Kerry: Citizenship For Anyone In US For Five Years

Democrat Primary Debate ^ | Sep 4, 2003 | John Kerry

[Hon]

Question: Would you support legalizing undocumented immigrants in this country?

Kerry: Absolutely. I supported and was prepared to vote for amnesty from 1986. And it is essential to have immigration reform. Anyone who has been in this country for five or six years, who's paid their taxes, who has stayed out of trouble, ought to be able to translate into an American citizenship immediately, not waiting.

Source: Democratic Primary Debate, Albuquerque New Mexico Sep 4, 2003

[Sabertooth]

I opposed amnesty, placing undocumented workers on the automatic path to citizenship. Granting amnesty encourages the violation of our laws and perpetuates illegal immigration.

This is some of the most dishonest hair-splitting President Bush has ever done.

We're in the territory of "depends on what the definition of is is," and "I did not have sexual relations with that woman," now.

Bush might as well say "I did not have Amnesty with that Illegal Alien."

To pretend that the Bush Amnesty isn't an Amnesty, you also have to pretend that the Reagan Amnesty wasn't an Amnesty either.

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

Yeah. So, what do the bashers want?

[narby]

Question: Would you support legalizing undocumented immigrants in this country? Kerry: Absolutely.

Pay attention here folks. This is your next president talking. Cause Bush isn't going to get elected because of his much more conservative stance on illegals that Kerry. And cause he want's to give the National Endowment for the Arts a huge budget increase.

[rrrod]

the bush amnesty plan does have a few valisd points but...and this is the real issue, IMHO, Mexico must reform and reform first! lets be honest if not for the us economy mexico would come close to starving..the gov. is totally corrupt and a haven for drug dealers..MR FOX..FIX YOUR COUNTRY FIRST THEN WE CAN TALK!!!

[MIchaelTArchangel]

Kerry was prepared to vote for amnesty? Does that mean he skipped the vote?

[gooleyman]

But some of the people basing Bush are willing to vote for Kerry. Thats what gets me.

-----
[Conspiracy Alert]...I suspect that some of the Bush Bashers are only posing as "Third Partyers". They're really DemocRAT trolls sent to stir up trouble and possibly get some converts from the disafected among us.[End of Conspiracy Alert]

Sure, I don't like everything Dubya has done, but I'll be "doggoned" if I'm going to switch my vote so some DemocRAT can win the White House...NO WAY. I certainly agree a lot more with Bush than with all the RATS combined.

[swarthyguy]

Politics.

Triangulation works.

Now Bush's plan is less that Kerry's.

Would voters who would vote for Bush based on his plan, for whatever reasons, be more impressed by Kerry's.

I think so. So the vote gathering pander aspect of the amnesty is Kaput, as with Kerry's proposal, 5 years here, automatic green card.

Sweet, legals should consider petitioning based on the same logic that they've been here that long as well.

[Sabertooth]

Overstays are easiest to remove.

Actually, the easiest to remove are the Illegals who've just lost their deportation hearings. They're just on the other side of the court rooom, but rather than take them into custody, pending their deportations, we let them go on OR.

Well over 100,000 of these ready-to-deport Illegals have absconded on their deportations, just since January 2002.

[dennisw]

http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:7o3bCDYo7BkJ:www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/clips/news_2003_0601.html+jOHN+Kerry++encyclopedias+&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

"John was from a prominent family, but he wasn't wealthy" compared to his peers, said his friend George Butler. Kerry loaded trucks in a grocery warehouse and sold encyclopedias door to door. "He was a little bit of an outsider because he had to work during college summers. It gives you tremendous drive to make up for it."

That's what you do before you get out of college. I can't find any pay check Kerry has gotten since college that did not come grom government... John Kerry is a creature of government whose solution for our problems is more government, more laws, new taxes. He knows zero about life in the capitalist private sector which funds government via taxes.

[longtermmemmory]

SOMEBODY, propose a reasonable solution. (save deport them all for the reactionaries)

How about a guest worker program BUT only allow applicants to apply from their home country.

Kerry's auto-amnesty is DOA.

Come on folks, think.

[Hon]

You're right. Kerry's claiming he had college jobs. I don't even believe that, since as I noted he had FOUR trust funds in his name:

"Kerry also is the beneficiary of four trusts, the Associated Press reported."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A13368-2003Dec18?language=printer

[TheSpottedOwl]

Thanks for the ping! Staying here illegally for 5-6 years is committing a crime...isn't it?

Typical Democrat whoring for votes.

[longtermmemmory]

There must be a huge number of illegal aliens registered to vote. I KNOW illegals vote in the USA.

[longtermmemmory]

USA should have been FL

[Gritty]

It's just about time to stop pulling voting levers and start heating buckets of tar.

[Dante3]

Kerry is crazy. If you think Bush's plan is bad -- and I'm one of them -- Kerry is far worse.

But then, what does one expect from a gigolo as he has been described?

[Winston Smith Jr.]

If you think Bush's plan is bad -- and I'm one of them -- Kerry is far worse.

Kerry may have helped pull Bush's fat out of the fire on this issue.

[longtermmemmory]

I think the Bush plain has succeeding in one respect. It has opened up the debate.

Remember the Bush plan is focused on a guest worker system. Kerry is saying ANYONE.

The left will never be satisfied untill the USSR is litterally reborn on the backs of taxpayers.

[Winston Smith Jr.]

I've yet to see a FR "Bush basher" advocate voting for Kerry, or Dean, or any of the Dims.

According to the Bushbots, voting third-party is the same as voting for the Dem.