Posted on 12/13/2004 6:44:11 AM PST by conservativecorner
The Washington Times notes that Hillary Clinton is positioning herself to the right of President Bush on immigration, in preparation for a 2008 presidential run:
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is staking out a position on illegal immigration that is more conservative than President Bush, a strategy that supporters and detractors alike see as a way for the New York Democrat to shake the "liberal" label and appeal to traditionally Republican states. In an interview last month on Fox News, Mrs. Clinton said she does not "think that we have protected our borders or our ports or provided our first responders with the resources they need, so we can do more and we can do better."
In an interview on WABC radio, she said: "I am, you know, adamantly against illegal immigrants."
Unlike many pro-business Republicans, Mrs. Clinton also has castigated Americans for hiring illegal aliens.
It's interesting that she apparently doesn't believe that going conservative on immigration will hurt her among Democratic primary voters--another indication that immigration reform is a bipartisan issue. Looking toward the general election, assuming Hillary were to win the nomination, her opponent, obviously, won't be President Bush. So being to his right on immigration is of limited relevance.
As we've said before, a large majority of Americans wants immigration reform. The main reason we haven't seen it so far is that both parties have been willing to ignore the will of the majority. Once that monopoly is broken--again, assuming Hillary is the nominee--it's hard to imagine that the Republican candidate won't likewise take a more conservative position on immigratiion. Which could, perhaps, lead to real reform at last.
One more thought: Hillary's relatively conservative stand on immigration is part and parcel of her relatively conservative view (for a Democrat) of the war on terror. She is betting, I think, that in 2008 security will be as pivotal an issue with voters as it is now. If the Bush administration is as successful over the next four years in preventing terrorist attacks as it has been for the last three, that may or may not prove to be true.
Ain't that the truth. When all else fails, "bring in the illegal Nanny", and watch 'em crumble. Never underestimate the take-down power of the Nanny when it comes to political aspirants.
This is the same 1/3 who voted for Kerry.
I may add that those are not "real conservatives". They think they but they are not, period.
She is not a professional in any sense of the word. No one with any conviction in their beliefs what-so-ever, would've paused to say "You Know" before finishing that particular sentence. Last year (Feb or March)I read the transcript of her Council on Foreign Relations Speech, and in the Q+A that followed, while speaking extemporaneously she used the phrase "You Know" either 38 or 41 times, it was some very incredibly embarrassing number.
She's talking about locking the country down, internal passports, and giving money to the unions. She'd federalize everything. We'd live in a police state.
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