McCain: Focus on illegal immigration hurt GOP's image

KSWT/AP ^ | 5/5/08 | staff

[pissant]

PHOENIX (AP) - Republican presidential hopeful John McCain says the focus on illegal immigration during the Republican primary season harmed his party's image among Hispanics.

Speaking to reporters in Phoenix on Cinco de Mayo, McCain said that Hispanic citizens want America's borders secured and illegal immigrants to be treated humanely.

He says low-income Hispanic citizens are vulnerable to losing their jobs to the lower wages accepted by illegal immigrants.

On the subject of broader immigration policies, McCain says local governments would not have to take on immigration problems had the federal government overhauled the country's immigration policies.

McCain spoke at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport before his flight to North Carolina.

[pissant]

[notaliberal]

Proceed with caution juan.

[ElkGroveDan]

[pissant]

I’m sure he will do everything necessary to win back the illegals’ confidence they had in him before...

[cripplecreek]

[AngelesCrestHighway]

“Focus on illegal immigration hurt GOP’s image”.....To hell with the GOP’s image!....build the damn wall!

[DoughtyOne]

I don’t know whose side this bastard is on, but it sure isn’t ours.

[pissant]

We don’t need no stinkin walls

[Post-Neolithic]

Is it just me or is McCain purposely trying to throw this election? At this point I have to wonder if he has made some sort of back-room deal with the Libs.

[bill1952]

McCain: Focus on illegal immigration hurt GOP's image

Delusional. What hurt the GOP image was McCain/Kennedy.

At least among American voters.

diehard McCain supporter

[pissant]

As Duncan Hunter said during the primary, if you want amnesty, vote for McCain.

[AuntB]

Why would I believe anything this man says?

April, 2006 SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: “ My friends, I’ll offer anybody here $50 an hour if you’ll go pick lettuce in Yuma this season and pick for whole season. So — OK? Sign up. OK. When you sign up — you sign up, and you’ll be there for the whole season. The whole season, OK? Not just one day. Because you can’t do it, my friend. Sign up.”

(END VIDEO CLIP) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2006856/posts?page=176#176

[MBB1984]

Interesting that McCain cares MUCH more about the GOP’s “image” than enforcing the law and America's sovereignty.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Meanwhile, LA is turning into a 3rd world city ...

[cripplecreek]

Is it just me or is McCain purposely trying to throw this election?

I honestly don't think either party really cares one way or the other. They're on the same side and elections are little more than a distraction for the American idle voters.

[pnh102]

The problem is that there is a ring of truth to what McCain is saying. A lot of anti-illegals GOP Senators and Congressmen went down in flames in 2006. Anti-illegals GOP primary candidates for President also went nowhere.

[AuntB]

That’s about the only scenario that makes any sense in this election.

[KarlInOhio]

On the subject of broader immigration policies, McCain says local governments would not have to take on immigration problems had the federal government overhauled the country's immigration policies.

The problem was that McCain's "overhaul" last year was yet another example of having immediate amnesty (or whatever euphemism McCain wanted to call it) in trade for enforcement sometime in the future. The American people were punked by Congress in 1986 and weren't interested in being suckers again.

[Shermy]

“Is it just me or is McCain purposely trying to throw this election?”

Two choices I suspect:

1. He believes his anti-American wage earner policies are “honorable” so he has to publicly ruminate about them, like Obama publicly ruminates whether he is patriotic or not.

2. He needs to excite his money donor base of business lobbies looking to juice up short term profits be cutting wages, this is a signal for money, like when Obama publicly lectures about carbon credit trading.