TimF has a thoughtful post on what the immigration bill has meant and will mean to the GOP. Relatively speaking, to the Democrats, it was a matter of some indifference. Certainly Democrats had opinions, but not the white hot passionate ones that seemed to erupt in Republican circles.
In the GOP, Mr.F suggests, this opened a fundamental rift between the business conservatives that fund the GOP and the social conservatives that staff it. The business conservatives tend to benefit from an abundance of cheap labor. Social conservatives often suffer economically from this but, probably more importantly, notice keenly the change in culture that comes more quickly with a substantial immigrant population. I would further suppose that cultural conservatives have an ideological attachment to law and order above and beyond their practical devotion.
The rift has been kept in check by simply looking the other way on the immigration issue. George Bush’s failure to back off on addressing the issue of illegal immigrants in a way that business conservatives would like was probably a political blunder of the highest order. I suspect that Republicans who followed Bush’s lead on this will pay dearly. Democrats will not be above the fray entirely, but I suspect it will be less of a motivating issue for their base.
Doug,
I agree with you.This has caused a major split in the Republican party and I believe those Republicans who pushed this bill will pay a price.Negative Tv ads ran against the likes of McConnel and Trent Lott and a few others.Internet ads ran against a lot of them also.It is important to note the new freshman Democratic Senators tended to vote against this bill as they were fresh off the campaign trail from last year and campaigned against this type of bill while running for office Webb,Mckaskil,Tester, and several others.Byron Dorgan(D) led a huge charge against this bill although he is a senior Senator.
I thought it was humerous also that presidential candidate Sam Brownback first voted yes to cloture(keeping bill alive) then saw how things were going and switched to NO.Remember this issue alone has killed John McCains presidential hopes.I do amire him though for sticking to his position but could not disagree more with him.
Malkin made a internet ad calling Sam Brownback Senator switchback.
How dumb can Bush be to attack and challenge the very few people who support him.I thought it was funny how Tom Tancredo sent Chertoff a head of lettuce and a fruit basket saying there’s plenty more where this came from refering to Chertoffs assertion crops are rotting in the fields.Of course we have a agricultural guest worker program and in fact have 8 guest worker programs but you wouldn’t know it to hear Bush and his cronies.
Other notable opposition to this bill I forgot to mention in the talk radio post were the Teamsters,AFL-CIO,American Legion,TREA a 1.2 million member Seniors orginization and the American people.
I am happy this subject will have to be debated by the presidential candidates.The Democrats do not like to talk about this issue.
A Carville-Greeburg Democratic poll a few weeks ago found 47%-47% split in Dems on this bill.
ZOGBY’S 8300 person poll was 56% against
CNN Galup 47% against
Rasmussen only 22% supported this bill.He found every affiliation against it Democrats,Republicans,Independents.
Sorry Doug,
But, this is one issue where unfortunately you along with most of the liberal/left blogosphere is dead wrong. Because the political landscape has shifted rapidly and today the party that is going to get its ass kicked over immigration is the Democrats.
For now the Democratic base is really lucky that the DLC Cheap Labor Corporatists like Hillary, Emmanuel, Lieberman and Schumer , the Open Borders fundamentalists like Ted Kennedy, the professional Latino panderers like Luis Gutierrez, selfish sellout Ex-Immigration lawyers like Zoe Lofgren, Maria Cantwell and Harris Miller and the Lefty multi-culturalist fanatic goons like the SPLC were unsuccessful in helping the absolute worst of the anti-worker Republicans pass “Comprehensive Immigration Reform”
There are good reasons Webb, Sanders, Dorgan, McCaskell, Tester and even Evan Bayh saw the light and voted against this turd. “CIR” would have decimated what remained of low-wage labor in this country by flooding it with an indentured non-English speaking helot underclass for another twenty years. It would have greatly promoted additional outsourcing of middle class professional jobs through a radical expansion of the heinous H1-B visa program. Gee!!! Low wage workers and the endangered middle class, aren’t those folks suppose to be Democrats???
