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.
How many conservatives will believe anything this witch say's?
None, Zero, Nada, Ziltch...
When the dems see that this benefits her they will start to move to the right on this issue as well.
The GOP and Bush will be left in the dust.
"You know, I'm going to start thanking
the woman who cleans the restroom in
the building I work in. I'm going to start
thinking of her as a human being"
It's a ruse. Smoke and mirrors in an attempt to get elected. I don't believe that she would ever abandon her core leftist values if elected.
Say what you will, but no matter what we think of Hillery, if she tacks right on Illegal-Immigration and the Republicans do not, expect her to win in a landslide. Especially since by 2008 this will be more of an issue then even Terrorism.
She can put her words to action very shortly. I believe that the issue of driver's licenses for illegals will come up early in the next session. If she can lead a Democrat block to restrict driver's licenses to those legally in this country she will have some credibility. Let's see where she goes. We know that the administration is only interested in supporting illegal immigration.
Smart political move on the part of the Beast. I hope someone at the WH is paying attention...
The way for the reps to counter this is to force an up and down vote on nationwide drivers-license/voter smart cards right away and take the issue away from her.
They'll have her dressing like Newt Gingrich and she'll be from Waco, TX by the time the election rolls around.
REMEMBER 1996? RMEMEBER all those illegal immigrants who were made legal without benefit of investigation, without waiting their 5 years, without taking the government test? WHO encouraged those illegal immigrants to become legal with a stroke of a pen? Remember the democrat party hacks sitting on the courthouse steps registering these "naturalized" citizens on the democrat roles? Who did these "naturalized citizens" vote for?
She can win Texas with this issue. Law abiding legalized Mexicans understand the issue.
Ask her what she thinks about her BJ husband granting citizenship to 3,000,000 illegal aliens so they could vote for him.
Hillary is F.O.S. and always will be.
Hillary Clinton
"When the dems see that this benefits her they will start to move to the right on this issue as well."
Not necessarily. Bush has used the Clintonian Triangulation strategy already, with Prescription drugs for seniors. It would be pretty simple for him to go very strongly toward immigration reform and take this away from Hillary.
"It would be pretty simple for him to go very strongly toward immigration reform and take this away from Hillary."
No way in hell. They're going to take this one away from him and the GOP just watch.
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