Posted on 06/05/2006 7:14:06 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
CARLSBAD, Calif. - Republicans seized on Democrat Francine Busby's comments that sounded like encouragement for illegal immigrants to help her campaign as the GOP sought an edge in the final hours of a surprisingly close House race.
Immigration looms large in the runoff election Tuesday in the San Diego-area district some 30 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. Busby's remarks, and her subsequent explanation that she misspoke, has drawn much of the attention in the race's last days.
Speaking to a largely Hispanic audience last Thursday, Busby faced a Spanish-speaking questioner who said he wanted to help her campaign but lacked voting papers. The question was translated into English and she responded, "Everybody can help. You can all help. You don't need papers for voting, you don't need to be a registered voter to help."
Busby's GOP rival, Brian Bilbray, criticized the Democrat, saying she was encouraging possible illegal immigrants to volunteer for the campaign. On Monday, the GOP launched a radio ad that said, "That's right. Francine Busby says you don't need papers to vote."
Busby said repeatedly throughout the weekend that she misspoke. She said she had been trying to encourage underage high school students or people who weren't registered — but are in the country legally — to participate in the political process.
"I had a slip of the tongue and I corrected it immediately," Busby said. "I want to make it unequivocal that I do not support anyone who is here illegally voting or working on campaigns."
In the traditional GOP stronghold, registered Republicans outnumber Democrats, 3-to-2. But the downfall of convicted former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, doing time for accepting bribes, has given Democrats hope of capturing the seat.
The winner of Tuesday's runoff will serve the remaining seven months of Cunningham's term. The prevailing party will play up the outcome as an early barometer of the November midterm elections.
Reflecting the high stakes, the two parties have spent more than $6 million combined on the contest. President Bush and first lady Laura Bush recorded automated telephone messages for Bilbray. A mass e-mailing from Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., the party's 2004 presidential nominee, was sent last week to more than 100,000 supporters urging them to help get out the vote. Early voting began this weekend at county registrars' offices, with several hundred casting ballots. Busby and Bilbray voted on Monday.
Busby, a local school board member, has focused her campaign on an anti-corruption theme and assailed Bilbray, a former congressman, for his time working as a lobbyist. On immigration, she backs the Senate-passed bill that combines enhanced border security with a guest worker program and a shot at citizenship for many of the 11 million illegal immigrants in the country.
Bilbray, who highlights his congressional experience, favors construction of a fence "from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico," and barring "illegal aliens from any access to Social Security benefits."
On his Web Site, he offers no plan for treatment of the illegal immigrants currently in the country.
A fractious Republican Party base and the presence of a third candidate are the wild cards in the race.
Some conservatives consider Bilbray too liberal on social issues and even on immigration. The ultraconservative San Diego Minutemen have endorsed William Griffith, an American Independent on the runoff ballot who won less than 1 percent in the April special election that led to the runoff.
Griffith has spent only a few thousand dollars on his campaign, but last week got a boost from Busby's campaign, which ran ads on conservative talk stations encouraging listeners concerned about immigration to vote for Griffith.
Bilbray also faces a primary challenge from self-financed candidate Bill Hauf, who backs Bilbray in the runoff but has recently spent more than $100,000 on radio ads running to his right for the Republican berth in November's election.
"The Republican Party is splitting 14 ways from Sunday on border issues, along with fiscal issues and social issues," said Carl Luna, a political scientist at Mesa College. "The real conservatives may just take their jacks and go home."
Francine Busby, the Democratic candidate for congress in the 50th district, waits for her ballot at the office of the registrar of voters while voting Monday June 5, 2006, in San Diego. Busby is in a close race with Republican Brian Bilbray to fill the seat left vacant with the conviction of Republican Randall 'Duke' Cunningham. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
Of course if it had been a Republican candidate the headline would read "GOP Candidate Self-Destructs in Closing Days of Campaign"
No. He said he lacked "papers" period. In their culture that means he's an illegal alien.
Enforcement first!
Redefeat Busby.
One of theirs does something wrong and it is still somehow our fault.
Papers? You don need no steenking papers.
There should be a "correctly title the article" thread.
"cpitalize", my butt. The democrats rely on illegal votes for every election.--dead, ILLEGAL, or whatever. She just caught bringing it out into the open.
Simple, she just wants the illegals to cast votes that no other American citizen is willing to cast!!! Works for me... (sarc/off)
What happened here is she got caught telling the truth, vote for me and I'll get my dem friends to help you continue to break the law and get great benefits.
Yep thank the California Minutemen for that one.
No, you corrected it after you were called on it!
Roger Hedgecock and all media has been slapped with threat of lawsuits if they broadcast her remarks anymore.
Roger interviewed her today and she pled total ignorance of the high powered DC law firm's actions. Roger says that's proof of what a DNC pawn she really is.
You can bet the Spanish speaking guy was a plant, put in the audience intentionally, so that the scum sucking Democrat maggot (shown above) would have an opportunity to plug voter fraud.
God................I HATE liberals!!
The only GOOD thing that I can say about LIBERALS, is that they tend to KILL their own (abortion and AIDS). Continue Mission, Liberal Scum!
Getting slipped the tongue by Busby? Blah. It's going to be awhile before I get the bile taste out of my mouth.
They were all Spanish speaking. English media was not invited. It was secretly recorded by an undercover Minuteman.
We were never meant to get wind of it at all.
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