Here is what folks need to realize. The latest Rassmusen, Zogby and even Carville polls showed strong majority Democratic opposition to “CIR”. Not only that but the majority of Democrats clearly are in favor of enforcement of existing immigration laws over Amnesties or additional guest worker programs. What about Lou Dobbs? Well several surveys are showing his audience is almost two thirds Independents and other third identifies as Democratic by 2 to 1. Dobbs’ own unscientific poll basically showed roughly the same results. Dobbs’s audience is the swing vote!!!! Get f use to it folks!!! The true wing-nuts during his time slot are watching FOX, MSNBC and the market wrap up on CNBC.
The most powerful Immigration Restrictionist activist group in the country, NumbersUSA states that its periodic membership surveys are showing a rough split of a third each Democrat, Republican and Independent. NumbersUSA at well over 400,000 strong almost single handedly shut down the Capital Hill phone system and is adding at least 5000 members a week.
Besides the massive miscalculation of intended reaction to the May 1st 2006 rallies by the Latino radical Pro-Amnesty/Open Borders groups, what set off the immigration firestorm was Rove’s ham handed attempts to use the Mighty Wurlitzer to force support for its immigration legislation. Even the working and middle class Republican “Kool-Aid” drinkers dam well knew was not in their economic best interests. No it was not racism, just flat out economic common sense. Even the Kool-Aid drinkers were able to see through the bullsh*t for once.
Bushco was caught flatfooted by the unexpected explosive response to its summer of 2006 push for virtually limitless Cheap Labor through massive increases in immigration and illegal alien amnesty. Dubya’s front man for this legislation in the house Mike Pence nearly got ran out of the state until he did a 180 a month before election. The Bush Open Borders agenda played a huge roll in the defeat of the three Indiana Republican congressmen last fall. It was a true populist revolt with talk radio callers demanding that even the worst Mighty Wurlitzer Bushco sycophants listen to what they have to say. Rove may have thought he could exploit the debate but he lost control of it. What happened instead was that the Limbaughs and Hannity’s put their tails between their legs and backed down from pushing Bushco’s agenda when they saw that they were clearly losing ratings to local talkers who were siding with Immigration Restrictionist policies.
Now the real significant change is that the Republican’s are almost certainly to run on a populist borders security and immigration restrictionist platform in 2008. Every single Republican candidate has declared himself a immigration restrictionist except for McCain who is sinking fast in the polls.
Meanwhile the Democrats are scared to death to even consider backing away from 40 years of supporting a de facto “Open Borders” policy and pandering to Latinos. Right now it looks like a done deal that Hillary will trounce Obama and certainly Edwards in the heavily front loaded primaries in states with large Hispanic voting blocks. Watch Hilliary go out and pander like mad for the Hispanic and the left-wing multi-culturalist vote. Bilingual education for everyone, hooray!!! Then as soon as Hillary has locked up the nomination the Republicans will tear her apart over her collecting tens of millions from Cheap Labor, Free Trade and pro outsourcing lobbying interests. Yes, positioning the Democratic pary as the supporters of elitist DLC backed anti-worker cheap labor policies is a sure winning STRATEGERY.
As far as Amnesty for Illegal Aliens, it has not worked in the past and will never work. Not as policy and certainly not as a political strategy. Because for every Latino vote you may gain through a mass illegal alien amnesty, history has shown you lose at least one white, black or even Hispanic working and middle class vote. If this strategy worked, the 1986 Simpson-Mazzoli immigration bill amnesty along with a have dozen smaller Ted Kennedy sponsored amnesties should have been enough to make the Democrats a dominate party by now. Talk about being so stupid you are capable of f**king up a baked potato. Clintonista party consultantm Open Borders advocate and author of the Emerging Democratic Majority, Ruy Teixeira is the proven champion potato f**ker of the last twenty years!!!
Another huge problem with the Democratic party continuing to support “Open Borders” is that it risks completely neutralizing the one issue that could be a huge winner for the Democrats in 2008. That is if the party had the courage to capitalize on “SICKO”, and really push a single payer health care reform solution. Democrats need to ask themselves whether or not it is just a coincidence that every country that offers all of its citizens some sort of socialized health care guarantee does not tolerate Open Borders. Even Cuba!! Where foreign nationals are expected to pay something, except when Michael Moore shows up to make a movie.
No if anybody’s base is going to get split over immigration, I am afraid it is the Democrats.
