Immigration
- 02.05.2008 - 11:32 PMThis issue has had a perfect record of irrelevance. Not a single state turned on this supposedly critical issue. Indeed, McCain, the immigration reform advocate, won Florida on the strength of his appeal to Hispanics. (He tied Romney among White voters.) But the same folks who spent weeks railing against McCain will, I am certain, continue to argue that this is the winning issue for Republicans who oppose comprehenisve immigration reform.
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February 5th, 2008 at 11:46 PM
Illegal Immigration continues to be a top concern among voters. Just because people are voting for McCain doesn’t mean his illegal immigration policies are popular, or that the subject is unimportant.
February 5th, 2008 at 11:46 PM
“But the same folks who spent weeks railing against McCain will, I am certain, continue to argue that this is the winning issue for Republicans who oppose comprehenisve immigration reform.”
Illegal immigration cannot be a winning issue if the MSM ignores the horror stories. The same thing also holds true regarding the crisis in Iran or other areas threatened by Islamic nihilism. Say what you will, but the MSM still dictates which issues will dominate the public’s attention.
February 6th, 2008 at 12:07 AM
Aside from the Cuban-Americans in Florida, I can’t think of any immigrant group that prefers any Republican to any Democrat. The notion that millions of poor, uneducated, and unskilled immigrants are going to vote for limited government, tax cuts, vouchers, etc is absurd. The gimmickry of “Comeback Conservatism”, “Sam’s Club Conservatism”, “Big Government Conservatism”, etc is pointless when compared with the immediate gratification offered by the Democrats. Neither Bloomberg, Giuliani, nor Pataki won the Hispanic vote - and in fact they lost it by considerable margins. And they ran as liberal Republicans. Furthermore, once the US begins to demographically resemble Latin America I can’t believe that US foreign policy won’t change. How many Hispanic in Congress voted for the war in Iraq? How many Mexican troops are in Afghanistan (the “good” war)? What is the voting record at the UN of Latin American countries with respect to Israel’s fence?
February 6th, 2008 at 12:33 AM
“Aside from the Cuban-Americans in Florida, I can’t think of any immigrant group that prefers any Republican to any Democrat.”
The Republicans (and the country!) were royally screwed in the 1965 immigration act that made it relatively easy for Hispanic citizens to bring in their immediate family members. Even hinting that this was ultimately insane resulted in electoral disaster. The Democrats are expert at offering “freebies” to their constituents. Many of the more recent illegal aliens have become experts at obtaining welfare benefits. They can do this because their children born here are legally citizens of the United States. California is already a mess because of the Hispanics who vote to protect their selfish interests. Which state will be next?
Most Americans are unaware of the true crisis. My own local daily, the very leftist Houston Chronicle, rarely, if ever reports about the serious troubles. It instead focuses on hard working Hispanic illegals that are having it rough in the area. Sob stories are the norm. How many people know that Mexicans are generally hostile towards education? Their illegitimacy rates are skyrocketing and so many are being sent to prison. 14-year-old girls often get pregnant and nobody gives a damn. I strongly recommend reading The Immigration Solution: A Better Plan Than Today’s coauthored by Heather Mac Donald, Victor Davis Hanson, Steven Malanga, and introduced by Myron Magnet.
February 6th, 2008 at 12:37 AM
Look, the issue is irrelevant because “comprehensive immigration reform”, a.k.a. amnesty, is dead as a doornail and no major candidate is stupid enough gratuitously to resurrect it, let alone to pin election hopes on it. My guess is, both parties will soft-pedal the whole thing — if they can get away with it — because it’s such a loose grenade.
Besides, apart from “enforcement first” (a non- or bi-partisan issue if ever there was one), what’s the rush?
February 6th, 2008 at 12:54 AM
“Look, the issue is irrelevant”
That’s mostly correct. The conservatives have essentially already won the debate. Arizona and other states are already enacting strict anti-illegal immigration laws. Most Americans like myself are also not interested in kicking out the illegals already established in the United States. We just want to deter others from entering the country.
February 6th, 2008 at 4:15 AM
The truth is, most folks know that the immigration problem is not nearly as bad as all the Lou Dobbs of the world want to make it sound. This has been an issue that galvanizes a certain part of both parties, but won’t tilt the election in the least.
February 6th, 2008 at 2:31 PM
The debate over rampant illegal immigration is not a case of conservatives Vs. “liberals,” or Republicans Vs. Democrats. It’s a case of populists Vs. extremists. The vast majority of Americans oppose illegal immigration in no uncertain terms. Only extremists support it.
If the issue of illegal immigration were irrelevant, the snakes in Congress would feel confidant enough to pass laws to openly promote it. If McCain becomes President he won’t be able to bestow amnesty in perpetuity, and he probably wont even try. Voters know this.
February 7th, 2008 at 1:22 PM
Jennifer you want to stomped in another immigration fight - bring it on
February 7th, 2008 at 4:29 PM
“This issue has had a perfect record of irrelevance”
Yet Michigan, North Carolina and Tennessee just stopped issuing drivers licenses to illegal immigrants, New Hampshire is tightening up there requirements, Arizona has survived several attempts to derail Prop. 200, and Oklahoma just past the most sweeping anti illegal immigrant legislation so far.
Just scream ‘Naaaah Naaaah Naaaah’ a littler louder and it will all work out for you