Posted on 08/14/2005 8:30:30 PM PDT by Anti-Bubba182
The politics of immigration are changing. On Friday Bill Richardson, the nation's only Hispanic governor, declared a "state of emergency" in four New Mexico border counties due to "a chaotic situation involving illegal alien smuggling and illegal drug shipments." His office has pledged $1.5 million for stepped-up law enforcement and also asked Chris Simcox, the president of the volunteer border patrol group Minutemen, for a meeting. Mr. Richardson, a man who wears his ambition for national office on his sleeve, has apparently decided he has to reposition himself on border issues.
He's not the only Democrat to do so. Sen. Hillary Clinton made headlines when she embraced high-tech measures to control the border with Mexico and fines for employers who hire illegal aliens. "Democrats clearly sense frustration on immigration among Bush's base voters and are trying to outflank him rhetorically on the right," says Martha Montelongo, a talk-show hostess in California.
President Bush is vulnerable on immigration. This House Republicans bluntly told him that his proposal to admit guest workers would be dead on arrival unless accompanied by more border enforcement. "All my constituent town meetings want to talk about is immigration and why Washington is still spending so much money," Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas told me. Indeed, 17 of the 37 GOP House and Senate members who responded to a National Journal survey last month identified immigration as the issue "most on the minds" of their constituents. One Republican identified immigration as the issue on which "the mismatch between the federal government's inaction and the realities at home is the greatest."...."
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
Dan, you were right. Richardson is running for President. He has a better chance of taking it all in 2008 than Hillary, IMHO.
"The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government,
1. The act of invading; the act of encroaching upon the rights or possessions of another; encroachment; trespass.
Duhhh, I've only been saying this for a few years now. Sometimes I think the Repubs are either too dumb or too corrupt to stay in power.
Especially since many American hispanics are livid about illegal immigration ourselves. Unfortunately (for Richardson) I'm not a single issue voter. All the cons of voting for Richardson still outweigh the pros even if he does seem headed in the right direction on illegal immigration. (Do you think his people have been reading my FR posts?)
It says a lot about the kinds of people on FR who will back a liberal Democrat just because that person says what they want to hear.
Downfall of the Republican Party
At first, I thought he was just auditioning for Hillary's VP slot with his "border emergency" publicity stunt.
But, if he meets with the Minutemen, then I am guessing that he may just challenge Hillary.
Imagine... the leading 2 Democratic contenders fighting to be further to the right on border security!
If only we had that problem in our party.
Governor Richardson apparently ain't running for the VP spot, he is going for the whole enchilada (no pun intended).
So much for the freepers thinking Hillary was going to have a cakewalk of a primary with no opposition.
It looks like she is going to not only have a real primary race on her hand, but its going to be a bloody one and its going to cost her money.
Richardson has the dirt on the clintons. I assume they have it on him too. But if the dems move to an anti illegal agenda it would be a brilliant political move.
Aside from ONE STATEMENT, Hillary has been AWOL on the immigration issue. Richardson has been consistent. He would be a much more formidible candidate than Hillary, who doesn't have a chance in hell of getting elected.
I have stopped giving any money to the Republican Party until something is done about the borders. I will give to individual candidates but not to the main Republican Party. If anything happens at all in the US because of terrorists who slid through the open border, the Republicans can write off the next presidential election.
I'm sure you've been praying for that everyday since 1996.
"It looks like she is going to not only have a real primary race on her hand, but its going to be a bloody one and its going to cost her money."
Perhaps, but if either Hillary or Richardson runs in 2008 on a border-security, pro-2nd Amendment platform, then the Republican party is going to have a real fight on its hands, particularly if it nominates an open borders elistist and gun grabber like McCain.
Hillary will talk out of both sides of her mouth. She won't do s#!t about illegal aliens.
I do believe he's going for the gold or carrying Hillary's pick and pan!
And anyone who would vote for a Democrat because he or she claims they'll be "tough on illegal immigration" is a fool. The first thing a Democrat President would do is try to grant amnesty and citizenship to every illegal alien in the United States.
Maybe we wouldn't but there are many voters who put this issue number one and concider it as part of the War On Terror. They feel that having the Patriot Act without securing the borders is like being in a sinking boat and spooning out the water without even plugging the hole. We will have the Patriot Act forever if we do not do something about the borders. I for one would prefer to NOT have the Patriot Act under a President Hillary.
Amen to that. Grant no power to the government that you wouldn't want in the hands of Hillary.
If our government put the military on the border and got serious about deporting illegals (particularly those with terrorist sympathies), we wouldn't need the Patriot Act nearly as much.
Explain again to me why it would be a bad thing to put our military on the Mexican border.
Nah. they just get too effin pleased and comfortable. Nowdays it's 24/7 just to maintain the status quo; if you want to keep it you'd better find a few more hours in each day.
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