If people were well-informed and rational and analytical then I think Llamajockey is correct.But this is an emotional issue.. My guess is that many Hispanics will remember only the high profile Republicans like Tancredo and Sessions( and other border area local legsislators) who spoke so strongly against open borders, and many perceive that as ‘anti-immigrant’. That’s why Republicans will be more blamed than Dems..especially in the Hispanic community at large..The conservative base of the Republican party have been consistent and united againt open borders,and they have been high profile about it. Hispanic advocacy groups have successfully made Immigration Reform an Hispanic issue,not a border control,illegal immigrant issue,as most other americans see it. They emphasize broken families,raids on innocent Hispanics,including legals,and they see Republicans behind it.Even a so-called ‘demi-liberal’ like myself has a great deal of trouble with open borders and sorting out illegal and legal immigrants.There does seem to be a valid difference between legal and illegal.My reference is my teaching career:if this country were my classroom,I would want to be able to check who comes through the door,and the first thing I would find out would be the student’s legality based on his documentation into my classroom( nobody ‘just walks in’) ..and for the kid’s benefit as much as for the school system’s or mine.
In some ways llamajockey maybe right.I thought about this sme more and the Republicans in the business community ran a few ads trying to drum up support for the failed miserable piece of legislation Senate bill 1639 and couldn’t muster much of it and when push comes to shove in a presidential race those Republicans will get behind their nominee as will we because I’ve seen enough of the open borders Democratic presidential candidates to know what they stand for.They hate this subject.
Working class Democrats in the heartland are not going to support the kind of immigration plan Clinton or O’Bama is going to put out.
Doug,
The major problem that the Democrats face on the immigration front is that it will be really tough from them to just walk away from the issue in the coming year. For the Republicans Dubya is now pretty much a lameduck and the remaining House and Senate Republicans will soon be lining up to support one of the viable Republican presidential candidates, almost all of whom are now actively courting the surging Immigration Restrictionist vote. The sole “Open Borders” Republican McCain’s candidacy is effectively over. In 2008 it highly likely that one or more RedState “Open Border” Republicans will now be defeated in a primary challenge. Lindsey Graham is looking real vulnerable. Also it is likely in the Democratic primaries the trend will continue towards Immigration Restrictionist Fair Trade candidates like Webb, McCaskill and Tester.
So if the any part of the “Open Borders”, Cheap Labor and Latino Ethnocentric lobby’s agenda is going to be passed, they know time is now running out The pressure on “Open Borders” Democrats will be intense. Those Democratic politicians especially who have accepted tens of millions in campaign contributions are going to be on the bubble to get something done on behalf of their “clients”. Screw the voters who cares about them. Giving in however will further inrage the Immigration Restrictionist movements. And the Democratic party as a whole will only sink further in the opinion polls.
I see yet another major MSM PR sob story campaign for the Dream Act starting right after the 4th of July and continuing into the late summer and early fall. Also, Hillary has sworn to do way too much, like unlimited H1-Bs, for Silicon Valley and her BFF Bill, Gates that is, not to try to do something on the labor arbitrage.
Also Having promised way to much to the radical Latino racial identity groups Hillary needs to throw some sort of bone to the MEChA crazies less they show up at the convention in Denver next summer along with ANSWER and start a riot. If you do not think that will happen you have no idea the sense of entitlement Latino groups have towards Amnesty for illegal aliens, bilingual education, government social services and further immigration rights for their families. It is completely out of hand. Lou Dobbs is not exaggerating.
The Dream Act is the best hope for keeping the Latino ethnocentric groups in line until after the election. It is also the perfect vehicle for which to attach a radical expansion of the H1-B and F4 visa programs. Neither the Latino lobbies or Corporatist like Compete America alone are strong enough in terms of potential votes or campaign cash bribery money to push through their pet legislation by themselves.
Right now lots of us Anti middle class labor arbitrage visa activists are hoping the outstanding NumbersUSA members will not be suffering fatigue and will still be itching for a another fight this fall help us stop this subterfuge of our legislative process cold.
In the meantime the fight over the H1-B is heating up. The hope is to attach such a stink to the H1-B that like Amnesty politicians are afraid to go near it. The really heavy handed lobbying(Bribery??) of the Indian Government and the Indian IT Outsourcers will hopefully finally comeback to bite them in the ass.
