Mass. governor calls Alabama immigration policy 'hysterical and poisonous;' compares it to Jim Crow

al.com [AL] ^ | May 02, 2012 | Debbie M. Lord

[kevcol]

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick compared Alabama and Arizona immigration policies to McCarthyism and Jim Crow in a speech Monday to students at Tufts University, according to a story on Boston.com.

“The actions of various states to take matters into their own hands have been ham-fisted, self-defeating, and even racist,’’ Patrick was quoted as saying.

The tone of Patrick’s speech Monday - he called much of the debate surrounding immigration reform “hysterical and poisonous’’ - has struck some state lawmakers and immigration policy specialists as more vehement than previous speeches, the story said.

“The public discourse about immigration is as toxic today as McCarthyism or Jim Crow were in their time,’’ Patrick was quoted as saying. “Now, like then, the debate seems to be based more on emotion than reason, more on slogan than fact.’’

Eva A. Millona, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, told Boston.com that she was not surprised by the content of Patrick’s speech - she has always agreed with his stance on immigration - but was struck by its particularly brash tone.

“It’s very strong wording that really speaks to [Governor Patrick’s] belief, to his understanding, to his vision for a stronger America,’’ Millona said.

On the other hand, Jessica Vaughan - director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that researches US immigration policy - said the governor’s fiery words Monday were a political mistake.

“The language he chooses is just as loaded and charged as the rhetoric of the people that he’s criticizing - maybe even more so,’’ Vaughan was quoted as saying. “I don’t think he could get away with giving that speech anywhere other than a college campus.’’

[kevcol]

Bet you thought this was about Willard, huh? Might as well have been IMO. These Massachusetts Governors, past and present, are horrified that the citizens of any State would take measures to both protect themselves from threats the Feds deem unworthy of their attention, and vote for laws and amendments which contradict with the "enlightened" Masshole agenda.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

WOLF!! WOLF!! WOLF!!

Blah blah blah...

[BenLurkin]

Talk about “poisoning” the debate!

[E. Pluribus Unum]

A sitting governor considers enforcing existing federal law hilarious?

He needs to be removed from office. Now.

[ConservativeStatement]

Supreme Court nominee if Obama is re-elected.

[ILS21R]

[mongo141]

“Bet you thought this was about Willard, huh? Might as well have been IMO. These Massachusetts Governors, past and present, are horrified that the citizens of any State would take measures to both protect themselves from threats the Feds deem unworthy of their attention, and vote for laws and amendments which contradict with the “enlightened” Masshole agenda.”
____________

I fully agree

[17th Miss Regt]

The impoverished immigrants come in and work for very low wages, displacing blacks who are willing to work for low wages. So we get a twofer - illegal problems and a huge black unemployment rate! Nice work, Deval!

[BO Stinkss]

What the hell is the matter with people from Massachusetts? What makes their brains work like this? I don’t get out of Alabama much so I don’t understand this attitude. Is there a defect somewhere in their gene pool that makes them vote for libs?

[yoe]

(Stand with Arizona's Sheriff Joe) Obama, Holder, Patrick, don't think our laws on illegal immigrants should be enforced....THEY WANT THE ILLEGAL VOTES!

[cotton1706]

Meanwhile, Obama’s uncle Omar Obama, illegal alien, gets his license back today. Because denying him a licesnse would be cruel, he needs to be able to drive drunk legally (even though he can’t stand outside his car anywhere legally).

Oh, and Obama’s aunt, illegal alien, is still living on the people’s dime in South Boston.

But Alabama’s immigration policy is hysterical and poisonous!

[massgopguy]

The Conservative leaning people of MA have been leaving the state by the tens of thousand for over a decade.

[Texas resident]

Can you imagine just how the feds would pursue and deport the illegals if they thought they would vote republican?

Picture stasi.

[kevcol]

WOLF!! WOLF!! WOLF!!
Blah blah blah...

The real WOLF here is the GOP-e attempting to permanently marginalize Conservatives and the dems more than happy to help. Patrick is a product of the Chicago politimob. Everything he does is orchestrated and calculated. He has praised RomneyCare effusively. The same guy who says that, says this. Do you see what's going on here?

[popdonnelly]

Patrick is the only one who sounds hysterical.

And why are we still spending Federal money on cities that won’t enforce Federal law?

[Max in Utah]

What the hell is the matter with people from Massachusetts?

They exist in a degenerated state which ignores the principles and morality of their illustrious predecessors. They have devolved into something less than American.

[massgopguy]

People in my city who are active in the MA Dem Committee have told me there’s a reason why Deval’s wife has been depressed for a long time. A real closet case he is.

[UCANSEE2]

And exactly ‘where’ is it that Massachusetts joins the border with Mexico?

[HiTech RedNeck]

What does Mitt Romney say? After he was for/against it before, of course.

[drpix]

What is "poisonous" is Massachusetts harboring drunken driving, welfare chiseling illegals aliens:

Sanctuary Cities are better examples of local gov't"actions... to take matters into their own hands." Has Obama's buddy Duval ever spoken out against, at least, those in Mass.?