Posted on 01/15/2008 8:54:45 AM PST by DeFault User
Posted on Tue, Jan. 15, 2008 Immigration stance may hurt McCain in S.C. TAYLOR BRIGHT
At last May's S.C. Republican convention, Sen. Lindsey Graham defended John McCain's immigration reform plan. He was booed by his own party.
Graham, R-S.C., is now crisscrossing the state stumping for McCain, who is leading the GOP field despite being at odds with many state Republicans on immigration.
Monday's Rasmussen poll showed McCain ahead by 9 points as Saturday's Republican primary approaches.
No one disputes that illegal immigration has been a hot issue in South Carolina. In several polls, including November's Winthrop University-ETV poll, Republican voters chose immigration as the most important issue.
But political experts say McCain has run well on other issues, emphasizing a strong national defense, anti-terrorism and support for the Iraq war. They also say McCain built allies early, capitalizing on support from his 2000 race against President Bush.
However, most agree that McCain's stance on immigration has cost him support.
"McCain has taken a real beating in South Carolina because of it, as did his ally Lindsey Graham," said Scott Huffmon, professor of political science at Winthrop, who helped conduct the poll.
Some S.C. Republicans derisively called the plan to allow illegal immigrants identification cards "Grahamnesty."
Immigration came to the forefront when the Senate debated a bill last May that would have allowed some previously illegal workers to remain in the country. McCain and Graham, along with President Bush, supported the bipartisan bill. McCain was considered a key architect of the plan.
The bill died. A major opponent was the other U.S. senator from South Carolina, Jim DeMint, of Greenville.
Huffmon said illegal immigration was listed as the top issue in the recent Winthrop poll. Nevertheless, it drew only 20 percent of the GOP respondents.
It still topped the war in Iraq and the economy as the most important subject among the GOP in South Carolina.
"I think folks are looking for more than a one-issue candidate," said McCain spokesman B.J. Boling. "They're looking for the total package."
Other Republican candidates running include former U.S. senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Diane Carr of Lake Wylie, president of the York County Republican Women, supports McCain, but said he may have lost some die-hard conservatives in his support of immigration reform. "There are some people who will never forgive him for that," she said.
Though immigration reform came up occasionally in Iowa, very little was heard about it in New Hampshire. South Carolina may be different in the waning days before the primary.
Blease Graham, politics professor at the University of South Carolina, said South Carolinians have been particularly attuned to it because they haven't had a history of large-scale immigration in the modern era.
"They feel like they're being taxed to pay for social services of people here illegally in this country," he said.
In 2006, about 3.5 percent of South Carolina's 4.3 million people were Hispanics, or about 151,000. One estimate put illegal immigrants in the state at 20,000 to 35,000.
DeMint, who supports Romney, said thousands of concerned people contacted his office during the debate.
But immigration may not hurt McCain, DeMint said, because the "anybody-but-McCain crowd" has fractured across several candidates.
Business groups, who supported the McCain-backed bill, now are careful to stress they are for legal immigration to bring in workers.
Decision 2008
ping
If Fred cannot get it done in South Carolina, he may not be able to get it done anywhere.
I don’t understand why it isn’t hurting him everywhere!
Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain share the same voting record on Amnesty. They were for it, even before McCain started spinning the semantic argument that it wasn’t amnesty.
I can understand illegal immigration not being an issue in Iowa or New Hampshire, but it certainly is here in the Carolinas. Lots of illegals, high crime rate, etc.
Immigration, Campaign Finance reform, gun grabbing, global warming tripe, backstabbing, enviro-whacko, tax loving.....all of these should have sunk this clown long ago. The GOP is reverting to RINOdom
Immigration stance SHOULD hurt McCain NATIONALLY.
McCain has been talking up how we need to “first, secure the border.”
No one has bothered to ask him yet what comes second in his plan.
That’s the key to bringing down McCain.
Once "real Republicans" especially those states who control the legislature with conservatives, begin to vote, then those "Republican Lite" candidates (some might even call them RINOs) will be "outed" and candidates with far more conservative bonafides will be winnowed to a single candidate.
No doubt about it, no one will be out on the basis of losing a single state, at least not this early.
McCain has been talking up how we need to “first, secure the border.”
Anyone ask him if that is his position, they why in a lifetime as a Senator in our congress, he has done nothing to do that.
Have you noticed an increase in Budweiser trucks pulling into town?
As it is here in Texas. You wouldn’t know it to here our Governor.
here=hear
No kidding! What’s wrong with everyone?
You would be surprised on what percentage of voters don’t know where McCain stands on any of those issue. They jus know his name is familiar and he was a POW.
You are only allowed to hear and think what the MSM tells you too.
I just googled McCain and “virtual fence”, because I have heard him discuss it before. Here’s an amusing article from a guy opposed to the idea (as are most of us!). He said he would send McCain a “virtual” donation!
And then I forgot to post the link!!!
http://laiglesforum.com/2007/03/11/my-virtual-donation-to-the-mccain-campaign/
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