Doug if you have not seen this new sight please take a look. Talk about giving lawyers a bad name. These Immigration Lawyer seminars videos on how to avoid having to hire qualified Americans for tech jobs are a hot item on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCbFEgFajGU
For the entire disgusting 20 part video and more info on the heinous H1-B go here
http://lyrelyrepantzandfier.com/
There’s obviously no unified constituency favoring a comprehehension bill including border control,immigration reform, and a guest worker program.Somehow issues will have to be separated and bills presented one at a time .It will be interesting to see what the politics of the next couple years will bring, and what any final bill might look like,and who lines up to support each bill.Maybe each party will end up redefining itself. Nothing much will get done til after the next presidential election,if then.What the most people seem to want most is border control,so that’s where the smart politician might start. .
I read a story today in The Wshington Times where Steny Hoyer was saying they wanted to do a broad bill in the House but couldn’t without Republican support and maybe they needed to do do small bills.So after all this debate and defeat of The Grand Bargain what does Mr. Hoyer think was a good part of the Grand Bargain certainly not the small attempt at border security but The Dream Act.What in the world does this man think happened last week??
I guess if Steny follows through I will be getting a email alert from numbersusa but I really do not see how it would pass given the debate the country just had on this bad legislation and the fact that they want security first not amnesty or goodies for illegal immigrants!!
Our Congressman Ellsworth(D) wrote a letter to House leadership June 25 saying he would not support the Senate bill or anything like it.
llamajockey,
I saw the video first on the Corner NRO online then again on Lou Dobbs.
Do you have any thoughts as to why Bayh finally voted against cloture on this bill last Tuesday and Thursday?Previously he had supported the bill and voted for cloture a few weeks ago.
Lou,
If you happen to be reading this again Rocky Byrd has a 60 page response up to Ice Miller on the docket it lists at 60 pages but with attachments it’s 88 pages.Tim Joyce will have one coming also.
Do you have any thoughts as to why Bayh finally voted against cloture on this bill last Tuesday and Thursday?Previously he had supported the bill and voted for cloture a few weeks ago.
I have been a life long Democrat. IMHO I think Bayh was catching hell from Immigration Restrictionist groups like NumbersUSA.
But more importantly I think Indiana Democratic politicians including Bayh were really afraid if the Senate bill passed. Pelosi would have been under intense pressure like Reid was by the DLC, Clintonistas and the Hispanic caucus to really push the bill. Just look at what Harry Reid was going through, he seemed almost emasculated. On National TV it revealed to the whole world that once again neither he nor Pelosi really call the shots in Congress. It is the DLC, the Big money donors, and same corrupt permanent party lobbyist and consultants who have been running things for decades. You dam well know it was Hillary and the Clintonistas pushing this pig just so they could make the Cheap Labor Lobby and the Latino Racial Groups happy and fill their campaign chests. Reminded me somewhat of how Bill Frist was made to look like a fool by Rove over Terry Schiavo.
Remember Pelosi was telling the press she did not want to put “CIR” to a vote unless she had at least a rock solid 70+ Republican vote in favor in order to provide cover for the Democrats. All Hill, Donnelly and Elsworth needed to sink their reelection chances was for Indiana to see the likes of Luis Gutierrez mau-mauing his fellow Democrats into voting for “CIR” less they be labeled xenophobes, nativists or racists. If the House vote on “CIR” was even close, not to mention if it somehow passed based on strong Democratic support it would have been ugly. I would have expected for Hoosiers of all political stripes to take it out on their Democratic congressmen no matter how they voted just to make sure Pelosi would no longer be speaker. Sounds crazy but I could see it happening out of disgust at the very thought that the Democratic party could think to promote this nearly treasonous piece of garbage.
I basically called Bayh’s office several times myself and reminded his staff that it was insane to risk Elsworth, Hill and Donnelly’s future over this turd.
Bayh for once got the message and did the right thing.
I guess if Steny follows through I will be getting a email alert from numbersusa but I really do not see how it would pass given the debate the country just had on this bad legislation and the fact that they want security first not amnesty or goodies for illegal immigrants!!
The whole idea of pushing the Dream Act in the House is that the Democrats especially have pandered so heavily to the Latino Ethnocentric lobby they have to at least try to deliver something. Controlling the House unfortunately has it downsides in that you have to finally start delivering on past promises. Also as I said the Dream Act is a great vehicle to attach the H1-B and F4 visa increases to that the TECH and “Friends of India” lobbies are demanding.
