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What Rick Perry Can Teach the GOP About Immigration (Say he has a "moderate record on immigration")
The Atlantic ^ | August 24, 2011 | Erica Grieder

Posted on 08/24/2011 5:08:50 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

As he enters the Republican presidential race, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is striking some red-meat notes on the subject of immigration. Border security, he says, is a federal responsibility -- and immigration reform will have to wait until the border is secured. Invoking his beloved 10th Amendment, he proposes that in the meantime states should have some latitude to set their own course on the subject. As for Texas, he suggests, unauthorized immigration will not be treated lightly; earlier this year he called for a state law to abolish sanctuary cities, although the bill never made it to his desk.

Set aside the campaign chatter. Perry actually has a relatively moderate record on immigration. In 2001, he signed a law allowing undocumented students who graduate from Texas high schools to pay in-state tuition at Texas public universities. Last year he criticized Arizona's strict new immigration enforcement law, and said that it wouldn't be right for Texas. He's called for a guest-worker program and a path to citizenship. Other than this year's campaign against sanctuary cities, there is little in his decade-plus as governor to suggest that he has the appetite for a crackdown on economic migrants. NumbersUSA, a group that campaigns for less immigration, has given him a "D-" -- worse, in their view, than Michele Bachman, Mitt Romney, or Sarah Palin.

Perry has, of course, been hawkish about border security. He has repeatedly said that both border security and immigration reform fall into what he sees as the rather narrow category of Washington's responsibilities, and he argues that the former takes precedence over the latter -- or should, at least....

(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...


TOPICS: Texas; Campaign News; Issues; State and Local
KEYWORDS: aliens; amnesty; bachmann; brewer; everify; govtabuse; immigration; laraza; maldef; obama; openborders; palin; parrito; perrito; perry; perrytards; proamnesty; ricardo; rinofreeamerica; romney; sb1070; teaparty; texas; texican
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To: Ron H.

These Perry supporters are falling right in line with the same mindset as Obama supporters....refuse to see anything about Perry which would affect their “love” for him. Amazing similarities to them as when one would attempt to reveal the facts about Obama to his “followers” when he was running.


41 posted on 08/25/2011 4:42:53 AM PDT by caww
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To: ak267
This is why we vet the candidates!!! If the MSM and GOP talking heads won’t, the bloggers and alternative media WILL !!!!

You bet it is. I will NOT sit still while we get warmed over Juan 'Rick' McCain shoved down our throats like it was done in 2007-08 with a daddy of the major RINO's camp.

Just look at the flack Michelle Malkin got last week for her article.

And it was shameful but expected. The Perristas running Perry's "Me and my big business chums just love those illegal aliens" campaign here on FreeRepublic are trying their best to saddle America with this latest big business shill, 'Dubya 2'. Two Bush's were more than enough, we don't need another Bush protégé. Enough already!

42 posted on 08/25/2011 4:51:24 AM PDT by Ron H. (Loving my Deering Goodtime 2 Classic 5-stringer)
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To: jmacusa

A moderate equates in a politician that cannot really be counted on for doing the right thing at the right time. They subject themselves to sell out for a price when it comes down to it, IMHO. Not worth wooden nickel.


43 posted on 08/25/2011 4:57:21 AM PDT by Ron H. (Loving my Deering Goodtime 2 Classic 5-stringer)
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To: ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas

?


44 posted on 08/25/2011 4:59:24 AM PDT by mo
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To: caww

True. Absolutely true!


45 posted on 08/25/2011 5:04:11 AM PDT by Ron H. (Loving my Deering Goodtime 2 Classic 5-stringer)
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To: Ron H.
Perristas running Perry's "Me and my big business chums just love those illegal aliens" campaign here on FreeRepublic

And that is exactly what they are doing....runnning a campaign here on FR for this Rhino!

46 posted on 08/25/2011 5:11:24 AM PDT by caww
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To: Mariner
The US Military should take all volunteers who are proficient in English and can pass all tests/security screens. Full pay and benefits for the duration of their active service...and after 12 years of Honorable Services, eligible to apply for citizenship in "Preferred Status".

Allow criminal aliens the honor of serving in our military?

NEVER!

47 posted on 08/25/2011 5:27:27 AM PDT by Godebert
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To: moonshinner_09

I have been gone from TX for almost 8 years, so I have not been paying as much attention to TX politics. When Perry jumped into the race I started talking to my TX conservative friends. Most dislike and don’t trust Perry. I think that’s instructive. But when I say anything against him I get roundly booed and called all sorts of things around here. It’s unfortunate that people don’t want to vet the candidates now while we can. They just like his pretty face and tough words. Yeah, he’s a good looking guy and *I* like what he’s saying. But he has a record, it’s easy enough to look at.
All I hear is, “look at the polls!” “He can beat Obama!”


48 posted on 08/25/2011 6:09:39 AM PDT by brytlea (Wake me when it's over...)
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To: FlyingEagle
How the US, one of the most wealthy nations in the world, can fail in that simple task, is incomprehensible.

Yes, I agree, they fail because they want to fail. It's not possible for them to fail because they can't do it.

49 posted on 08/25/2011 6:12:13 AM PDT by brytlea (Wake me when it's over...)
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To: brytlea
.... But he has a record, it’s easy enough to look at.

