Alien ideals frame GOP immigration stand

THE POLITICO ^ | June 26, 2007 | Douglas MacKinnon

[neverdem]

As is its right, the White House is certainly putting up a spirited defense of the Senate's immigration/amnesty bill. The Bush administration is making it quite clear that it has drawn a line in the sand on this issue and opponents cross it at their own peril.

I am a longtime admirer of George W. Bush. He is a good man, the head of my party and someone I had the honor to work with many years ago. Unfortunately, as I'm a Republican who thinks the president's "guest worker program" is really amnesty in immigrant clothing, my president has suggested that I "don't want to do what's right for America."

Going down the GOP line, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina generically suggested I'm a "bigot." Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff (who should be protecting our nation and not attaching his nose to the president's backside) basically said I would prefer to kill illegal aliens. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez suggested that I am in favor of "mass deportation," and former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson said I'm "anti-immigrant."

Wow. All of that invective hurled my way because I want to protect our borders and my country. What these highly educated men practicing lowbrow politics should understand is that nothing could be further from the truth -- both for me and the tens of millions of Americans opposed to this dangerously flawed plan.

In my case, I may have a bit more understanding of the issue than the mudslingers in the administration, as I'm married to an immigrant from Venezuela -- a woman, by the way, who not only stood in all the lines and did all the paperwork asked of her by this country, but who thinks this White House and these "Republicans" are slapping her in the face with their transparent amnesty plan.

My message to my president and his subordinates is this: Not only do I consider myself a patriot, but I'm not a bigot, I don't want to kill my wife or any other immigrants, I am strongly against the deportation of illegal aliens and I am very much pro-immigration.

Americans are sick of politicians because they can't say anything without spin. Every sentence is parsed with an eye toward personal or party advantage. The will of the people rarely matters when it's reelection time.

Knowing that, let's be brutally honest about the subject of illegal immigration. The reason so many Republicans and Democrats are pushing the amnesty plan is partisan self-interest and a blatant grab for the Hispanic vote in 2008. While Republicans like Graham and Arizona Sen. John McCain may actually believe their political rhetoric about losing the Hispanic-American vote forever if they don't pass their "comprehensive guest worker program," in reality what they and the White House are doing is creating a perfect storm that is going to batter the GOP for years to come.

While seemingly impossible to do, in the course of a few months, the Republican Party has managed to push away "white-collar" Hispanic-American voters, "blue-collar" Hispanic-American voters and the conservative base it needs to win local and national elections. How?

Simply and sadly, it has lost highly educated Hispanic-American voters like my wife and her friends -- a group rarely polled by the media or political parties -- who tend to lean conservative on many issues but feel ignored and belittled by the White House and many Republicans because they chose to proudly obey the laws of the United States. The party has lost "blue-collar" Hispanic-Americans who are moving en masse away from the GOP, in part because Republican "leaders" are falsely and suicidally portraying certain conservatives as anti-Hispanic. And finally, they are losing conservative voters who see Republican politicians put party or self-interest before the national security of our country as they shamefully pander for votes.

The White House and its backers are free to defame me and others over this illegal alien controversy, but maybe when they take a deep breath, they can answer these questions from my legal immigrant Hispanic-American wife: "What has happened to Republican principles? When did they stop believing in basic law and order?"

[neverdem]

Douglas MacKinnon served as spokesman for former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole and the Department of Defense, and as a White House official under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He is also author of the novel "America's Last Days" (Leisure Books, 2007).

[mathprof]

Remember that when we opposed the Miers SCOTUS nomination we were “sexist”. What do you expect from those clowns?

[muawiyah]

When you opposed the Meirs nomination you probably did so believing a lot of erroneous and negative propaganda about the woman. She withdrew.

However, here you can read the bill itself and see that it contains Paragraph 902. NRO covered that part pretty well. The fact that it even exists suggests that the reason "W" is supporting the bill is to somehow exonerate his grandfather for being palsy-walsy with Germans in the 1930s. Teddy Kennedy, of course, seeks to exonerate his own father for doing so.