I know lots of folks think the Republican are going to be hurt by the Hispanic vote in 2008. But the Hispanic vote first of all is not monolithic. First think of the Cubans, Puerto Ricans and Central Americans. Second if Mexican political groups do not get everything they want they threaten to stay home. And remember they were mightily pissed off with “CIR” that a future end to Chain Migration they were not going to be able over their in families from Mexico after a period of time.
So the Democrats are in a tough spot. They must convince the Latino activists they are not merely using them less they tell their followers to stay home in 2008. While at the same time not alienating the rest of the electorate as a bunch of shameless panderers who would sell out the working class to US Chamber of Commerce and the Cheap Labor Lobby for some “Cheap Votes”. Polls are now showing that African-Americans are strongly opposed to increased immigration and amnesty. So the Democrats are at risk of trading Latino votes for Black voters who will remain on the couch come election day..
Democrats also forget that as lots of legal immigrant and long time Mexican American citizens will tell you, they left Mexico for very good reasons and have no illusions about their former country. They want nothing to do with the more radical Latino groups with ties to the corrupt Mexican government influencing US politics. They sure as hell do not want MEChA in the public school system.
Last take a look at what is happening in Indianapolis the city is still suffering from significant flight to the collar counties which is either being offset or exacerbated by an increasing inflow of Hispanics. Take your pick. Just like much of the Southwest which is suffering continued massive suburban sprawl as its urban school systems fail under a massive legal and increasingly illegal immigrant enrollment. And how do folks vote in the Collar counties? Overwhelming Republican.
Although it is never much mentioned on TV by the media talking heads with the exception of some African American radio talk show hosts who appear on Lou Dobbs there is a resentment and resistance to illegal immigration by African Americans in regard to Hispanics.
It has always been amazing to me and I even wrote a letter to the editor about this to the local paper in regard to this immigration bill that the Democratic party, the party that is supposed to be for the poor,the working people and so concerned about poverty had no problem supporting a bill which allowed 200,000 guest workers into this country each year,workers that were undereducated and low skilled to compete against the very class of people they claim they most want to help!Oh!I know there was supposed to be a point system on worker but do not believe it.
O’Bama talks about the high unemployment rate for Afircan Americans but still voted for this bill which would hurt the very people he claims to be concerned about.
We need also to remember that this bill did not end Chain Migration until 2016 and I believe actually increased this type of immigration I think.
Hillary was already out in LA kissing the mayors ring Vilaragosa or however you spell it.I also thought it funny when asked at the CNN Democratic debate the candidates were asked if English should be the official language of the U.S. that made them squirm!
O’Bama called it a devisive question and Hillary said if that were the case ballots couldn’t be printed in any other language.Huh?I thought one of the requirements to be a U.S. citizen was a understanding and functionality in English and one must be a U.S. citizen to vote.I am sure the Democratic presidential candidates wished the immigration subject would have went away so they would not have had to deal with it.
One further rant is I am sick and tired of hearing about the Hispanic vote.Our family and friends vote too!The Sunday talk shows this morning had Judy Woodruff on MEET THE PRESS saying polls show Americans favored this bill Juan Williams said the same thing on FOX NEWS SUNDAY,THIS WEEK WITH GEORGE S. rountable didn’t mention it and I didn’t see what Peter King had to say on CNN LATE EDITION but recorded it.
WHAT POLLS HAVE THESE PEOPLE BEEN LOOKING AT THE PAST FEW WEEKS????
I also have never understood why all these major newspapers editorials are always pushing this type of legislation.
One further rant is I am sick and tired of hearing about the Hispanic vote.Our family and friends vote too!The Sunday talk shows this morning had Judy Woodruff on MEET THE PRESS saying polls show Americans favored this bill Juan Williams said the same thing on FOX NEWS SUNDAY,THIS WEEK WITH GEORGE S. rountable didn’t mention it and I didn’t see what Peter King had to say on CNN LATE EDITION but recorded it.
WHAT POLLS HAVE THESE PEOPLE BEEN LOOKING AT THE PAST FEW WEEKS????
