Posted on 05/21/2006 6:20:18 AM PDT by johnny7
With their get tough on immigrants stance, Republicans have blown an opportunity to guarantee a GOP majority in perpetuity
In an outdoor press conference held across the street from the Capitol last week, Representative Tom Tancredothe Colorado Republican who has made a name for himself, momentarily, by bashing illegal immigrantspretended to be mystified by his more moderate Senate colleagues. "Who are you responding to?" he asked of them. "Nobody," he answered for them. None of the gazillions of citizen-patriots calling his office had expressed anything but dismay over the illegal aliensa term that makes it sound as if the country were being invaded by Martians.
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
First of all most new arrivals to this country are less likely to vote than the average American, even if they are naturalized citizens. Their kids do vote though. The sons and daughters of the illegals of the 80's that Reagan did give amnesty to provided the margin of victory to Bush in both 2000 and 2004. Bush and other Republicans have been getting around 40% of the Latino vote.
Up until the last few months, a majority of Hispanics have been pretty non political and have not voted. Since the House voted to label their fathers and grandfathers felons and threaten to send them back to Mexico, they have become energized about voting. If the House bill stands and there is no earned path to citizenship, more and more of them will vote and yes they will vote Democrat. This will be similar to what happened following Pete Wilson's gubernatorial campaign and the various propositions passed (and overruled by the courts) that changed California from a swing state to one of the bluest of Blue states.
THANK YOU for the very informative links and analysis!
James Bennett, who wrote the "Anglosphere Challenge" made the point that a nation can thrive while accepting any two of these three principles: (state-encouraged) multiculturalism, unrestricted immigration and democracy, but not all three at once. I think President Bush agrees, which is why he's always been against state encouraged bi-lingualism.
LOL - the cat's out of the bag now!
Sure they weren't toasting with Mint Julips?
Klein seems to be indulging in the recent trend toward blaming Conservatives for their reactions to the NeoCons' mess. That the Fifth Column is lending it's support to the Neos confirms that we are definitely right in pushing for the HB 4437 enforcement-only bill.
"#2. I linked articles which prove that the president has talked about and FUNDED a wall. Two years ago." The US Constitution makes Congress responsible for the budget. A patrolled fence system would seem to be better than a wall. Preventing people from entering the country sounds cheaper than catching them, convicting them of criminal activity and locking them away. Calling those actively pushing for actual border security "vigilantes" seems directionally incorrect. 3-7-77.
"#3. This president DID end catch and release." Catch and release seems to fall under the responsibility of the legal system. If there was no one to catch, there'd be no one to release.
W has not been behind functional border security with Mexico now or from the gitgo.
Bush hasn't vetoed a bill yet - therefore he must be supportive of EVERYTHING Congress passes.
40% of the Latin vote does not equal 100% mexican descent. Cubans, and many others are classified as Latin, and they are conservative in much greater numbers.
Do you have any statistics to bolster your assertion? I would wager that hispanics of Mexican descent and low income vote democrat in roughly the same proportions as traditional liberal constituencies as blacks and jews, meaning 75% or greater.
Besides, Latins who came here legally are just as likely to resent the granting of amnesty to illegals.
I don't know. Mint julips would be dreadful for a toast.
#1. If the Governors feel that illegal immigration is really damaging their states, why have they refused to call up the Guard? It is within their RIGHT to do so and to my knowledge, only Governor Perry of Texas has done so.
It will cost him NOTHING beyond that which he is already paying the Guard.
You do know, don't you, that several governor's have said they don't WANT the Guard on their borders?
#2. Nothing you posted in #2 takes away from the fact that the president talked about illegal immigration for over 2 years, supports Sensenbrenner's bill which originally called for 700 miles of fencing; the mileage got reduced in the House, but that isn't Bush's fault.
Several Governors caved to environmentalists over the wall. The president immediately signed the REAL ID Act which gives the DHS the authority to waive environmental restrictions to complete the fence.parts of the fence that money was already appropriated for.
#3. I don't get your point. Catch and release was ended by this administration.
United We Stand...
Writer is an obtuse dummy; in English, words have more than one meaning. Permit us to use them. Mind-control libs would ban certain words if they could.
80% of Americans oppose amnesty.
Yes, this is true, and that is why it will be defeated.
You see, in America now the minority rules.
In Kentucky one Muslim student stopped prayer in graduation
ceremonies.
#2. The President supports all legislation that passes. Anything before passage is just talk.
#3. Proper border control would result in almost no one being jailed for illegally crossing the border. No need for criminalization, much less felonization. #3 becomes a moot issue.
As Bush has obstinately continued to avoid improving the border control with Mexico, the pressure on him has increased. W still seems very reluctant to act (Wants a complete package immediately). That's just the way it is. You can run around to all the immigration threads and claim otherwise, but that doesn't make it so.
Remember bush's failed Social Security reforms? Perhaps political operatives have recognized that opening up our borders to instant citizens will prop up social security for a few more years with their contributions?
To them, problem dealt with becomes someone elses problem in a few years.
I see the problems of now becoming an unsustainable crisis by the end of the decade. Don't let congress off on the premise that the problem of illegal immigration is too big to solve. That is passing the buck to future leaders, just like the social security crisis that is out of the mainstream spotlight for now.
Bush is eager to sign the sh_t sandwich produced in the Senate as is... whatever he 'said' in the past(walls/enforcement) means NOTHING.
All depends on how you word the question, and how you define earned citizenship. In just about all of the poles that give out the 80%, the issue is worded to mix legal with illegal. In short people support legal immigration.
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