GOP Committing Political Suicide

WorldnetDaily ^ | April 7, 2006 | Jerome R. Corsi

[rob777]

In the rush to get an immigration bill out of the Senate, the Bush administration appears willing to cave into the Democrats on the issue of amnesty.

The latest burst of bipartisan enthusiasm came when a strange marriage of Republican Sens. John McCain and Bill Frist joined with Democratic Sens. Ted Kennedy and Harry Reid in proclaiming that only those illegal aliens who are in the United States five years or more will be allowed to stay.

Suddenly, every "undocumented migrant" you ask will claim to have been in the United States five years or more. How is anyone going to prove different? In the thriving market in forged documents, we find in major cities such as Los Angeles and New York, any reasonably enterprising illegal alien should be able to get a Social Security number and produce a driving license for any name it takes to prove they have been in the United States five years or more.

We are witnessing remarkable statements from the likes of Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who said of the recent compromise, "While it admittedly is not perfect, the choice we have to make is whether it is better than no bill, and the choice is decisive." This sounds uncomfortably familiar.

What we are likely to get out of the compromise is new language promising to secure the border, but without building a fence. We're probably going to be sold that electronic sensors are just as good. So why don't we just build an electronic surveillance force? All this is nonsense. We already have good immigration laws on the books that we don't enforce. How long will it take to put the electronic surveillance force in place? How many illegal immigrants will the electronic fence actually prevent from getting into the United States anyway? Will we add enough Border Patrol agents to make sure the electronic fence is working?

Why won't the Senate and President Bush just come clean on what is really going on? Senate Republicans do not have enough votes for a tough enforcement law and the president is not going to push for tough enforcement. Besides, President Bush is basically in favor of amnesty, as long as we can find the right euphemism, such as "guest worker." Certainly, no Republican wants to be accused of offering a "guest illegal" program, even if that's what the "get out of jail free" card after five years here actually means.

Maybe no bill at all would be better. Why is President Bush so determined in his second term to commit political suicide? Conservative Republicans want "guest worker" amnesty and "electronic surveillance" fences no more than they wanted Harriet Miers to be on the Supreme Court.

Probably, what it will take to wake the White House up is the massive defeat in the 2006 congressional elections that is brewing right now. Maybe if enough Republican senators and congressmen bite the dust in November, Karl Rove will realize that courting future "illegal immigrant" voters to expand the Hispanic base of the Republican Party is probably a very costly strategy, especially if in the process the growing conservative majority turns hard against the president.

The immigration bill that is being hammered together will certainly be proclaimed as a "great solution," a "comprehensive bill." In the end, this new immigration bill is not really intended to stop illegal immigration. The bill is just intended to sound like we are going to stop illegal immigration.

In another few years, we will have not 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States, as the administration claims we have now, but maybe 25 million. But, of course, in five years from now, all we have to do is wave the magic wand again, permitting Congress to declare once more that everybody is legal, as long as they have been here five years or more. Why don't we just do this every five years? That should make the problem go away altogether.

[Paul Ross]

This is the real GWB

Correct. No surprises here either. But there was always a faint hope that 9-11 would cause him to correct course. His responsibility should have called him to the right. But it didn't.

As for the Congress, I held out little hope there...as they have shown that they are the problem:

As Alan Keyes has noted, essentially all of the national polls are clear: Americans want to secure our borders, enforce our immigration laws, and reject any amnesty bills, no matter what form they take to try to mislead the electorate.

According to the Washington Times, a new Gallup Poll (March 27) finds 80% of the public wants the federal government to get tougher on illegal immigration.

A Quinnipiac University Poll (March 3) finds 62% oppose making it easier for illegals to become citizens (72% in that poll don't even want illegals to be permitted to have driver's licenses).

Time Magazine's recent poll (Jan. 24-26) found 75% favor "major penalties" on employers of illegals, 70% believe illegals increase the likelihood of terrorism and 57% would use military force at the Mexican-American border.

An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll (March 10-13) found 59% opposing a guest-worker proposal, and 71% would more likely vote for a congressional candidate who would tighten immigration controls.

An IQ Research poll (March 10) found 92% saying that securing the U.S. border should be a top priority of the White House and Congress.

Yet, despite all this, according to a National Journal survey of Congress, 73% of Republican and 77% of Democratic congressmen and senators say they would support guest-worker legislation!

Our work is cut out for us in the Senate. I have to believe we are having some effect, however, because of the failure of the bally-hooed 'bipartisan compromise' bill which was intended to out-flank conservative opposition.

[MaineVoter2002]

I agree about post 911 ideas on this matter. In fact, in 2000 during Bush's first run I was tilting more towards the amnesty idea than against it. Then I realised that it's been happening every 10 years yet the US continues to ignore the border problem. And after 911 my mind went completely against it.

[gesully]

Immigration does benefit America. We have a birth rate of about 1.7 or 1.8. At that rate our population is declining and immigration give us growth.

