Republicans warn Bush on immigration policy

Washington Times ^ | 1/28/04 | Valerie Richardson

[kattracks]

DENVER - Twenty-three congressmen warned President Bush in a letter yesterday that he risks an election-year backlash from Republican voters if he continues to press his guest-worker proposal.

The Republican lawmakers said their congressional offices have received a flood of angry letters, e-mails and phone calls from Republican constituents vowing that they will refuse to vote for the president if his program is approved.

[Texasforever]

The quickest way for these guys to get Bush's stubborn streak in high gear is to threaten him.

[farmfriend]

Short list.

[FastCoyote]

Wow, the Bush people really have a tin year. What part of "no" don't they understand.

[Travis McGee]

If he wants to lose out of his stubborness, that's his problem.

I will NOT vote for a president who signs any kind of amnesty, no matter how it is weasel-worded.

[DMCA]

They are supposed to represent those that elected them, not serve Bush. It is Bush's fault for proposing such a brain-dead program to begin with.

What was he thinking?

[teech]

I've been too swamped with work to follow what's been going on with this one. I'm horrified, and can't believe Bush is pushing this, even given the political realities. Unlike our friend Dennins Miller, I'm not real inclined to give him a pass on this. Am I alone on this, or what? Is there a common view on this one, or are we all over the map (as it were)?

[Texasforever]

I will NOT vote for a president who signs any kind of amnesty, no matter how it is weasel-worded.

That's fine. But these guys would be better served to just make sure the bill is not passed. The ball is in their court.

[goldstategop]

The peasants are ready to go to the barricades with their pitchforks. Its time King George and Counselor Rove started paying them noblesse oblige for a change. Which would keep His Majesty on the throne. ;-)

[The_Eaglet]

Campaign Finance Reform thread-day 47

[calawah98]

In other words, you are saying, he will do WHAT HE WANTS, not what THE PEOPLE, who he represents want?

[Travis McGee]

If Bush signs any kind of amnesty with 100% of the 'rats and 10% of the Rinos, I will blame him personally 100%.

And I will NOT vote for him.

I would rather have an honest enemy in front of me, than a back-stabber behind me.

[Texasforever]

They are supposed to represent those that elected them, not serve Bush. It is Bush's fault for proposing such a brain-dead program to begin with.

Bush is simply following up on an issue he has advocated ever since he began his political career. These guys all knew that and now wait until an election year to “warn” him. It won’t work.

[Fledermaus]

He wasn't thinking...he was doing what Karl Rove told him to do. Rove is so SURE he has the conservative base "locked up", he thinks there is NOTHING Bush can do to keep us at home this November.

He thinks that we'll still crawl over broken glass because of 9/11 and we can't trust any Democrat to protect us (see my tagline).

But he's pushing his luck I fear. And without some real progress in Iraq by this summer and the fact we can't find ANY WMD, much less stockpiles no one cares about really, it's just going to erode Bush's numbers among independents.

Fortunately, it looks like the economy is going to be going gang busters and that will convince voters to give him four more years.

Although, it's sad that voters just over two years after 9/11 think healthcare and the economy are more important. This scares me. I guess in their minds, not enough people died and they don't see the fact we haven't been attacked again as progress, they think it's just back to normal.

[Texasforever]

That is what he is supposed to do. If you don't like his decision then do what Travis is going to do, elect a democrat so you have an "honest enemy".

[Fledermaus]

The only positive for Bush on this issue is that every Democrat would just hand them legal status tomorrow and open the borders.

How they sell that to their base while complaining about jobs is something I've never understood. Oh yeah, their base is full of idiots.

[13foxtrot]

The Republican Party has been getting in a bad habit of going against the wishes of many conseratives.

In Washington State they came out against most of our recent anti-tax initiatives - because the Big Biz interests did not support them.

Tax relief for Boeing is OK, tax relief for Joe Sixpack, well that's not good for business...

[Travis McGee]

I think this is a Karl Rove calculation that Hispandering will be a net vote gain, brining in more Latino voters than it will lose from his conservative base.

I think Bush and Rove are dead wrong, and if he signs any kind of amnesty, he will LOSE.

[Texasforever]

their base is full of idiots.

They have no monopoly on that.

[tiki]

I've hesitated to say anything on these anti-immigration threads but it will be a disaster if Bush actually got this through. The Southwest is just starting to recover from Simpson-Missouli(I think that was the bill but I think my spelling is all wrong)

Before that, it was illegal for the Mexican illegals to work but it wasn't illegal to hire them. They worked on farms and ranches along the border, sent their money home, didn't pay SS or taxes, and went back home when they had earned enough money for a "grub stake". Then the liberals got upset and thought that they were being mistreated and some horror stories came out and everyone believed that these poor workers were beaten, starved and severely abused and needed all the protection of a US citizen.

After the amnesty bill the ones who received it didn't assimilate very well and many became a burden on the social services system and the Mexicans who wanted to come and work in the US were forced beyond the border where the Border Patrol system is strong and now they rarely go home.

They also said when they passed that bill that it would be a one time thing. How do you think they will believe that if it happens again? They'll be coming in droves because they will see that we don't mean what we say.