GOP Wages War Against Its Conservatives

Colorado Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo is in big trouble with the GOP leadership. And just what, you may be wondering, is his great sin? "Team America," a political action committee originally founded by Tancredo, worked to unseat Representative Chris Cannon, a liberal Republican from Utah, by supporting Matthew Throckmorton, his challenger in the Republican primary.

Chief among those organizations caterwauling about the actions of Tancredo is the liberal "Tuesday Group," a coalition of approximately thirty liberal Republican House members whose goal is to steer the party to the left. Hiding under the cloak of a grossly distorted rendition of Ronald Reagan's "Eleventh Commandment" ("Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican"), the Tuesday Group is now expressing concern that party conservatives are finally making efforts to strike back.

Apparently, undermining the conservative agenda by abandoning the party at key junctures during the legislative process is perfectly fine with these Republican "centrists." But any discussion of such matters by conservatives, who have tired of seeing their party abandoning its principles, is strictly taboo. By such hypocritical assertions, these liberal "Trojan Horses" hope to continue dominating party politics from within.

Of course Ronald Reagan never intended for his "Eleventh Commandment" to be arbitrarily invoked as a means of allowing liberalism to spread, unchecked, within the ranks of the GOP. Rather, it was supposed to prevent the sort of backbiting and mud slinging within party ranks, which can ultimately undermine the credibility of the entire party.

House Majority leader Tom Delay, a longtime champion of conservatism, has found himself in the middle of this row. Seeking to maintain a cohesive Republican majority, he is promoting themes of "team spirit" and "comity" among party members. Delay even referenced Reagan's "Eleventh Commandment" in a meeting with Tancredo in which the Colorado Congressman was apparently warned to change his ways and endorse a unified party, or face retribution within Republican circles.

Unfortunately, such rhetoric fails to deal with the fact that it is the Republican liberals who regularly undermine party unity by voting with Democrats at critical junctures. With such people constantly placing the philosophies of liberalism ahead of traditional Republican principle, the only manner in which even a facade of "unity" can be maintained is for the entire party to shift to the left. This, of course, is precisely the strategy of the liberal Republicans.

Tancredo's major issue of concern is unchecked illegal immigration and the resulting compromise of America's borders. Hardly a miniscule "pet issue" of a fringe constituency, the immigration problem goes to the very core of maintaining America's national integrity and heritage. Little else of GOP principles or goals can be regarded as significant in any way, as long the party remains indifferent to the invasion of the nation's borders by a flood of illegal immigrants who, as soon as they are able to do so, will vote against such things. Yet, major forces within the GOP are once again actively working to insure that at best, the Republican counterpart to Democrat plans of opening the borders will only amount to a watered-down version of the very same thing.

By supporting truly conservative Republican challengers, Tancredo's PAC hopes to specifically target key players of the open borders advocacy for defeat during their respective state primaries. While it is not entirely clear whether or not Tancredo is still officially participating with the work of the PAC, his political ideology remains consistent with that of its members. Tancredo realizes that threats to the future of the nation are no less virulent when advanced by so-called "Republicans," than when spawned by their traditional advocates, the Democrats.

Tom Delay has, in the past, shown himself to be extremely principled, with the one notable exception being his support, under severe White House pressure, for an education bill that was essentially crafted by Ted Kennedy. He knows that if his party persists in its claims to uphold both high and low standards, only the low standards will prevail. Though presently striving to remain within the boundaries of party loyalty, he is surely aware that, as a principled conservative, his own future is no less threatened by the underhanded actions of the "moderates" than is Tancredo.

For Delay and Tancredo, whose differences are far outweighed by their political common ground, the most pressing matter is to maintain the party according to conservative principle rather than allowing the "centrists" to reinvent it in the image of the Democrats.

>>>The writer of this article doesn't know his "arse from a whole in the ground", do you?

Yeah, I do. Obviously, you don't.

