Posted on 05/20/2006 1:52:58 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
After an emotional debate fraught with symbolism, the Senate yesterday voted to make English the "national language" of the United States, declaring that no one has a right to federal communications or services in a language other than English except for those already guaranteed by law. Continues...
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Ambien sleep-driving Dems crash car into Sheriff Bush's barrier
Anyone still wondering how the humble man from Midland managed to do in the last election what no White House candidate had been able to do in 16 years -- win a majority of the popular vote -- Tuesday night's Oval Office address will have resolved any lingering confusion.
It's easy to see why this unpretentious, plain-speaking fella drives Democrats up the wall. With the MSM almost daily trotting out yet another "poll" which curiously always has Bush hitting a "new low" -- the "low ratings" magically achieved by having Democrats and liberal-leaning "independents" represented in disproportionately large numbers in the "randomly" selected sample -- the prevailing myth among the all-knowing Commentariat is that Bush in his speech was attempting to stem his hemorrhaging popularity and to mend fences with his 'alienated' base which is miffed over his stance on immigration.
Since the earliest days of his 2000 presidential campaign, Bush had run on his proposal for a temporary 'guest-worker' program, had delivered dozens of speeches advocating a temporary 'guest-worker' program, appealed to Hispanic voters in '04 by advocating a temporary 'guest-worker' program, but we're supposed to believe his conservative base -- which had voted for him overwhelmingly in 2000 and 2004 -- had not known his stance on immigration until this year (Bush just broke the news to his base!) and is now smoldering angry at him for fulfilling yet another campaign promise.
Paraphrasing the media headlines in the days and hours before his speech: Bush under fire. Bush in trouble. Bush under pressure. Bush careening to disaster. Bush in trouble. Bush's goose is cooked. Bush all but finished. Bush in trouble. Bush speech last-ditch effort to save his bacon. Stick a fork in his bacon, it's done.
Against this friendly cacophony of gloom-and-doomery from his girly men critics in the lead-up to his televised address, Bush appeared poised, self-assured, upbeat. To the media, shooting spitballs from the peanut gallery, it was important during this lead-up that the public perceive Bush as a much diminished figure, politically adrift, frail and fatigued, but that Bush was a no-show Tuesday night.
If Bush's gutsy speech was somehow a desperate, headlong rush to shore up "sagging" approval ratings, you'd never know it from his calm and assertive, cool and unruffled manner of delivery. It was vintage Bush.
For a politician ostensibly sliding irreversibly into oblivion, not bad. The unflappable, take-charge air about him was difficult to square with the media depiction of Bush as aimless, disconnected -- if not out-and-out political roadkill. Bush was forceful yet graceful, emphatic yet dignified, self-assured yet down-to-earth.
Judging from the fawning reaction, Bush hit a home-run. The New York Times, part of the open-borders fringe of the debate, lovingly wrote that the speech "was a victory for the fear-stricken fringe of the debate." Bush "last night specifically -- and shamefully -- urged that the (path to seek citizenship) be denied to temporary workers." The hate-Bush pitch-forkers: 'Impeach Jorge Arbusto for not enforcing our laws!' The hate-Bush anti-pitch-forkers: 'Impeach Bu$Hitler for enforcing our laws!'
As part of his secret plot to sponsor an invasion, "El presidente Jorge Arbusto" called for adding 6,000 Border Patrol officers, erecting "high-tech fences in urban corridors," building "new patrol roads and barriers in rural areas," employing "unmanned aerial vehicles," infrared cameras and motion sensors at the border; ending "catch and release" by constructing new buildings to keep illegals in custody. He laid it all out with specificity in his speech.
The press, which doesn't give squat about border security, had seized on the immigration issue as a means to split the GOP base, in hopes of reaping a windfall this November. Like mice running on the hamster wheel, they thought they were getting 'traction' on this issue. After Bush's speech, they felt frustrated and baffled. Some lapsed into a childish snit. Yet another issue had been seized by this commanding figure, who breezily took center stage as only a powerful leader can, sweeping aside the oodles of media lies, nailing his enemies chapter and verse, reshaping the political landscape and debate on his terms. Bush would not be stampeded. His tone deaf windbag critics, showing yet again what little grasp they have of the Man from Midland, had been dealt another cruel blow.
If displaying their inexhaustible supply of ignorance was the goal of Bush's detractors, they have succeeded beyond their wildest expectations. Congratulations!
Anyway, that's...
My Two Cents...
"JohnHuang2"
Have a great weekend, y'all.
Great piece John.