I agree the monolithic Hispanic vote is a myth. Cubans, Puerto Ricans and Central Americans do not care much for political groups that are so closely tied to the Mexican Government and its internal politics. Even 3rd and 4th generation Mexican Americans were not nearly as supportive of “CIR” or the rest of the increasingly radical Latino ethnocentric agenda of the last forty years. Up until last year I worked part time for a delivery service based on the Chicago’s Southside. Bitter arguments would break out over politics between African-Americans and assimilation oriented Latinos against more ethnocentric Hispanics. Assimilated Latinos and certainly Blacks do not want MEChA or Bilingual Education in the public school system. They are very much aware that their families left Mexico for good reasons and are not crazy about their kids growing up in a culture that remotely resembles Mexico’s.
Second like I said before the Immigration Restrictionist vote is now highly motivated and made up of committed voters For them Immigration is now a top three issue. It is an issue of combating what they see as increasing political corruption in both parties, hearth and home economics and perserving national sovereignty. It does not get much more intense than that. Turnout in the end wins the day come election time.
On the otherside the radical Latino vote threatens to stay home if their insane demands are not met in full. So sorry but they basically had their way for 40 years and are now bound to be disappointed. However they clearly have the MSM and lots of Cheap Labor lobby money backing them up.
As a Democrat I think the “Emerging Democratic Majority” through continued an Open Borders agenda strategy is pure nonsense and flies in the face of history. It certainly did not help gain the Democratic party the Presidency during the great wave of Immigration between 1880 and 1914. Remember the mostly radical Libertarian instead of Liberal Grover Cleveland was an anti-labor Democrat who owed his election to a love hate relationship with Tammany Hall politics and Wilson got elected in a three party split election. The Immigration Acts of 1920 and 1924 in spite of what some revisionist historians might say were overwhelmingly populist legislation. African-American intellectuals during the period were mostly opposed to continued mass immigration. Sure the KKK of the early 1920’s was one of many forces behind the Immigration Restrictionist movements, but the irony of Black Americans along with good government reform minded progressives supporting the same legislation is also forgotten.
Last the great New Deal, Fair Deal and Great Society social welfare programs and the rise of the Middle Class along Labor and Civil Rights movements all took place during an era of low to sustainable levels off immigration right up until the late 60’s. The period of 1941 to 1965 saw the great migration north out of Southern indentured servitude and the end of Jim Crow for Blacks. The critical factor was a tight labor market that allowed them new opportunities in Northern factories and forced the mechanization of southern agriculture. Roy Beck over at NumberUSA has been a champion of these viewpoints since his days writing for the Atlantic Monthly
Older traditional labor oriented liberals like myself are constantly doing battle on blogs against the under thirty still wet behind the ears posturing lefty multiculturalism set.
Check out the comments I posted on this Hullabaloo. You can see I have no problem pushing back against mindless multiculturaliist Open Borders nonsense.
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2007/06/theyre-different-from-us-by-digby-i.html
As far as Judy Woodruff, Juan Williams and George S. They are reflect the Washington beltway phony liberal courtier set MSM bias that is fiercely anti-worker and pro Cheap Labor through Open Borders. Hell I would not bet all these clowns have employed illegals in one capacity of or another for personal services.
If they get their information on immigration solely by looking at the widely biased NYT, WAPO, Chicago Tribune and LA-TIMES polls on Immigration I can see why they are so out of touch. It pretty easy to develop a biased poll on Immigration when the only option you give the public are citizenship via amnesty vs forced deportation. The NYT and LA-TIMES are notorious for pushing an Open Borders agenda. The relentless conservative blogger Chris Kelly AKA lonewacko does a great job battling media bias over immigration. Check out his site some time it is a real library of Immigration media bias.
As I wrote here big city newspaper ownership has strong economic self interests in high levels of legal and illegal immigration and guest worker programmers. Newspapers are well known enthusiastic employers of H1-B labor arbitrage visa tech workers. The corporate media loves cheap labor just like the rest of big business.
https://www.masson.us/blog/?p=2270#comments
llamajockey,
Thanks for the response.We are also registered Democrats as are a lot of our friends and family but we are all going to vote for a border security candidate and that won’t be a Democrat.We voted for Ellsworth(D) and met the man at a local event this was taking a chance because we already knew Hostettler was a strong anti-illegal immigration person but we’ve never cared for the man so we took a chance on Ellsworth.A few months ago at a town hall type meeting Ellsworth mentioned all the illegal immigration questions and correspondence he receives from the 8th district and says he is against any type of the legislation that just failed.