And the Perrista's just hate that, his actual record. Gives them much much heartburn. The evidence of that is in plain view all around here. They are jumping through all kinds of hoops around here trying to divert peoples attention away from that fact. You ask a Perrista a reasonable question about Perrys record or past actions and all they want to do is give you his campaign reworked all NEW resume or campaign talking points. Just keep digging, his record is there for all to see, people are starting to see for themselves.

50 posted on 08/25/2011 6:25:24 AM PDT by Ron H. (Loving my Deering Goodtime 2 Classic 5-stringer)
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To: ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas

Are you confusing actual immigration with illegal border jumping? I realize the lefties and the media have been trying to confuse the issues for a long time but I didn’t realize they had been so successful.


51 posted on 08/25/2011 6:52:17 AM PDT by brytlea (Wake me when it's over...)
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To: pulaskibush
You are correct. Perry would be a third term for George Bush. A better choice than a third term for Jimmy Carter, to be sure, but not an attractive one.

Romney's fascination with socialized medicine, while abhorrent, is nowhere near as damaging to this republic as Perry's fascination with open borders. State supported socialized medicine would only bankrupt the country one state at a time and could be reversed. Tens of millions of socialist voting instant citizens would bankrupt the whole country and could not be reversed.

52 posted on 08/25/2011 6:52:59 AM PDT by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

You CANNOT..in 2012...run ANY political campaign that is ambiguous about your immigration “position” in the current job market.

Unemployed Americans are looking for assurances of their governments’ concern about THEIR plight...not that of businesses forced into looking for disposable labor because of onerous tax and regulatory policy.

Illegal Labor is the Feds out for preserving the status quo regarding Taxes and Regulation...and is the ultimate litmus test as to the candidates in question commitment to meaningful regulatory and tax reform. If they are wishy-washy on the subject...they have no real intent to disturb the DC status quo...no matter how big their cowboy hat and six-gun.


53 posted on 08/25/2011 6:53:56 AM PDT by mo
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To: Ron H.

The problem is, people tend to hate to admit they were duped. Hopefully they will just quietly adjust and move on.


54 posted on 08/25/2011 6:58:00 AM PDT by brytlea (Wake me when it's over...)
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To: brytlea
Are you confusing actual immigration with illegal border jumping?

No, I am saying that I don't know what Perry has in mind for immigration in general, and one of the answers that he has given to general immigration questions is something about states solving their own problems (and I do agree that we need more local control, but that is not the answer for the problem of what to do about those already here illegally).

This is what I am hearing from him: "I won't say what I would do until the border is secure." Whatever "secure" means. Can you tell me? Would he be GWB 2?

55 posted on 08/25/2011 7:10:51 AM PDT by ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas (Budget sins can be fixed. Amnesty is irreversible.)
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To: mo

To the statement “There hasn’t been a good President on legal immigration since Coolidge” you suggested Harding as a counter example, but Harding was POTUS before Coolidge.


56 posted on 08/25/2011 7:16:05 AM PDT by ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas (Budget sins can be fixed. Amnesty is irreversible.)
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To: ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas

Well, I can only look at his record.
He didn’t push for the sanctuary city bill til he’d been in office about ten years (and I guess was already considering a run for President), he’s against a border fence, his much touted cameras were mostly never installed and mostly didn’t work.
I just haven’t seen or heard anything from him that gives me any comfort that he will be anything different on the issue than what we’ve had. And a lot from him that makes me believe (as I have for at least ten years) that he’s just a politician with a nice smile and lots of friends.


57 posted on 08/25/2011 7:36:44 AM PDT by brytlea (Wake me when it's over...)
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To: nathanbedford

***The question for me is, what does a politician like Perry really believe?***

For information on what Rick Perry believes, try reading his book “Fed Up! Our Fight to Save America from Washington”

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1: America is Great, Washington is Broken
Chapter 2: Why States Matter
Chapter 3: What Happened to the Founders’ Vision?
Chapter 4: Washington is Bankrupting America
Chapter 5: No American Left Alone: Health Care, Education, the Environment, and the Tyranny of the Modern Administrative State
Chapter 6: Nine Unelected Judges Tell Us How to Live
Chapter 7: The Federal Government Fiddles: Ignoring National Security, Immigration, and the Enumerated Powers
Chapter 8: Standing Athwart History Not Doing a Damned Thing
Chapter 9: States Do the Work of the People
Chapter 10: Retaking the Reins of Government: Freedom and Federalism for the Future

360 Footnotes
Foreword by Newt Gingrich


58 posted on 08/25/2011 7:46:40 AM PDT by nanetteclaret (Unreconstructed Catholic Texan)
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To: brytlea
I just haven’t seen or heard anything from him that gives me any comfort that he will be anything different on the issue than what we’ve had.

Agree. Thanks.

It astounds me that politicians like GWB can push for the importation of 10s of millions of leftist voters. Maybe they don't know what they are doing, but that is no comfort to me.

59 posted on 08/25/2011 7:48:57 AM PDT by ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas (Budget sins can be fixed. Amnesty is irreversible.)
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To: ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas

My point was that the credit Coolidge gets actually belongs to Harding. Sorry I didn’t make that clear.


60 posted on 08/25/2011 7:52:51 AM PDT by mo
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