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Reps Tancredo, Gutierrez engage in nasty exchange
rockymountainnews ^ | March 16, 2006 | M.E. Sprengelmeyer, Rocky Mountain

Posted on 03/16/2006 1:12:11 PM PST by dennisw

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Tom Tancredo and an Illinois congressman traded charges of racism during a heated confrontation following a televised appearance Wednesday on immigration reform, both their congressional offices confirmed today. Tancredo and Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., are frequent sparring partners on the talk show circuit as Congress works to pass some version of immigration reform. Tancredo is a leading advocate of tougher enforcement against illegal immigrants and people who hire them. Gutierrez, the son of Mexican immigrants, calls Tancredo's approach "ugly policy" motivated by racism.

On Wednesday, they appeared together on CNBC, and when the cameras stopped rolling the debate continued with a spat first reported by the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call.

Gutierrez's office claims that Tancredo aggressively continued the discussion off camera and tried to slow Gutierrez as he was trying to reach the elevator.

Tancredo spokesman Will Adams, who was present, said it was Gutierrez who was the aggressor, hurling comments and, before it was over, saying he thought about hitting Tancredo.

The words exchanged are in little dispute, based on this account in Roll Call:

At one point, Gutierrez reportedly asked Tancredo if he had ever eaten in a restaurant.

"How could you eat from the plates touched by those nasty illegal immigrants?" Gutierrez said.

He then asked Tancredo: "Have you ever eaten an orange? A grape," an apparent reference to illegal farm workers. He then repeated the phrase several times as Tancredo tried to answer. "An orange, a grape, an orange, a grape, an orange a grape."

Gutierrez, who has a cast on a foot, reportedly tried to walk to the elevator, but Tancredo tried to stop him by putting his hand on his shoulder. Gutierrez reportedly demanded: "Get your hand off me!"

Adams said Tancredo had done little more than tap him on the shoulder.

Gutierrez said to Tancredo: "You racist! You bigot!"

Tancredo told Gutierrez: "You look in the mirror if you want to see a racist."

Gutierrez and staff members finally got on the elevator, while Tancredo and his team took the stairs.

When they met again on the first floor, Gutierrez told his staff, "Better hurry up -- the KKK is coming," according to Roll Call. He accused Tancredo of following him, although Adams said they simply needed to use the same exit because Tancredo's office is across the street.

Just outside, Gutierrez said to aides within Tancredo's earshot: "I thought about hitting him, but then I thought, 'What if I (expletive) kicked his ass,'" the newspaper reported.

"To say this is unbecoming of a Congressman doesn't go far enough," Adams said. "This is unbecoming of an adult." Asked if Tancredo wanted an apology, Adams said, "It would be nice if he apologized. We're not expecting that from somebody who threatens to beat people up."

Asked if Gutierrez wanted an apology, spokesman Scott Frotman said, "He's not going to ask Mr. Tancredo for an apology, but Mr. Tancredo may think about apologizing to all the immigrants that he scapegoats and ridicules."


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 109th; aliens; gutierrez; illegalaliens; illegalimmigration; immigrantlist; immigration; luisgutierrez; racecard; tancredo; tomtancredo
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1 posted on 03/16/2006 1:12:17 PM PST by dennisw
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To: dennisw

ILLEGALS are not IMMIGRANTS!

They know it. The Dims know it. We know it.


2 posted on 03/16/2006 1:16:44 PM PST by rightinthemiddle (The Liberals/Media Hate Us Just as Much as They Hate Bush.)
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To: dennisw

Round them up....send them back.


3 posted on 03/16/2006 1:18:47 PM PST by Ouderkirk (Funny how death and destruction seems to happen wherever Muslims gather...)
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To: dennisw

What class these guys have. We should all be proud.


4 posted on 03/16/2006 1:19:03 PM PST by mlc9852
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To: rightinthemiddle

Cool! Wish they had it on video!


5 posted on 03/16/2006 1:19:10 PM PST by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra ("Don't touch that thing")
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To: dennisw
Playing the race card, typical of liberal Democrats.