I saw a few articles on Hot Air.com today concerning how Cubans and Puerto Ricans in Flordia were against this bill 2-1.Since the debate on this particular bill started I followed it on MichelleMalkin.com,Hot Air.com,The Corner on National Review Online,The Washington Post,and The Washington Times.The Post never met a amnesty they did not like.
In the Posts obituary to the immigration bill in a editorial they stated immigration opponents used dilatory tactics and and maneuvers to defeat the bill.I wondered just what the Post would call the tactics and tricks used by The White House,Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in regard to their attempts to pass this awful bill???I know McConnel eventually voted against this bill but if he’d thought it had a chance of passing he’d of voted for it.
Phil
Now personally I can not stand MichelleMalkin.com, Hot Air.com, or The Corner on National Review Online. Michelle Malkin to me is often just an attractive sock puppet for her really nasty and deranged husband Jesse. I do not think the Malkins add anything remotely useful to the immigration debate that is not handled elsewhere in a far less inflammatory manner.
Most of the writers for the Corner are notorious silly lightweights like the “doughy pantload” Josh Goldberg. I never go there.
Like I said above. As far as conservatives who I have some respect for on immigration matters simply because they really do their research and are not “Kool-Aid” drinking wing-nuts; I admire the fanatic blogger Chris Kelly aka the lonewacko simply because he is a tireless attacker of mindless multiculturalism, silly sentimentality and media bias concerning immigration matters. The NR’s Krikorean is a solid reputable conservative immigration policy analyst. Borjas is highly respected by even liberals like Krugman on immigration and its economic impact on labor markets. Steve Sailor is a smart guy on economic issues but has to me some entirely unacceptable theories on genetic differences between racial groups.
If you read my comments on this post here and follow the links along with looking at the comments of the other readers you will get an ideal on how the debate is shifting on the Democratic side. Lots of old school New Deal Liberals like me are fed up with Open Borders, Free Trade orthodoxy and Job destruction.
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2007/06/theyre-different-from-us-by-digby-i.html
The only thing is the Democratic party leadership is still wildly out of touch. Unless something like a scandal derails Hillary’s candidacy I think we are doomed to witness a really crushing defeat in 2008 at the hand of an Immigration Restrictionist Republican.
Obama is part mirage and marketing fantasy. This elections season’s “new coke” whose political recipe really is not that different from his DLC competitor Hillary. A candidate who is really about perception and style with not a lot of substance. In the end He is simply way too inexperienced. David Sirota and David Ehrenstein have the Obama candidacy phenomena down cold.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-ehrenstein19mar19,0,5335087.story?coll=la-opinion-center
On the other hand Edwards right now is struggling. The right-wing is targeting him because they know that in the general election he is the most electable.
I find it highly suspicious that the MSM is for now over looking things like Hillary sucking up too much questionable corporate campaign donations or her nearly outrageous if not treasonous connections to Indian and Chinese interests that are destroying our working and middle class. No strategy works as well as letting the flawed front runner get the nomination until it is too late. Bill Maher has been saying the Right-wing media is being nice to Hillary because in the end they are sure they can beat her.
Another problem is the Democratic netroots tends to be dominated by folks under 30-35 who are not so much removed from their college days of one world multiculturalism and rigid political correctness. They are not yet faced with real world issues like having to move out of a neighborhood they can afford because the local school system is now over crowded with kids who do not speak English and whose parents are not being told that is a problem until it is too late. They are not yet reaching forty only to be ritually “outsourced” via Labor Arbitrage visas by corporate America just at the time they are most saddled by adult responsibilities. Right now, speak out against Open Borders and no matter how strong your arguments and evidence you are sure to wrongly tagged as a racist.
Hate to sound like a concern troll, but that is the way I see it. Lets hope lots of things change in the next 6 months for the better. There is always hope that Gore is simply waiting for Hillary, the Clintonistas and the DLC, which he has mostly turned his back on, to self destruct before entering the race. Hopefully Gore is keeping a close eye on how the political landscape is rapidly shaping up.