Posted on 05/02/2006 8:06:55 PM PDT by Pikamax
Immigrant Backlash In Herndon Voters Oust Leaders Who Supported Center
By Bill Turque and Nikita Stewart Washington Post Staff Writers Wednesday, May 3, 2006; A01
Herndon voters yesterday unseated the mayor and Town Council members who supported a bitterly debated day-labor center for immigrant workers in a contest that emerged as a mini-referendum on the turbulent national issue of illegal immigration.
Residents replaced the incumbents with a group of challengers who immediately called for significant changes at the center. Some want to bar public funds from being spent on the facility or restrict it to workers residing in the country legally. Others want it moved to an industrial site away from the residential neighborhood where it is located.
The day-labor center thrust the western Fairfax County town into the national spotlight as the issue of illegal immigration became emotional. Even though fewer than 3,000 people voted yesterday, advocates on both sides of the issue looked at the election as a test case of public sentiment. Outside groups such as the Minutemen Project, which favors sharp curbs on illegal immigration, intervened in the town debate. Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group, is suing the town over establishment of the center.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
There are many small towns in many states. This sets a president, and hopefully, the citizens will correct this issue if the pandering politicians don't. They stopped homo "marriage", and they can stop this from the ground up as well.
Sometimes it takes the people to run the country when the politicians fail us (Kudos to the minutemen for their courage).
Amen to that! Everywhere I went yesterday people were angry over the illegal aliens marching in our streets making demands. Politicians, one and all, better take note. As a lifelong Republican, I say vote them all out of office. They were elected to serve the American people not themselves.
It is "dangerously ridiculous". Supporting the world's masses? Impossible. The only way we can solve this problem now is to detain and bus, ship or fly millions of people. I don't care if they are from Mexico or Morrocco. They have to go. I'm afraid its much to late though.
I'd say breaking the law as the first thing you do on American soil should bar you from ever being offered citizenship. It is a matter of principle.
I don't blame the Mexicans or Guatemalans for wanting to be here on a personal level. Every man is going to try and better his lot. The criminal negligence truly falls on our selves for allowing this to occur. This is a direct result of political correctness gone haywire. Socialist feel good ideas are dangerous and at some point the people with any intelligence will wake up. By my estimate the intelligent portion of our population is probably well less than 20 percent now. Did you see the posts about teens not being able to pick out Iraq on a map. Something like 60 or 65% I believe. They can protest it. They just cant locate it.
Yepper. It's good they protested. They exposed themselves. American citizens quickly became enlightened to what the minutemen were saying, and why they were so diligent.
Now, if only the pandering politicians would represent the American citizen for a change.
I gave up thinking a majority of Americans think like I do, when they returned Clinton to office after his first hellish 4 years. There was nothing sane, legal, or organized about the Clinton administration...just consistent evil.
No wonder we are in trouble.
The minutemen favor sharp curbs on illegal immigration?
"No wonder we are in trouble."
Pretty pessimistic view.
Keep in mind, 26% voted versus 20% last time.
What that shows is that a rather small minority of the public that feels strongly enough to get out and vote on this issue can swing an election.
Now translate that to the Presidential election. McCain has what, about 20% support among Republican voters according to polls?
McCain's "base" is those voters who get their (mis)information from the liberal media and don't have a clue what he actually stands for.
You get an issue like illegal immigration that fires up a decent portion of the public, even though it may still be only a small fraction of the voters, and you have got the makings of a movement that can roll over paragons of the ruling class like John McCain.
"The minutemen favor sharp curbs on illegal immigration?"
Well, it is a rather odd way to express their position, but it would seem to me to be a pretty factual statement.
But that is my point.
47% of voters voted for the traitor John Kerry in the last election.
Yeah, kinda hard to charge pillboxes having that thought in your mind.
I'm afraid it is going to take a heck of a lot more than the Herndon election to strike fear into any members of Congress.
Plus, in my view, the open borders Republicans in general are hard core ideologues that strongly believe in their position and aren't liable to switch, even if faced with electoral defeat.
I think a few of the Democrats in the Senate who have voted open borders up to now might reconsider, however.
(there appear to already be possibly up to 6 Dems in the Senate that aren't sold on the open borders agenda based on the cloture vote on Hagel Martinez).
And in the House, again I think it is really mostly Democrat that are the best prospects for winning over to the pro-borders side.
Most of the House Republicans are pro-borders. Some strongly believe in it, others align themselves on that side perhaps more because they don't want to incur the wrath of their constituents.
There are maybe 30-35 House Democrats that seem to be pretty much on the pro-borders side. Most are conservative Dems.
I think the best prospect to get more pro-borders people in Congress lies with moderate Democrats from middle American states, especially Midwest & rust belt.
Unfortunately I think there are probably a good 55-60 of the Senators who are flat out open borders ideologues. So to get the Senate on a constructive path it is going to take several election cycles.
However, open borders Senators, especially Republicans, from small population red states would seem to be in big trouble next time they come up for re-election. Brownback, Hagel, Martinez, those sorts of guys.
I saw a poll earlier today showing that Republican members of Congress indicated that immigration is the #1 issue with their constituents, rating higher than the war on Iraq or gas prices.
That public concern is not going away because the illegal immigration crisis just gets worse so long as Bush leaves the border wide open.
Even if amnesty passed, it would mean the illegal immigration problem would get even worse, and then the open borders politicians would really be in trouble.
Unfortunately, that would mean once we got a pro-borders government in Washington they would have a far bigger mess to clean up.
Excellent observation,I agree with your comments.
Sad but true.
well, that is ONE of Herndon's foreigner issues they have finally decided to address.
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