Bush's immigration plan hurts re-election war chest

The Washington Times ^ | January 16, 2004 | Bill Sammon

[Anti-Bubba182]

President Bush's immigration initiative has angered conservative Republicans so much that some are refusing to donate to his re-election campaign, according to a Bush fund-raiser in Georgia.

Phil Kent, a member of the host committee for a Bush fund-raiser in Atlanta yesterday, said he was told by several would-be donors that they would not attend the $2,000-per-person event because of the president's announcement last week on immigration reform.

[swarthyguy]

>>Overconfidence, Miss H. Conservatives' Achilles heel.

I have yet to hear any of the dems talking about the exodus of hitech jobs.

If one does, and talks about preserving a mass employment software industry in America, he could start to siphon off votes from the large pool of under and unemployed of former computer types.

And come out on illegals to the right of the current Republican proposal.

And articulate a hardline policy on the Saudis instead of the kidglove treatment of the past two years.

I doubt they will and I believe this was factored into the thinking about his proposal.

[Byron_the_Aussie]

..eighteen members of my immediate family and circle of friends and aquaintances have effectively withdrawn from the Republican Party and will neither support it at the federal level nor vote for any of its candidates for feral office, President Bush included, for as long as this un-and-anti-American amnesty insanity is on the table...

Fair enough, mate.

I can't find one Freeper who supports it. The President is putting his own agenda ahead of what's best for the country, on this. And it's dismaying, to watch him burn support in the heartland, the way his father did. At this stage all we can hope is that if enough people send a message of dissent, the way your family is doing, it'll prompt a rethink.

[Az Joe]

I once got caught driving without auto insurance. I showed up at the court about two weeks later and showed them my, recently purchased, proof of insurance.

Was I a criminal? Was justice not served?

[CalKat]

Are you saying that Bush's amnesty plan does not grant legal status to illegal immigrants?

[Az Joe]

Yes

[CalKat]

How so?

[Az Joe]

How is it?

[Az Joe]

But you used the word "grant". I believe the president's plan calls for some kind of civil penalty, that is not a "grant" of anything..

[The Old Hoosier]

Bush must have really screwed up if you're beginning to wonder. :-)

[CalKat]

How it is granting legal status to illegal immigrants? By giving them legal status in this country, as well as a permit to work legally in this county, that's how. Where have you been?

[Howlin]

All I said was I wonder. I'm entitled to that; and I trust that he knows better than I what's really going on.

[lentulusgracchus]

Same old song, different generation. "It's all Bush's fault."

Same old song, eh? How about the Bible? Is that just the "same old Book"?

As for its being Bush's fault, well, yeah -- it was. And he got to be president. For one term.

[lentulusgracchus]

With the guest worker plan, many who would previously turn a blind eye will comply with the law, .....

You mean, like in 1986? We were going to get tough on border-jumpers back then, too! LOL!

[lentulusgracchus]

The companies that hire these people are loving the fact that they are getting them at a rock bottom price and are paying ZERO taxes for their work. If the worker and the company are making out better by not having any paperwork who would play by the rules.

THUD-bump.

BTTT.

[lentulusgracchus]

If one does, and talks about preserving a mass employment software industry in America, he could start to siphon off votes from the large pool of under and unemployed of former computer types.

Excellent point, and a truly huge issue for some Reagan Democrats I know well. I'm more than a little interested in it myself.

Businessmen don't care whom they employ. American citizens do, so the Government had better begin to care about it, too.

[riri]

I have yet to hear any of the dems talking about the exodus of hitech jobs

I thought maybe Gephardt would be the guy to do it but he hasn't. They seem to be avoiding it like the plague.

[Reagan Man]

The President did follow the Hart-Rudman recommendations that outlined a set of hardcore requirements for a homeland security department. As with most conservative and for that matter most Americans, I supported the creation of the HLS Dept. However, the idea that amnesty and open borders are the answer to America's illegal immigration problem, is an idea that is deadwrong. Such an approch to illegal immigration, smells like a case of social engineering to me. With the liberal Democrat Gary Hart and the liberal Republican Warren Rudman in charge, I can see why social engineering is front and center in their agenda.

Such governmental policy shows a reckless disregard for the fundamentals of our free and open society. US security and sovereignty. The American people would never accept any "option" that would seriously impact our freedom and liberty or adversely effect the rule of law. The 1986 Reagan amnesty program didn't work. We don't need to go down that deadend road again and repeat the same mistakes one more time.

[FITZ]

Well my point is --- it can be hard to tell with numbers because sometimes we don't know all of them. If they catch more illegals, it could be because more are coming over including more which are not getting caught --- OR there are more newer illegals who get caught more easily because they don't know the routine, OR the agents are getting better at detecting them. You'd really have to know how many attempts versus how many catches I guess. If they catch fewer --- that could mean conditions are suddently improving in Mexico and fewer make the attempt, OR that word is out and they know our agents are likely to catch them and decided not to bother.

[FITZ]

Will never happen due to the racism of the Spanish upper classes, that lord it over the 90% of Mexicans that are Mestizo and Indian.

I think a lot is the overall culture. It seems like it might help if they kicked out the elites in that country --- which happen to be the Spaniard descendents ---- but I think if they did do that --- everything would still end up being the same. There would be a new elite class --- maybe just as bad and poverty would be just as bad but they'd all be mestisos and indians. I think it might even go back to the Aztecs --- they dominated the other Indians --- in worse ways than the Spaniards did after they came.