Posted on 06/15/2005 4:04:20 PM PDT by 4.1O dana super trac pak
Canyon County Commissioner and anti-immigration pundit Robert Vasquez announced on June 10 his intention to run for Butch Otter's soon-to-be-vacant U.S. Congressional seat, joining a small handful of Republicans who have expressed interest in the position. The difference between Vasquez and these others is that he only speaks about a single issue: illegal aliens. Most recently, he strong-armed Canyon County into hiring a lawyer to pursue litigation of any businesses found to employ immigrants, although Vasquez prefers different terminology. As he told the Idaho Press-Tribune earlier this year, "That would be like saying Hitler's army marching into Poland was merely "immigrating'".
Can a candiddate run a congressional campaign based solely on an issue as divisive and difficult as immigration reform? Vasquez thinks so; after all, he porttrayed his reason for running, in a June 10 press release, as "Those previously announced candidates lack any real commitment to America's language, borders and culture."
Fellow candidate and Idaho Legislature nine-termer Sheila Sorenson believes that Vasquez needs to branch out to beat her and the other contenders. " I understand his passion for the illegal immigration problem, and believe that the issue requires serious attention," she said after Vasquez announced his candidacy. "However, Idahoans are concerned about many other issues."
Whether we, as voters, really care about more than migrant labor reform will be clear next year. What is already clear, however, is that Vasquez will continue to generate a quote a minute about what is wrong with those who are not fond of his isolationist jingoisn - like he did on CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight on June 9, a day before announcing his candidacy.
"Those that are opposed to me are the people that are hiring the illegal aliens, profiting from the exploitation of their labor, and passing on the costs of those individuals to their fellow taxpayers," he said.
Wow, that's the actual title.
I'd've bet anything it was Scrappleface.
So Vasquez, a hispanic, is a xenophobe for speaking out against hispanics invading this nation. I thought I'd heard about all the absurd comments that could be made concerning illegal immigration.
Could he have protected Idaho better by running for Governor? Seems maybe that would have been better for them.
I wish he would take Butch Napolitano's job instead.
"he only speaks about a single issue: illegal aliens."
To those who are truly paying attention, it's issue enough.
The media still sees illegal immigration as no big deal. It will take a major city getting blown off the map, or a major TB or AIDS epidemic to shake them out of their complacency.
probably wore out the keys needed to spell racist, facist,nazi
Thinking of you...
-ping-
I don't know if a Governor can really do anything in this matter (irregardless of that horrible HBO movie which had a similar plot)
One thing I wanna know, how is it that Boise has been growing as much as it has.
"Those that are opposed to me are the people that are hiring the illegal aliens, profiting from the exploitation of their labor, and passing on the costs of those individuals to their fellow taxpayers," he said.
How the heck does that statement qualify as "isolationist jingoism"? Perhaps the reporter just learned the term and was itching to use it...?
What a headline! No hidden agenda there, no sirree Bob!
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