Just a few weeks ago, the Dems had the election all wrapped up. All they had to do was take a strong anti-illegal stance moderated for the illegals in their base, keep pushing the corruption mud, shut up about their plans for impeachment, and a few other things, and they could have had it all. You could read the sentiment over at DU and increasingly here: That dope Bush, wow, we've finally got 'im!
Now, that have they got? The public looks at Bush's position on illegals--not all to my liking, but whatever--and he comes off as a reasonable guy who puts more money into border security, National Guard troops on the ground, gets La raza and NYT against him, pelosi singing like a bird about "investigations" into the Bush Administration (the public sure loved it when we did it to Clinton, but the Dems just can't help themselves), Dems talking tax hikes, Harry Reid saying English as national language is "racist", Toricelli, no promised indictment for Rove, Hillary shooting her stupid mouth off...
Sure, things could turn around, and back, and around again by November, but in one week Bush has done an amazing turnaround, thanks to Tony Snow, a new chief of staff, and simply sticking to his principles. Again, I don't agree with all of his positions, but the man believes they are the right positions, and he isn't unreasonable. Since Sunday he has given us much of what we want, and there is more he can and I believe will give us.
There are plenty of cranks here who hate Bush even more now that he's come towards their supposed wishes (Minutemen call for NG, Bush gives them that, oh, that's nothin', they respond), but they are a minority here and a tiny minority of the electorate.
That dummy Bush--a dem portrait some here now seem to think an accurate one--has pulled the ball away from the Dummy AND Michael Savage fans (aka Weinercrats) alike, again.
It's not the guest worker program most of have a problem with. It's his lack of will in enforcing the border. He could have gotten the guest worker program easily with a tightened border but he chose to allow nature to take its course instead and now we have 11 million or more illegals that he wants to reward with a "path to citizenship". If you can't see past the politics in that to the watering down of U.S. citizenship then you aren't looking forward to the future.
After an emotional debate fraught with symbolism, the Senate yesterday voted to make English the "national language" of the United States, declaring that no one has a right to federal communications or services in a language other than English except for those already guaranteed by law.
This is so watered down, what's the point. Almost all bi-lingual services are already required by law so this really changes nothing. It's a pose using smoke and mirrors.
LOl so true. The politcs and how this whole immigration issue has been interesting to watch no matter what one's position is on it if you get into that sort of thing. How many times has the momentum shifted? Look at the alliances they are always shifting. How many times has been this issue been pronounced dead and has come back alive? I have to admit its been the most exciting thing to watch. To be honest this has been the most interesting National debate outside security issues we had in 6 years. Tax cut legislation while important does make one fall asleep at times.
Now if we can only hold on to all our Seats in the Senate and Justice Stevens retires. That will make the confirmation hearing for Alito and Roberts look like a confirmation for a justice of the peace compared to that battle. Fun days ahead with Bush still.
Ba humbug
You're the first person I've seen mention that, and you are so on-target. It's the first truly important issue that is INTERESTING since the terror debates.
Taxes and such are important, but if we lose on those issues, we can just come back with a different bill; if we lose on this we are sunk.
I think W has always been aware of what he can get through Congress. They are the ones who make the laws. W is not king. Many of our congresscritters just care about getting re-elected, not in doing what we sent them up there to do. Republicans may 'control' both houses, but we have too many RINOs there. That is where it is up to us to do something about it.
I, however, was a bit more naive. I have been genuinely dismayed at the attitudes of so many pundits, senators and congressmen.
Because of the incessant negative hysteria over one issue or another for the last 8 months, I have come to view most of these people with a jaded eye. Should some of the talk radio hosts look at their sagging ratings, perhaps they will realize they only have themselves to blame. Meanwhile, I have rediscovered the value in reading novels, gardening, and housework.
Yeah, its amazing its got alot of Louisiana folks conflicted. Many are to the right of me on this issue but this blogger shares some sentiments that at the same time are in their minds at the same time. Ah Katrina and Rita changed everything here in certain areas. This guy in part shows the divided nature of the debate. Of course there is a whole sub issue about the people he is comparing to them too thats interesting, troublesome, too generalized, racially sensative , etc ,etc but you get the point. There are alot of sub issues going on here in different areas of the country.
http://mostlycajun.com/wordpress/?p=1762
You folks don’t make it easy…
I know, deep down inside, that the illegal immigration problem is not going to go away. It’s not going to get better. It’s going to have to be addressed, and the current bunch of politicians in Washington seem bent on whitewashing and ignoring the problem.
