S. were not citizens precisely because, as illegals, the parents had not subjected themselves to the jurisdiction of the U.S. government.
It is a controversial reading of the amendment, and the change would still face many hurdles—not the least of which would be the Senate —even if it were somehow to pass the House. But that such a fundamental change in American law is even under serious discussion underscores the degree to which immigration reform is a salient national political issue, as opposed to a state-wide or regional concern. There is no denying that House Republicans, Tancredo especially, intend to run with an immigration crackdown for 2006 and see where it leads.
Jeff A. Taylor writes the weekly Reason Express.
Oops, you forgot something. Zell Miller has values, Tancredo is just another loose cannon - firing away! Why would Zell Miller want to blow his credibility!?!
"Too bad Tancredo committed political suicide by proposing to nuke Mecca."
IMO, the only people who'd dismiss Tancredo on the basis of those (taken-out-of-context) comments are people who believe political correctness should trump national defense.
Ann Coulter said we should invade all Muslim nations, kill their leaders, and convert them to Christianity. A week later she went on and dated a Muslim. None of this even slowed down her cult of worship.
Nice to see the language improve here.
It makes your arguement so much more reasoned.
I want the border closed. I want a fence. I want to see existing laws enforced. Employers that knowing use illegals should pay a heavy fine or jail. I want illegals, when they are caught, sent home.
But, unlike some, if I can`t get it all, I`ll take what I can get now and keep trying.
Rep. Tancredo has a different agenda and it came out today 5 minutes after Bush`s speech. See, here`s what the "true believers" don`t understand, the Trancredo`s of this world don`t really care if they solve problems, no, instead they want to use the problem to advance themselves.If Tancredo, for example, wanted to solve the problem he would be working with the Adminisration instead of immediately attacking as he did today. But, if he wants an issue that will put him in front of the cameras, help him raise money, and, maybe, help him win higher office, then, to hell with everything else, he attacks.
The Congress will change the immagration laws next year. They will spend more money on the border. Do any of you think that Tancredo will be in the room when the bills are writen?
Zell Miller's "values" changed the moment he decided against running for re-election and no longer needed to pander to the RATs base. Prior to that, he was pro-abortion, pro-Max Cleland, anti-Clinton impeachment, etc., etc.
And you say TOM lacks credebility? Zell gives a good speech, but the fact is HE left the Dem party, not vice versa. He was loyal to their "cause" when they were all abortion luvin peacenick McGovern fanatics.
Is taking statements out of context your hobby?
Ann Coulter is not a Presidential hopeful, though.
Unfortunately, that is more than half the country. Remember that about 1/2 the country is Dem, and another 20% or so is RINO.
Oh well...it's pretty obvious that you just can't get the Keyester stain off even the longer termed FReepers! Must be the political in-breeding that comes naturally in Illinois.
ping
Thank you bybybill for your resounding endorsement of Tom Tancredo. It's always nice to see someone in the Republican Party to factually recommend a strong candidate for President.
Again, thank you as I will be supporting Tom Tancredo in the primaries.
It should be made a felony for Criminals who overstay there legal visas and Invaders.
I believe we should give amnesty to these poor CRIMINALS or INVADERS.
This should be a 2 week amnesty to get the heck out of our Country.
The ones who ignore this amnesty should be buried in a tent city jail and fined $10,000 or buried elsewhere.
All aiders and abettors of these CRIMINALS or INVADERS should get 1 year in a tent city jail and a $10,000 fine for each CRIMINAL aided.
Those in government should be the first ones charged.
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Support our Minutemen Patriots!
Be Ever Vigilant ~ Bump!
At least eight of them look hispanic. It's the same thing in California. They're identified as "white males".
We hear everything about "hispanic rights", yet the government won't admit that a high percentage of criminals are hispanic.
I believe this scam comes from the national crime reporting statistics database which I believe is maintained by the FBI. There is no Hispanic category when it comes to reporting criminal perpetrators. The little Hispanic check box is "missing". But there is a Hispanic category when it comes to crime victims. This makes it officially impossible for a Hispanic to commit a crime but easy for Hispanics to be victims. I have seen it speculated that the reason for this deception is to artificially inflate white crime statistics so that people do not realize the huge imbalance between white and minority committed crimes.
Strong candidate, Tom Tancredo, you mean stupid candidate don`t you? The guy is all hot air and has as much chance to be elected POTUS as Saddamn. Just like Pat, it`s all about him.
The ACU (American Conservative Union) rated him at 100 but you new that.
Awesome...
"If the Republican Party can't get their membership to help halt the invasion of our southern border, then they DESERVE to be hurt."
If the Republican Party can't get their head out of their arses long enough to halt the invasion of our southern border, then they DESERVE to be hurt.
There, fixed it for you :)
I think the great majority of the Republican Rank and File DO want to halt the invasion.
It's the jackasses in DC (starting with the White House) that don't want to fix it.
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.