Agricultural worker amnesty could add up to 3 million to U.S. population

A major push is underway by the AGJOBS coalition, a coalition of organizations and associations promoting cheap labor, to pressure Congress to pass H.R. 3142 sponsored by Reps. Chris Cannon (R-UT) (pictured) and Howard Berman (D-CA) and S. 1645 sponsored by Sens. Larry Craig (R-ID) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA), an illegal alien amnesty that will doom agricultural workers to poverty.

Here is Chris Cannons voting record immigration issues. Not very conservative in my book.

Voted against worker protections and for an increase in foreign workers in 1998 Rep. Cannon voted AGAINST the Watt Amendment to H.R. 3736 (an H-1B bill) that would have forbidden U.S. firms from using temporary foreign workers to replace Americans. It also would have required U.S. firms to check a box on a form attesting that they had first sought an American worker for the job. The substitute failed 177-242. Then, after voting against significant protections for American workers, Rep. Cannon voted FOR H.R. 3736, a bill that ultimately increased by nearly 150,000 the number of foreign workers that high-tech American companies could hire over the next three years. H.R. 3736 passed 288 to 133.

Co-sponsoring bill to create an amnesty for illegal agricultural workers in 2003-2004 Rep. Cannon is a co-sponsor of H.R. 3142, the Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of 2003. H.R. 3142 would create an amnesty for certain agricultural workers. Of the 1.2 million illegal aliens currently working in agriculture, an estimated 860,000 plus their spouses and children could qualify for this amnesty, so the total could reach three million or more. The potential recipients of the amnesty will be required to prove 100 days of agricultural employment in the 18-month period that ended Aug. 31, 2003. Then, prior to receiving amnesty, workers would have to show 360 days of additional farm work over the next six years.

Voted against American workers by voting for worker-importation program in 2003 Rep. Cannon voted for the Singapore Free Trade Agreement, H.R. 2739. The trade agreement would permit an unlimited number of Singaporeans to enter the U.S. each year as \"treaty traders or investors\" who are coming to the U.S. to carry on trade between the U.S. and Singapore or to \"establish, develop, administer or provide advice or key technical services\" to the operations of a business in which they have invested capital. Congress is prohibited from restricting the category with numerical limits, labor certification requirements or other protections for American workers. This category is in addition to the number of Singaporeans who are permitted to come to the U.S. each year under our normal immigration laws. Finally, the agreements also prohibit Congress from placing any numerical limits, labor certification requirements or other protections for American workers on the issuance of L-1 visas to nationals of Singapore. L-1 visas are available to \"intra-company transferees,\" or aliens who have been employed abroad for at least one year in the three years preceding application by a business that has subsidiaries or affiliates in the United States. Such visas have been widely abused by businesses seeking to avoid the restrictions on H-1B visas. The Singapore Free Trade Agreement passsed the House by a vote of 272-155. In a subsequent vote, the House voted for a virtually identical package for Chile by a 270-156 vote.

Voted in 2000 for importing more foreign workers Rep. Cannon voted as part of the House Judiciary Committee for H.R.4227 in 2000. This legislation would have removed the cap on the number of H-1B visas available for three years PROVIDED THAT the worker protections from the 1998 H-1B bill be implemented. Although the bill would have allowed an unlimited number of H-1B visa holders into the country, thus increasing overall numbers, the legislation did contain important worker protections and fraud prevention measures. Among these provisions, H.R.4227 would have required that H-1Bs work full time and are paid more than $40,000 a year. It would also have required that employers provide the Labor Department with information about each H-1B visa holder and that information is posted on the Internet. The legislation passed the committee 18-11.

Voted against minority hiring and recruitment in 2000 Rep. Cannon voted AGAINST the Waters amendment to H.R.4227. This amendment would have required corporations to show some level of hiring and recruitment among Blacks and Hispanics, or the H-1B program would be shut down. The amendment was defeated 12-17.