But I have trouble. Seems like the only Mexicans I see are working. Note this article. Yep, Louisiana had its own version of the same marches that took place all over the country
Thousands of Hispanics rally in New Orleans
5/1/2006, 4:25 p.m. CT
By JANET McCONNAUGHEY
The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Thousands of Hispanics carrying signs that said “Nobody is illegal” and “Proud to rebuild” took Monday off to join a national day of protest and boycotts to show their importance to the country and to the area devastated by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
It makes me really want to scream. You see, this ain’t like the “Million Man March” of a few years back. In this march, people actually left work to march.
Many placards, spray-painted through stencils over discarded campaign signs from a recent election, referred to the many Hispanics who have gutted and rebuilt flooded buildings in southeast Louisiana. One read, “We are not the problem. We are the solution.” The same slogans appeared in both English and Spanish: “Proud to rebuild” and “Orguilloso de Reconstruir.”
Yep! While a sizeable contingent of New Orleans residents languish on the government dole in cities around the country, we got THESE people in New Orleans doing the work.
While we have healthy, able-bodied young men fro New Orleans out on the streets of Houston selling drugs, we have the men and women of Mexico and Central and South America in New Orleans making the city work again.
Oscar Tejeda Sr., owner of Oscar’s Lawn Service, said he and his 12-man crew all were at the march.
“I gave them the day off to come here, not to stay home,” said Tejeda, 32.
He said his mother sacrificed to bring him illegally to the United States from Honduras when he was 11. He is now a citizen. He said about half of his work crew has green cards and he got a required tax number to pay taxes for the rest.
At least that’s a LEGAL living. Here’s some more…
At the Staybridge Suites, assistant manager Corey Roy said 10 to 15 of his 35 employees didn’t show up at the 182-room long-term residence hotel Monday morning. They had notified him of the rally beforehand, he said.
“We just shuffled some people around and got them in early to get the guests taken care of,” Roy said.
Victoria Ramon, a housekeeper at the Staybridge, said, “We want justice for Latin people. I’m a resident here, but many don’t have it. We need it, one and all.”
Those willing to speak about immigration status to a reporter, whether in English or through an interpreter, said they had green cards or were U.S. citizens
It’s hard, folks, damn hard, for me to get mad at people who want to WORK.
Yes, I know there are the normal leftist mooonbats among them, the MechA, the Aztlan bunch, the normal “hate America” hangers-on, but I still want to believe that the brown-skinned guys I see on worksites are a damn site better than a lot of full-blooded American trash that my tax dollars are freely spent to support.
I’m not saying that I want open borders. And I’m not saying that illegal immigrants don’t need to go back home and come back the right way. But I am saying that an awful lot of these people will make a fine addition to America… We just need to figure out how to make it happen…
Probably the sanest post in...weeks, at least.
I have often wished we could have a FReeper Readers ping list or something, since I am a writer and reader. I haven't watched TV regularly in nearly a decade, and when I think of all the books I wouldn't have read if I wasted my time on that stupid box, I realize I'm blessed!
As to your point about politics, yeah, it's amazing how the number of folks "disappointed" by "Jorge" are so loud, and yet so obviously out of it. The President has proven to be an honest man time and again, and his position today is what it was when we voted for him in 2000, like it or not. (I DON'T like it to a great extent, but unlike many around here, the man seems to be thinking about the reality of rounding up 12 million people in a nation this size, and the need for security ((which he has poured a lot of money into)), and the human cost to the families of illegals. It's just not such an easy call, realistically.)
Your rising above it all is a model I'm going to try to copy.
Have a great weekend, too! Attorney General Gonzalez assured the world yesterday that Bush wasn't really in favor of making English the national language. Could this be the Texas Two step?
When are the Criminal Aliens going home?
I have to admit, that's a great point.
Having said that, I just can't abide people who come here illegally, for many reasons that can't just be overlooked.
I do think Bush is realistic about the situation, though a little too soft in some areas for me. Many people aren't realistic about it at all; they are running on pure emotion, which is something I just can't stand.
Conservative voices were like cannon-fire whistling over the White House, and it's an ongoing battle the country can't afford to lose.
I have to admit I see your point. This past month I had enough .I just can't turn on talk radio very much. I use to listen to it all the time. In the office, in the car, at work , on the computer. Now I rediscovered how much I loved books on tape and wonder why I stopped listening to them. I discovered that I am not to last to know about a popular song my wife or my friends are talking about because I actually listen to more music.
I actually learned that watching 3 shows a night of cable news every night wasn't expanding my knowledge that much and spent more time with spouse cooking and read a
totally useless and meaningless book this week whose whole purpose was just enjoyment and "getting away".
Of course I am on the computer at 5:25 am so I am still not fully recovered lol
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