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Immigration Looms Large in Calif. Race (Busby(D) will lose Special Election)
The AP via ABC News ^ | June 2, 2006 | David Espo

Posted on 06/02/2006 5:44:35 PM PDT by new yorker 77

The Associated Press WASHINGTON - Immigration and its politically controversial cousin, amnesty, are co-starring in the closing act of a House race with national implications, a close and costly production in Republican-friendly San Diego.

In a conservative district roughly 30 miles from the Mexican border, Democrat Francine Busby is under attack from Republican Brian Bilbray and the House GOP, depicted as an advocate of amnesty for illegal immigrants.

"Busby even said she would protest making English our official language," says a GOP party ad. "Even worse, Busby opposes tougher visa regulations that would make it harder for terrorists to enter the country."

Busby is tied or slightly ahead in several recent polls after she and the Democrats fashioned a campaign around an anti-corruption theme the party hopes to ride to victory in this fall's midterm elections.

Its local appeal seems obvious in a race to succeed Republican Rep. Randy Cunningham, who resigned from Congress and went to jail for accepting bribes. And she routinely refers to her opponent, a former congressman, as "lobbyist Bilbray."

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is running an ad that says Bilbray has taken thousands of dollars from Cunningham and his co-conspirator in the bribery scandal, a reference to campaigns Bilbray ran while serving in the House in the 1990s.

Immigration plays a role in the Democratic campaign, as well.

"Even lobbyist Bilbray's conservative opponent stated that Bilbray failed to pass any laws to stop illegal immigration during his 12 years as a career politician and lobbyist," Busby claims in a radio ad that began running on Wednesday. She disputes advocating amnesty, and has used the words of Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona to buttress her case.

Whatever the outcome of Tuesday's vote, Democrats are already claiming victory.

"We've already shown that the message of change versus the status quo is especially salient, even in very Republican districts," said Bill Burton, a spokesman for the DCCC. The organization has spent nearly $2 million to win the seat.

It's a theme Democrats have vowed to use in races stretching from upstate New York to Columbus, Ohio, and Albuquerque, N.M., in their drive to win control of the House this fall. They need to gain 15 seats for a majority.

Carl Forti, a spokesman for the House GOP committee, said Republicans intend to base their campaign strategy on local issues. The party group has criticized Busby as a liberal prone to raising taxes, citing her record as a school board member.

"We've long maintained, change only works in a district where corruption has been a problem as it was in" the race to succeed Cunningham, countered Forti. "If that's a message Democrats intend to take in November, we're probably going to do very well."

As a measure of concern, the GOP campaign committee has spent nearly $4 million trying to retain the seat, an unprecedented amount made all the more striking given the Republican nature of the area. Cunningham dispatched Busby with ease in 2004, winning 58 percent of the vote, and President Bush won 55 percent en route to re-election.

Vice President Dick Cheney has been in to campaign and Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., met privately this spring with one of Bilbray's primary rivals, helping to persuade him to abandon a potential third-party race.

McCain, too, agreed to campaign for Bilbray, but he abruptly canceled a recently scheduled visit when Republican strategists decided it might cause Bilbray political problems. McCain, a strong draw for GOP voters, is also a leading supporter of legislation that recently passed the Senate. The bill combines enhanced border security with a guest worker program and a shot at citizenship for many of the illegal immigrants in the country.

Busby supports the bill, and even before the visit was canceled, stressed her position. McCain issued a written statement of support for Bilbray in place of his trip, sent him a check and is expected to record an endorsement message to be telephoned to thousands of voters in the district.

At the same time, Busby is hoping the presence of another rival will siphon off conservative votes that Bilbray needs and that immigration will be the Republican's undoing.

"Independent William Griffith is endorsed by the San Diego Minutemen and San Diego Border Alert because he opposes guest worker programs, amnesty and the hiring of illegal immigrants," she said in one recent ad.

Bilbray's Web Site calls for several steps related to immigration, including construction of a fence "from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico," and banning "illegal aliens from any access to Social Security benefits." It does not oppose a guest worker program and offers no plan for treatment of the estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants currently in the country.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Copyright © 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: aliens; bilbray; busby; electionushouse; immigrantlist
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1 posted on 06/02/2006 5:44:37 PM PDT by new yorker 77
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To: new yorker 77

http://bilbrayforcongress.com/


2 posted on 06/02/2006 5:46:59 PM PDT by soccer_maniac (Support www.MinutemanBorderFence.com)
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To: new yorker 77

I believe she even made the claim today at some rally that documentation wasn't needed for illegal aliens to vote - in spanish.


