Posted on 12/15/2007 7:05:59 AM PST by LdSentinal
The anti-illegal immigration Minuteman Civil Defense Corps and its political action committee have made it clear that they have not endorsed a presidential candidate, and if they do it will not be former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R).
Minuteman Project co-founder Jim Gilchrist created a stir in the anti-illegal immigration community on Tuesday by endorsing Huckabee, who has surged to the lead in the polls in Iowa but has concerned some illegal immigration hard-liners with his past stances on the issue.
Chris Simcox, the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps head who originally founded the Minuteman Project with Gilchrist, said in a release Friday that Gilchrist does not speak for the Minutemen.
Simcox and Gilchrist split in 2005 and now run different organizations, both of which use the Minuteman name.
“As Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee was openly tolerant of illegal aliens, supported giving them government benefits including in-state tuition, and ridiculed the religious faith of those who questioned his pro-illegal alien policies," Simcox said. "His record stinks."
Simcox went on to praise the four major Republicans who are polling the lowest — Reps. Tom Tancredo (Colo.), Duncan Hunter (Calif.) and Ron Paul (Texas) and Ambassador Alan Keyes — and said former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) and former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) also enjoy support within the Minuteman community.
“Let's see what happens in the next two months, and when the time is right, we'll be ready to put our muscle where we can do the most good,” Simcox said.
An official with the Huckabee campaign brushed off Simcox's announcement.
“Gov. Huckabee is more concerned with fixing the problem of illegal immigration than he is in appeasing particular interest groups," said Huckabee campaign manager Chip Saltsman. "His Secure America plan will solve the problem, which is why it is being embraced by movement leaders like Jim Gilchrist."
Simcox and Gilchrist split years ago after the initial Border watch. Really I don’t know what Gilchrist was thinking endorsing Huckabee. I guess he must have taken a recent Huckabee position at face value without considering his prior positions.
Why would a co-founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps support a pro illegal (no matter what he says now) candidate?
I’ve always gotten the impression that Gilchrist is an opportunist above all else.
bttt
Huck is for amnesty.
FOXNews.com - Transcript: Mike Huckabee on ‘FOX News Sunday’ - Choosing the President
WALLACE: ... a border fence, for cracking down on employers, for telling illegals to go home.
But last year in an interview, you said something somewhat different. You said this, “I think that the rational approach is to find a way to give people a pathway to citizenship.”
Governor, in your new plan, the only path is to go home and to get on the back of the line, which, of course, would mean years of waiting. Why the change?
HUCKABEE: Well, I don’t think there’s an inconsistency. When I said a pathway, I didn’t say what the pathway was.
I now believe that the only thing the American people are going to accept — and, frankly, the only thing that really makes sense — is a pathway that sends people back to the starting point.
But this idea of the waiting years — no, I don’t agree with that. In fact, look, if we can get a credit card application done within hours, if we can get passports done within days, if we can transact business over the Internet any place in the world within seconds, do a background check instantaneously — it’s our government that has failed and is dysfunctional.
It shouldn’t take years to get a work permit to come here and pick lettuce. So part of the plan that I have is that we seal the borders. You don’t have amnesty and sanctuary cities. You do have a pathway that gets you back home.
But that pathway to get back here legally doesn’t take years. It would take days, maybe weeks, and then people could come back in the workforce.
Let me tell you why that’s important. Two reasons. Number one, the American people say, “Do something. Do it now. We don’t want to have this country ignoring the illegal problem.” I get it.
Secondly, I want people who are in this country to hold their heads up high. You know, right now there are a lot of people who really are here because they’re trying to feed their families. I don’t begrudge them that.
I say every day I thank God I’m in a country people are trying to break into, not break out of. But let’s give them a means by which they can get here through the door legally, and when they’re here they don’t have to hide, they don’t have to keep their heads down and hope nobody catches them, they have their heads held high.
Everyone living within the borders of the United States ought to do so with dignity and with a sense of pride, not a sense of fear.
Him and Simcox both, but I take his concern about illegal immigration as real.
Kind of sounds like Newt’s ideas. Whats he doing picking the best of others just to win. That makes him dangerous in my point of view.
This the Pence touchback sham. The illegals go back to their home country for a weekend and return thru an expeditied processing plan.
This is good to hear. Huckabee would be Boosh part two on immigration, and the Republican Party doesn’t need the aggravation. Send the Huckster along his way to get a real degree in theology, and let him become a missionary in one of the many shanty communities illegals are creating all around America. He could do some real good, providing a needed spiritual and humanitarian service to people that need him. .
I felt much better upon learning it.
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