BTW Guiterrez: Tancredo is the son of Italian immigrants.

6 posted on 03/16/2006 1:20:32 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (None genuine without my signature)
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To: rightinthemiddle

I watched the exchange on CNBC today. Tancredo was not the nasty one. Gutierrez is a slimy little punk and acted like it. He would not answer the question and kept giving snide looks at Tancredo.


7 posted on 03/16/2006 1:20:38 PM PST by tom paine 2
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To: dennisw
What was that book a few years ago? - Congress of Whores?

Someone needs to write another - Congress of Boors.

8 posted on 03/16/2006 1:21:56 PM PST by Tokra (I think I'll retire to Bedlam.)
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To: dennisw

Looks like Gutierrez will never be accused of being a mental giant.


9 posted on 03/16/2006 1:23:25 PM PST by jazusamo (:Gregory was riled while Hume smiled:)
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To: dennisw
Gutierrez said to Tancredo: "You racist! You bigot!"

Name calling is a specialty of the Rat party. It's much easier to throw labels then actually engage in debate.

10 posted on 03/16/2006 1:24:53 PM PST by Millee (Don't make me get out my voodoo doll out!)
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To: mlc9852
What class these guys have. We should all be proud.

Yup.

Guiterrez is a typical pandering pol.

And Tom Tancredo is to immigration reform what Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson are to Christianity -- the sort of spokesman the other side loves.

Sure would be nice if folks would send grown-ups to Washington....

11 posted on 03/16/2006 1:25:36 PM PST by r9etb
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To: tom paine 2

Yep..it really was The D who was crazy not Tom...


12 posted on 03/16/2006 1:25:49 PM PST by skaterboy
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To: dennisw

Gutierrez is a little punk.


13 posted on 03/16/2006 1:26:08 PM PST by toddlintown (Lennon takes six bullets to the chest, Yoko is standing right next to him and not one f'ing bullet?)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
Tancredo is the son of Italian immigrants.

He's also a loudmouth self-promoter who does more harm than good in the area of immigration policy.

14 posted on 03/16/2006 1:27:01 PM PST by r9etb
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To: r9etb
"Sure would be nice if folks would send grown-ups to Washington...."

Now that's a great idea! Seriously, some of them are becoming a national embarrassment.
15 posted on 03/16/2006 1:27:29 PM PST by mlc9852
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To: tom paine 2
I watched the exchange on CNBC today. Tancredo was not the nasty one. Gutierrez is a slimy little punk and acted like it. He would not answer the question and kept giving snide looks at Tancredo.

Sounds to me like Tancredo acted with commendable restraint considering the circumstances. I like him--he's one of the few congresscritters who strongly supports enforcing the laws against illegal immigration.

Gutierrez, on the other hand, sounds like a typical democrat: "Let's pretend the issue is race, instead of what it really is, since my real position is politically, legally, and morally indefensible."

16 posted on 03/16/2006 1:27:44 PM PST by American Quilter
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To: dennisw
SOP right out of the manual. If you can't win a debate on the merits, accuse them of racism, KKK, etc. Keep screaming, yelling and repeating it also.
17 posted on 03/16/2006 1:28:51 PM PST by paul51 (11 September 2001 - Never forget)
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To: Millee
Gutierrez said to Tancredo: "You racist! You bigot!"

Liberals will discuss issues for about thirty seconds, and then start calling you names.

18 posted on 03/16/2006 1:30:55 PM PST by sima_yi
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To: sima_yi
Liberals will discuss issues for about thirty seconds, and then start calling you names.

Or start randomly reciting the names of fruits and vegetables. "A kumquat! A pomegranate! A rutabega!"

19 posted on 03/16/2006 1:32:24 PM PST by Caveman Lawyer (Cluckin' defiance)
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To: dennisw
Tancredo spokesman Will Adams, who was present, said it was Gutierrez who was the aggressor, hurling comments and, before it was over, saying he thought about hitting Tancredo.

My money is on that version.

20 posted on 03/16/2006 1:33:37 PM PST by MileHi ( "It's coming down to patriots vs the politicians." - ovrtaxt)
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