Tried to strip worker protections from House Judiciary Committee's H-1B bill in 1998. Rep. Cannon was one of only seven members of the House Judiciary Committee of the 105th Congress who voted to allow U.S. firms to lay off Americans to hire foreign workers. The committee held careful hearings on H.R.3736, examining the H-1B temporary foreign worker program and the need for such high-tech workers. The broad bi-partisan consensus of the committee was that there was no conclusive evidence of a worker shortage. But to ensure that high-tech U.S. firms would not get into a bind, the committee voted for a compromise three-year increase in visas for companies that certified (1) they were not laying off Americans to make room for the foreign workers and (2) they had first tried to find an American to do the job. Rep. Cannon joined six of the committee members in pushing the Rogan Amendment to strip out those worker protections and make the bill more like the one that passed the Senate. But the committee voted 24-7 majority AGAINST the Rogan amendment and against Rep. Cannon. After the bill passed the committee, Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich executed a little-used power and stripped out the worker protection language before bringing the bill to a vote on the House Floor.

Voted in favor of Section 245(i), a mini-amnesty for illegal aliens. Rep. Cannon voted AGAINST a motion to instruct the conferees of the Commerce, State, Justice (CSJ)Appropriations bill NOT to include an extension of Section 245(i) in the CSJ Appropriations bill in 1997. This was a vote in favor of Section 245(i), a mini-amnesty provision that allows certain illegal aliens to pay a $1,000 fine to adjust their status and remain in the country legally. In addition to rewarding illegal immigration, Section 245(i) has contributed significantly to the INS processing backlog of some 4.5 million. It also removes the all-important security step of our embassies conducting background checks on potential immigrants in their home countries. After being given the chance to stand up and kill Section 245(i) in 1997 and not doing it, Rep. Cannon voted for a compromise on Section 245(i) in 2001. He voted in favor of a compromise bill, H.R. 1885, to extend Section 245(i) by four months. This was a compromise bill because the White House and Senate Democrats were pushing for a one-year or permanent extension of Section 245(i).

Voted in favor of sanctuary policies to protect illegal aliens in 2003 Rep. Cannon voted against an amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations bill, H.R. 2555, and against an amendment to the Commerce, Justice, and State Appropriations bill, H.R. 2799, that would prohibit funding from going to cities that have an official sanctuary policy. As background, 'sanctuary policies,' are local policies that forbid public officials, including police officers, from reporting illegal aliens to federal authorities. These policies flout the law by requiring public entities to provide taxpayer-funded services to persons regardless of whether they are in the United States illegally. In 1996, Congress passed a law that specifically prohibits state and local governments from enacting sanctuary policies. Despite that, cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston, still have sanctuary policies in place. The amendments, offered by Rep. Tom Tancredo, would have created a huge incentive for these cities to rescind the policies that protect illegal aliens, criminal aliens, and, potentially, terrorists, by denying them some Federal funding. The amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations bill failed by a vote of 102-322. The amendment to the Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations bill failed by a vote of 122-305.

Voted in favor of sanctuary policies to protect illegal aliens in 2004 Rep. Cannon voted AGAINST an amendment (H. AMDT 583) to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2005, H.R. 4567, that would prohibit homeland security funding from going to states or cities that have violated Federal law by enacting sanctuary policies. Sanctuary policies bar public officials, including police officers, from asking an individual's immigration status to determine eligibility for public services and from reporting illegal aliens to federal authorities. In 1996, Congress passed a law that specifically prohibits state and local governments from enacting sanctuary policies. Despite that, cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston, still have sanctuary policies in place. Maine is the only state with a sanctuary policy. The amendment, offered by Rep. Tom Tancredo, would have created a huge incentive to rescind the policies that protect illegal aliens, criminal aliens, and, potentially, terrorists, by denying them some Federal funding. The amendment failed by a vote of 148-259.

Co-sponsoring amnesty for Colombians and Peruvians in 2003-2004 Rep. Cannon is a cosponsor of H.R. 2843, the Andean Amnesty Act of 2003. H.R. 2843 would reward illegal aliens from Peru and Colombia with amnesty, provided they have been in the U.S. since December 31st, 1999.

