Immigration Rising on Bush's To-Do List

LA Times ^ | July 24, 2005 | By Peter Wallsten and Nicole Gaouette

[SC33]

Immigration Rising on Bush's To-Do List The White House wants to build a coalition to court Latinos and marginalize hard-liners. By Peter Wallsten and Nicole Gaouette, Times Staff Writers WASHINGTON — Worried that the tone of the immigration debate is pushing Latinos away from the Republican Party, the White House is working with political strategists to create a broad coalition of business groups and immigrant advocates to back a plan President Bush could promote in Congress and to minority voters in the 2006 elections.

[jackbenimble]

The push is being planned to coincide with next year's campaigns for the House and Senate, in which Latino voters could be crucial in several states.

I would like to know what states those are?

Hispanics play a big role in Florida politics but immigration is not an important issue to Cuban voters who already benefit from the dry land policy. And the Puerto Ricans there already are born with citizenship.

Bush's better performance with Hispanics might have tipped the balance in New Mexico, not that it really mattered. Hispanics did not play a decisive role in the politics of a single other state.

In California, New York, Massachussets, New Jersey and Illinois, Bush lost and Hispanics played a minor role in those losses but he would have lost even if the majority of Hispanics had voted for him rather than against. In Texas, Arizona and across the South he won easily despite losing the majority of the Hispanic vote.

Someday, the Hispanic vote may be significant but despite the ravings of the media it is not making much of a difference yet.

[Ron H.]

Bush has never shown any other stance towards the open border issue. Do you really expect him to change now?

IMO Bush is a lost cause on this illegal immigration alien issue as he has already been bought and paid for. He and his OBL LaRaza cadre will have to be be fought in the Congress and in the neighborhoods and streets, to win over the hearts and minds of our fellow American tax paying citizens before it is too late.

[Ron H.]

Can't really disagree with your points except that instaed of the benign term voters by itself I would put Republican in front of voters.

I rather suspect that many Republican voters are feeling betrayed by Bush when in fact they refused to look beyond the false facade that Bush put on for them. They just couldn't (aka wouldn't) believe that their 9/11 President would betray them even though there was plenty of evidence to the contrary to show them what he really was all along and what he was really all about.

[Ron H.]

They are connected/one in the same. Read NAFTA, CAFTA, FTAA, GATT ...

One word can sum up all of them very succinctly - SHAFT'EM.

[SC33]

Time to rally the base.

[Ron H.]

..... force the inmates to go out and work in the fields for the cheap labor and have it put into a savings account for when they get out of prison

Actually that used to be done a few decades ago but was stopped by non-conservative persons/groups/courts for a variety of reasons, mainly that it was considered inhumane (as in slave labor) as I seem to recall. Hey, I can live with it again.

[Ron H.]

Time to rally the base. - And get them out into the streets protesting, marching and rallying like was done for supporting Bush and the troops that were going into the Iraq war right after 9/11. Where thousands and thousands of Americans were rallying and marching all acros America in the streets, parks and stadiums to show our support for the effort on the War on Terror. The fervor needs to reach that pitch IMO to make the Congress to really take notice, to fear for their seats in Congress.

[lonewacko_dot_com]

This "Hispanic vote" thing is just a cover for cheap labor.

Most Hispanics originally supported CA's Prop. 187.

47% of Hispanics supported AZ's Prop. 200.

Bush didn't get as much Hispanic support as claimed.

The far-left, Ford Foundation-sponsored race groups aren't going to support Republicans, and even if they did that would be a bad thing since what they want is not in America's best interests.

Tamar Jacoby was almost booed off the stage when she attended CPAC in support of Bush's plan.

Bush reached out to Hispanics using the flags of the country's of origin, including the Mexican flag.

Illegal immigration is the top concern of Republic constituents according to a new poll Congress did.

If Bush wanted to go for the "white vote" by building a land bridge to Europe, wouldn't that be racist and unAmerican? How is this any different?

How does he think this is going to help his popularity with American citizens? Perhaps other Rs should get smart and start marginalizing him rather than him and his corporate cronies attempting to marginalize the 75% of American citizens who support ending illegal immigration.