The people behind this bill have entirely too much psychosocial and personal emotional baggage to be involved in it.

They should withdraw.

You should also quit coming up with the Meirs nomination as instructive of anything whatsoever. The fact that she is NOT on the Supreme Court today is the reason the arch-fascist she-devil Ginzburg is still there. If Meirs had been on the court, Ginzburg would have retired by now and Judge Alito could be nominated. He could easily talk his way past a schmuck like Chuck Schumer. Whoever "W" nominates now can't.

[GingisK]

...opponents cross it at their own peril...

I oppose the living crap out of it. Come and get me.

[mathprof]

I respectively disagree with much of what you’re saying. I think the Bush administration started sinking with the Meirs nomination and the arrogant way that it was handled. The pattern continues...

Of course I’m thrilled with Roberts and Alito, though. Ginzburg will continue sleeping on the bench until a dem wins, IMO.

[GOPJ]

In my case, I may have a bit more understanding of the issue than the mudslingers in the administration, as I'm married to an immigrant from Venezuela -- a woman, by the way, who not only stood in all the lines and did all the paperwork asked of her by this country, but who thinks this White House and these "Republicans" are slapping her in the face with their transparent amnesty plan.

My message to my president and his subordinates is this: Not only do I consider myself a patriot, but I'm not a bigot, I don't want to kill my wife or any other immigrants, I am strongly against the deportation of illegal aliens and I am very much pro-immigration.

Amen. I support the immigration of people who come to my country legally. I welcome them as fellow Americans. I want to live in a color blind America.

I will never accept the Bush/Kennedy amnesty plan. I will never accept the people made citizens under that bill if it becomes law. OJ might be free, but he's not innocent. We know the difference. Bush wants second class citizens? He might just get them.

[absalom01]

...stood in all the lines and did all the paperwork asked of her by this country, but who thinks this White House and these "Republicans" are slapping her in the face with their transparent amnesty plan.

This has not received enough emphasis. If you understand nothing else about the Republican base, one should at least understand the reflexive sense of fair play, and respect for those who follow the rules. This bill is a grotesque injustice directed at the legal immigrants, something the base understands intuitively, and feels in its gut. The President ignores the character of the American people at his own political peril.

[ovrtaxt]

Miers, Dubai, now this.

Sorry to disagree with you. And I’m GLAD Miers was denied.

[gubamyster]

ping

[KEVLAR]

We should start insisting on mass deportations so these folks have something real to complain about.

[goldstategop]

The GOP has ceased being a conservative party. Its now the Democrat Lite wing of the Demopublican Party.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[So Circumstanced]

That is quite a stretch, correlating Meirs appointment with Ginzberg resignation. Don’t quite get how you arrive there; ... maybe you have the hotline to Ruthie’s warped brain?

[caphillbabe]

Here is a list of the key staff contacts of the “Amnesty 8” Senators that are most likely to be persuaded to vote no on Thursday and derail amnesty. Many offices are putting calls straight to voicemail and they can just trash faxes (and letters take weeks to get through due to security). Hit Hill staff where they are so codependent - their Blackberries! Send email directly to staff - not just the generic Senate office mailbox. Contact their Chief of Staff, Legislative Director, and Press Secretary. Make your voice heard!!

For the Democrats, I would strongly suggest taking a pro-union/anti-illegal alien stance (i.e. “they are taking our jobs”) rather than using the conservative national security angle.

Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE)
Chief of Staff
tim_becker@bennelson.senate.gov

Legislative Director
christiana_gallagher@bennelson.senate.gov

Press Secretary/Communications Director
david_dimartino@bennelson.senate.gov

Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Chief of Staff
bob_russell@pryor.senate.gov

Legislative Director
andy_york@pryor.senate.gov

Press Secretary/Communications Director
michael_teague@pryor.senate.gov
lisa_ackerman@pryor.senate.gov

Senator Jim Webb (D-VA)
Chief of Staff
paul_reagan@webb.senate.gov

Legislative Director
mike_sozan@webb.senate.gov

Press Secretary/Communications Director
jessica_smith@webb.senate.gov

Senator Kit Bond (R-MO)
Chief of Staff
brian_klippenstein@bond.senate.gov

Legislative Director
kara_smith@bond.senate.gov

Communications Director
shana_marchio@bond.senate.gov

Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS)
Chief of Staff
glen_chambers@brownback.senate.gov

Domestic Policy Advisor
brian_robertson@brownback.senate.gov

Press Secretary/Communications Director
john_rankin@brownback.senate.gov
brian_hart@brownback.senate.gov

Senator Richard Burr (R-NC)
Chief of Staff
alicia_peterson-clark@burr.senate.gov
alicia_peterson-petersonclark@burr.senate.gov

Legislative Director
natasha_hickman@burr.senate.gov

Press Secretary/Communications Director
laura_caudell@burr.senate.gov
mark_williams@burr.senate.gov

Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN)
Chief of Staff
jennifer_lowe@coleman.senate.gov

Deputy Chief of Staff
lucia_lebens@coleman.senate.gov

Legislative Director
lorianne_moss@coleman.senate.gov

Communications Director
tom_steward@coleman.senate.gov
tom_stewart@coleman.senate.gov

Press Secretary
leroy_coleman@coleman.senate.gov

Senator John Ensign (R-NV)
Chief of Staff
john_lopez@ensign.senate.gov

Legislative Director
pam_thiessen@ensign.senate.gov

Press Secretary/Communications Director
tory_mazzola@ensign.senate.gov
jack_finn@ensign.senate.gov
don_tatro@ensign.senate.gov

[muawiyah]

Sure, put a woman in and she's happy. Ginsburg is a rather uncomplicated feminist bigot ~ never met a baby she liked, nor a murderer she didn't.

What's there not to like, eh?!

You screwed up the deal.

[muawiyah]

Only reason you are happy about Meirs withdrawal from the nomination (she wasn't denied) is that now you can get a mind-numbed, knee-jerk, robot-like Liberal puke that meets Teddy's Kennedy's standards.

Remember, the nominee has to get by the Judiciary Committee, and WE DON'T RUN IT ANYMORE.

It takes a smart guy like Alito to do the trick, and we're fresh out of smart guys.

[Tailgunner Joe]

I am strongly against the deportation of illegal aliens

Another open borders lobbyist heard from.

[Soul Seeker]

Oh, please, you lost the fight on Miers so get over it.

The fact she was a woman and the guy that says this isn’t amnesty in the oval asked us to trust him that she promised she’d vote to get rid of R v W, despite liberal speeches she’d given that would make O’Connor proud on social issues, apparently means nothing.

I really could care less if Ginsberg would have stepped down is she was appointed. because Ginsberg stepping down means only one thing. miers would be a liberal. She’d never step down for a Janice Rogers brown and we all know that. except you apparently.

I am PROUD I opposed her and I’d do it all over again. because in return I got another conservative on the court instead of a companion for the libs.

i only pray to God this president that appointed Miers and wanted Gonzalez doesn’t have a chance to appoint anyone else, because he’d appoint another lib for sure that merited the approval of ted kennedy.

[Cacique]

STOP AMNESTY NOW!! WE CAN DO IT!!

[meyer]

On a side note, boy did I just send a scathing 2-pager to the RNC - in one of their postage-paid envelopes. I explained in some detail why I’m not sending any money. This amnesty program got about half the letter. I’m PO’ed about this, as some may have noted.

[mathprof]

“i only pray to God this president that appointed Miers and wanted Gonzalez doesn’t have a chance to appoint anyone else, because he’d appoint another lib for sure that merited the approval of ted kennedy.”

Agreed!