That being said I define "immigration" as legal immigration...not amnesty or any other such nonsense. Legal immigration quotas are controlled by the Congress so for all their bloviating they in fact have control.

Mexicans, who want to immigrate to the US, are generally hard working, Christian people. I'll take them any time over some towel head who does not want to assimilate and just wants to hang out in some mosque listening to hate America talk from the Imams.

[mobyss]

There's a reason that conservatives are so pissed off about this - it's because the message seems to be:

"If a big enough group of people break the law for a long enough period of time, eventually they will get away with it - especially if they are a "minority" or otherwise non-mainstream"

We're pissed because while we work hard and pay our taxes under the threat of fines and imprisonment (go ahead and try not to mail in your 1040 by April 17th this year...) millions of rule-breakers are getting off easy, and even worse - WE have to pay for their lawlessness. Increased taxes for schools, hospitals, etc.

So what will REALLY make this "all better" for the Republicans at this point?

No half-ass "compromises". No "workable solutions".

Something bigger - something freaking huge needs to happen.

And here it is...

#1. All illegal immigrants in the US need to come forward, pay a fine of $1000 per year that they have been in the US illegally, and wait to be told what to do next. Nobody will be deported or arrested (except wanted criminals and felons of course). After 90 days, any illegal alien who has not registered and paid the fine will become a felon fugitive, with a minimum penalty of $10,000 and 5 years in prison. Not deportation - prison - THEN deportation.

$2. US taxpayers who paid more than $2000 in Federal income tax in the years 2001 through 2005 will receive a tax credit of up to $1000 for each year. That is, a $5000 tax credit to be applied to their 2006 taxes. If you paid less than $2000 in taxes, you get a credit of the amount over $1000. If you paid under $1000 or NO Federal income taxes, you get no credit. This will "pay back" the American taxpayer who has footed the bill for the illegal aliens for the last five years.

#3. The US government will issue the following offer to citizens of Mexico (both illegally here and in Mexico itself): You may apply for expidited US citizenship, with priority over other countries of the world for the next 6 months. However, for whatever percentage of your population that applies, the US will annex that percentage of Mexico, starting with Baja and then moving from north to south in the main body of the country. If 30% of Mexicans want to become Americans, then we get the northern 30% of Mexico. All oil reserves, land, coastal property, etc become the domain of the US government, to be sold to US citizens and companies, or their current lawful owners (except what is owned by the Mexican government). Those wishing to remain Mexican citizens must move south out of this territory, while those wishing to become US citizens can move anywhere in the US. After the annexation, Congress will set up a system for creating states and Federalizing the new territory for participation in the Constitutional Republic. Wherever the new border ends up, it will be fortified with security fencing and increased border patrol to prevent additional illegal entry.

#4. Future illegal aliens will be considered immediate felons, with deportation and no chance of ever legally entering the United States again.
#5. Non-Mexican illegal aliens from #1 above will be processed for deportation or citizenship on an individual basis.
Will it happen? No. But it would work.

[Jim Noble]

we keep electing the same people time and again, and we will do so this year.

A lot of incumbents are going down this year.

As they should.

Look, republicanism isn't perfect - but it absolutely, positively requires that Members of Congress who gain their office by lying, or who maintain their office under false pretenses, be defeated.

That's more important than which set of clowns has the majority - much more important, in fact.

[af_vet_rr]

A lot of incumbents are going down this year.

Not enough. The way the money/campaign finance system works, any incumbents that are replaced, are going to be replaced by peole who quickly make it their job to win the next election, regardless of how they promised to change things and be different. If they don't kow-tow to the lobbyists and donors, they will not win enough elections to get to a leadership position where they can make a difference, and by then they are as corrupt as anybody else.

You win the next election by making the major lobbyists and their backers happy. Making them happy requires more government spending or pushing their pet projects, either of which leads to an increase in the size of government and government spending.

If you do not make the lobbyists and their backers happy, then you find lots of money flowing to potential opponents who will make them happy. They will be able to spend more on campaigns, ads, etc., or have it done on their behalf, and you will find yourself looking for a job.

When "The Hammer" stepped down, many people were like "well, he's gone, so that'll be a lot less pork headed to the Houston area. I disagree - he'll probably become a lobbyist or the head of some kind of large organization, and will have an enormous amount of money and power to use as he sees fit. People in the Houston area don't have to worry about the pork stopping anytime soon.

I'm still amazed that people like Ron Paul have survived in Congress this long.

[af_vet_rr]

Well, it does. But the issue is not immigration. We're talking about open borders and illegal aliens.

Let's not play the liberal "we must be sympathetic to them" game.

They are criminals, and we need to call them what they are, and they and those who employ them need to be treated as such.

It makes me want to puke when I hear Bush and others talk about these "guest workers" or do the "everybody's descended from an immigrant" spiel. President Bush wouldn't throw open the doors of a prison and say "okay everybody, I'm letting you, but you have to prove you haven't been a criminal for the past five years, and if you do that then we'll make a non-criminal".