Co-sponsoring so-called guestworker program to create amnesty for illegal aliens in 2003-2004 Rep. Cannon is a cosponsor of the Border Security and Immigration Improvement Act, H.R. 2899. This bill would create a legalization process for almost all illegal aliens who will then be eligible for green cards after 6 years. Under the provisions of H.R. 2899, an illegal alien would receive a 3-year H-4B visa. At the end of 3 years, the alien can adjust to an H-4A "guestworker" visa, valid for 3 years. Following this second 3-year period (a total of 6 years), the alien can self-petition for a green card. However, an employer can petition for a green card for any H-4A visa holder, regardless of how long the alien employee has been in the U.S.

Voted against amendment requiring that aliens must be in the country legally to get citizenship based on military service in 2003 Rep. Cannon voted as part of the House Judiciary Committee AGAINST the King Amendment to H.R. 1954, the Armed Forces Naturalization Act of 2003. The King Amendment requires that aliens and their families must be in the United States legally in order to get citizenship on the basis of military service. The King Amendment passed the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 14-8.

Co-sponsoring bill to reward illegal aliens with in-state tuition rates and amnesty in 2003-2004 Rep. Cannon is a cosponsor of H.R. 1684, the Student Adjustment Act of 2003. H.R. 1684 would grant in-state tuition and amnesty to illegal aliens under the age of 21 who have been physically present in the country for five years and are in 7th grade or above. Such a reward for illegal immigration serves as an incentive for more illegal immigration.

Co-sponsoring bill to reward illegal aliens with amnesty in 2003-2004 Rep. Cannon is a cosponsor of H.R. 1300, the Central American Security Act. H.R. 1300 is an amnesty for up to 2.3 million illegal aliens. It would extend the massive NACARA amnesty for Nicaraguans and Cubans to illegal aliens from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras and potentially serve as an incentive for new illegal migration by holding out hope illegal aliens will eventually be rewarded with amnesty.

Co-sponsored bill to reward illegal aliens with in-state tuition rates and amnesty in 2001-2002 Rep. Cannon was a cosponsor of H.R. 1918, the Student Adjustment Act of 2001. H.R. 1918 would have granted in-state tuition and amnesty to illegal aliens under the age of 21 who have been physically present in the country for five years and are in 7th grade or above. Such a reward for illegal immigration serves as an incentive for more illegal immigration.

Co-sponsored legislation to grant amnesty to over 2 million illegal aliens in 2002 Rep. Cannon cosponsored the Central American Security Act, H.R. 4037 that would have expanded the 1997 NACARA amnesty to an estimated 2.3 million Salvadorans, Guatemalans, and Hondurans who are now living illegally in the United States. The estimated 10-year impact of the NACARA amnesty on U.S. population is 966,480. By supporting the H.R. 4037 amnesty, Rep. Cannon not only supported rewarding illegal immigrants with amnesty, but also supported rapid population growth through the addition of at least 3.2 million additional legal permanent residents.

Voted FOR Section 245(i), a form of amnesty for illegal aliens in 2002 Rep. Cannon voted FOR H RES 365, which was brought up and passed in a new form in March of 2002. The vote in favor of the bill was a vote in favor of rewarding illegal aliens via a four-month reinstatement of Section 245(i). That is an expired immigration provision that allows illegal aliens with qualified relatives or employers in the U.S. to pay a $1,000 fine, to apply for a green card in this country, and to be allowed to stay in this country without fear of deportation until their turn arrives for a green card years, and even decades, later. The illegal aliens also would not have to go through the usual security screening in U.S. embassies in their home countries. The lowest estimate from supporters of the bill was that some 200,000 illegal aliens would benefit. H RES 365 included language that would implement some important visa-tracking regulations helpful to discouraging illegal immigration. But all of those provisions had already been passed previously in H.R. 3525, making the assistance to illegal aliens the sole purpose of the bill. Rep. Cannon was one of 275 Representatives who voted in favor of the 245(i) amnesty. The bill narrowly passed by a vote of 275 to 137.

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