[Just A Nobody]

Yup one big happy North American family.

Central and South America will be brought in through these trade agreements.

[Just A Nobody]

SHAFT'EM

Good one!!

[devane617]

The Republican party will never receive another vote from me until the ILLEGAL immigration issue is fixed. IMHO ILLEGAL immigration is the most important issue we have faced in recent history.

[Vigilanteman]

And why are criminals who violate the sovereignty of the United States and aggravate a major national security threat being defended by anyone on here?

And why should criminals who violate the sovereignty of the United States and aggravate a major national security threat be given preferential treatment over those who apply to come here legally, show a clean police record and demonstrate a desire to contribute to this country (by working, paying taxes, learning our language, etc.) rather than just suckle off the taxpayer teat?

[KC_for_Freedom]

Most Hispanics originally supported CA's Prop. 187.

Sorry but this premise is wrong. even if you meant most legal hispanics, (which might have been true at one time). But after prop 187, the democrats so effectively demonized the GOP that California has been a democrat state ever since. (Of course Arnold came in on a popularity vote, but the legislature can call on California hispanics to rally any time they wish.

One thing the hispanics did support (against the teachers union and democratic party) was prop 209 which instituted a year of intensive English for newcomers and did away with the costly and failed program of bilingual language instruction.

I agree that the illegals constitute a cheap work force and many R's and D's of wealth benefit from this at the expense of the labor market which is in country legally. If it were not for the steady influx of new labor, wages would have to rise. I would love to see it (wages rising for this reason). I don't think it is the primary reason for Bush'e attitude. He is from Texas where immigrants own half the state, and have been coming in droves forever. He simply thinks it is a natural way to grow. He is not supported by the rank and file in the country, but he is correct that the democrats are waiting to demonize him on whatever comes first, a republican bill to close the borders or a terrorist attack where penetration was via the illegal crossing. He is walking a fine line, because sooner or later one of these will happen and the democrats (being complete hypocrites) will jump all over the Bush administration.

[holyscroller]

"I have been saying all along that Corporate America is using the government and the American taxpayer to supply them with cheap labor and to pick up the cost for the benefits package for them. The drug companies are using the government to push and their products through Medicaid [it's not the elderly I'm talking about]and the schools. The insurance companies are using the state governments and their troopers to force people to buy their insurance. They charge high premiums then when a disaster such as a hurricane strikes they want the taxpayer to bail them out."

You're absolutely right. The corporations which easily could and should be paying the bulk of the taxes to fund the govt. are instead ss bad as deadbeat welfare recipients. Only now, we little guys are paying the taxes to subsidize the giant corporate deadbeats who are scamming billions off the government, instead of just free housing and foodstamps.

[lonewacko_dot_com]

See this:

http://csmonitor.com/cgi-bin/durableRedirect.pl?/durable/1997/11/24/us/us.1.html

If someone tries to stigmatize you as something, it's generally a bad thing to get defensive and end up doing what they want. It's usually better to fight against the stigmatization and do what's right, not what the other side wants.

For a fuller discussion of the underlying story, see this:

http://michellemalkin.com/immigration/2005/07/25/12:43.am

[lewislynn]

Immigration Rising on Bush's To-Do List

Where is he planning on immigrating to?

[I_dmc]

Its not that easy. Legal immigrants despise illegal immigrants.

[mississippi red-neck]

If we can get more real conservatives in there we'll have a serious chance of slowing down the open borders, globalist train.

The Republican party are staring to sound like the PA. They never have enough. It's always give us more and then we'll do something. Well they got 2/3 of the government now and I can't tell any difference in performance except things are getting worse faster than they where.

As for the global train it's right on the track with the Democrats firing the engine and the Republican engineer at the throttle.

[brytlea]

My friends who are hispanic immigrants (legal--and became citizens) are as conservative as I, and don't like illegal immigration one bit. The white house is listening to activists who don't represent the average legal hispanic in this country. In fact, those activists represent themselves....
susie

[dennisw]

good comment about corporate welfare bums