[pctech]

A third party? I dunno yet. I'm just tired of the whole political landscape right now. The rats are just as vicious as ever, and the GOP are proving they have no backbone to do what needs to be done.

[Flavius Josephus]

Nobody was so crazy about Bush for President, but they had pumped him up with so much money that he was difficult to stop. I'll say this in his favor -- he's never promised to stop the illegal infiltration of the immigrates, but I didn't expect him to make it so much worse.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

One of the things that deeply disturbs me about Rudy, as mayor of NYC, he declared, and fought through the courts to make NYC an illegal immigrant sanctuary. Once he was out of office, he went to work for the Mexican government as an adviser, and, he has made millions flitting down to Mexico City where his advisory company is located.

Now Rudy is talking Jesus and wooing the right for his upcoming prez run. politicians like Rudy will sell out Americans at every chance for the $$.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

Your claptrap is most tiresome, au revoir.

[Paul Ross]

Bump. Thanks for the heads-up on Rudy!

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:2_tKsxQPwSQJ:www.townhall.com/columnists/michellemalkin/mm20020913.shtml+rudy+and+illegal+immigrants&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=Mexico+City%2BRudy+Guiliano%2Bmillions+&btnG=Search

[narby]

Tell me there are no Illegals on your job sites, and everyone reading these post will understand you better.

I'm not an evil capitalist. I'm a homeowner who had serious wind damage (small tornado?) to his house that required serious reconstruction. Since it's an insurance job and the contractor gets paid a percentage of his expenses, he's motivated to spend more money, not less. Thus his workers are toothless Americans that just screwed up my living room today so I'm p!ssed.

I had this opinion about the illegal problem ever since I saw the futility of Prop 187 in Californa 15 years ago. That cost Republicans control of the state which is now closer in culture to France than the United States.

I'd like to avoid that happening to the entire country, and I think it would if we turn existing Hispanic voters over to the Dems. People here repeat the mantra that "legal Latinos don't like illegal immigration either". That's right. But Republicans were the party that gave blacks Civil Rights victories in the 60's, yet blacks have been convinced that it's the other way round. Unless Republicans go out of their way to court the Hispanic culture now, as I have said before, we will be reduced to semi permanent minority class. They are relatively unsophisticated voters, and vote pretty much in a block, and can be easily swayed by demagoguing Democrats who will lie about what we do now. Republicans must do enough to prevent Democrat lies from working, which means that all this get-tough talking now is the Stupid Party hard at work.

That means Chelsie wins the presidency in 2025, and the last conservative on the Supreme Court will be whichever Bush nominated Justice retires last.

If Republicans can't get a legalization bill AT THE SAME TIME as a serious border security bill, then we'll never get another Supreme Court justice on the bench, and never control the Congress again. And the current batch of illegals will *still* be here, only probably not speaking english because Republicans will not have passed a bill giving them legal status that also required english proficiency.

[maxwellp]

I voted for President George W. Bush twice. I thank him for his stance on the WOT, but this Mexican thing leaves me completely puzzled. I think the illegal immigrant issue should go before the legal, voting American people -put it on a national ballot and let the American people decide. The politicians have lost their way.

[Zack Nguyen]

I see things keeping on as they are - more and more government, more and more government power, and more and more people that rely on the government.

Ah, until the bill comes due...sometime in the next 10-15 years when Social Security begins to run a deficit. Then the fun begins when our politicians turn out their pockets and sheepishly admit that "we just don't have the money, folks!"

Then we'll either cut loose a lot of people, or raise taxes to obscene levels. Neither will go over well.

[Aarchaeus]

Unless something dramatic happens, our country will move closer to a civil war so the people can take back what is theirs. The COUNTRY.

So what are the citizens waiting for?

[Aarchaeus]

So, you've used that line to get out of paying traffic tickets? And you're OK with carrying things out of stores without paying for them?

[Aarchaeus]

It didn't hurt Reagan's legacy. He is remembered for national security - as Bush will be.

So tell me again how Bush is keeping terrorists from walking from Mexico into America.There must be something I have forgotten.

[af_vet_rr]

I voted for President George W. Bush twice. I thank him for his stance on the WOT, but this Mexican thing leaves me completely puzzled. I think the illegal immigrant issue should go before the legal, voting American people -put it on a national ballot and let the American people decide. The politicians have lost their way.

I voted for him four times, but in hindsight, I wasn't really voting for him, I was voting against his opponents, whether they were Ann Richards or Al Gore (before he was Governor, he never really did much of anything - you or I or anybody else here could have made the same amount of money off the Rangers' sale if we had the same connections he did). I even did volunteer work for him and other Republicans in Texas. Funny how both the government in Washington and the government in Texas have lost their way.

It'll never be put before the American people, because that would mean we have some kind of say in things, and we might start demanding a little more say.