3 posted on 06/02/2006 5:50:08 PM PDT by WorkingClassFilth (Wisdom of the Leftist Tao, No.379: Women are men, men are children and children are adults.)
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To: WorkingClassFilth
I believe she even made the claim today at some rally that documentation wasn't needed for illegal aliens to vote - in spanish.

Last night at an Escondido Spanish only rally She was recorded by the MINUTEMEN and the tape is being played on KOGO in San Diego.

4 posted on 06/02/2006 5:53:58 PM PDT by ncountylee (Dead terrorists smell like victory)
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To: new yorker 77

Busby is running radio ads lambasting Bilbray for not wanting to 'reform' immigration, and implying that she's some kind of hardliner by she wants to get tough on illegal immigration via the McCain bill. That's like saying you'll get tough on criminals by making their crimes legal. Meanwhile she got taped at a rally with Hispanics in which at least one man said he didn't "have papers." She then tells him he can help her campaign and vote anyway.


5 posted on 06/02/2006 5:55:28 PM PDT by John Jorsett (scam never sleeps)
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To: ncountylee
Isn't this the same California in which the democrats brought in the illegal alien voter brigades to defeat B-1 Bob Dornan?? I think we should all be on the lookout for similar things from the 3CT democrats.
6 posted on 06/02/2006 5:57:05 PM PDT by MCCRon58 (Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who do neither, complain!)
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To: WorkingClassFilth

If she keeps doing that the GOP's open borders crowd will try to draft her and renounce Bilbray.


7 posted on 06/02/2006 5:58:22 PM PDT by Pelham (McGuestWorkerProgram- Soon to serve over 1 billion Americans)
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To: MCCRon58

One in the same.


8 posted on 06/02/2006 5:59:19 PM PDT by fantom
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To: new yorker 77
"""""She disputes advocating amnesty, and has used the words of Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona to buttress her case. """""


Doesn't it seem coincidental that John McCain seems to always be on the side of anything that weakens the US? (Campaign Finance {anti free speech}"Reform" , "Immigration Reform" etc,etc, ad nauseum)

Is it my overactive imagination, or is yon McCain appearing more and more like a 'Manchurian Senator'?
9 posted on 06/02/2006 6:02:09 PM PDT by MCCRon58 (Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who do neither, complain!)
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To: MCCRon58

It's not your imagination.


10 posted on 06/02/2006 6:04:48 PM PDT by Pelham (McGuestWorkerProgram- Soon to serve over 1 billion Americans)
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To: fantom

One can hear Busby, on www.rogerhedgecock.com he has an audio of her telling illegals they dont need papers to vote....


11 posted on 06/02/2006 6:06:41 PM PDT by JoanneSD
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To: new yorker 77
How do we get "Busby will lose Special Election" out of all this?

Please don't misunderstand me, I'm pulling for Bilbray. But I've been following this race on the web over the past couple of days and most recent polls either say it's close or Busby has the lead.

I'm hoping for good news in response here.
12 posted on 06/02/2006 6:20:23 PM PDT by StJacques
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To: StJacques

This one says the repub is two points ahead, essentially a tie.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/kgtv/20060603/lo_kgtv/9314986


13 posted on 06/02/2006 6:25:37 PM PDT by Shermy (Ronald Reagan was man enough to call an Amnesty an Amnesty.)
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To: JoanneSD

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1642545/posts?page=18#18

link is at post 16...I can't wait til that gets some coverage..no papers to help!


14 posted on 06/02/2006 6:28:02 PM PDT by rolling_stone
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To: new yorker 77

Bilbray will probably lose. Because Busby will get the illegal vote.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1642576/posts

And don't expect the GOP poohbahs to help Bilbray if he loses due to
election fraud (votes by illegals).
They didn't help "B-1" Bob Dornan when he lost thusly to Loretts Sanchez.


15 posted on 06/02/2006 6:31:16 PM PDT by VOA
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To: WorkingClassFilth

She did!!!! A Minuteman smuggled a tape into her meeting. I heard it played back on the radio this afternoon.


16 posted on 06/02/2006 6:38:18 PM PDT by stephenjohnbanker (If you got Sowell, you got Soul)
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To: Shermy

repub is two points ahead,

Its a Survey USA Poll. Favors Dims by about 5 to 7 points.


17 posted on 06/02/2006 6:41:11 PM PDT by ConservativeGreek
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To: new yorker 77; John Jorsett
Immigration and its politically controversial cousin, amnesty, are co-starring in the closing act of a House race with national implications, a close and costly production in Republican-friendly San Diego.

Okay, that is funny. LOL

At least it's a different way to open the usually snarky biased columns the AP puts out.

"Busby even said she would protest making English our official language," says a GOP party ad.

Lacking a conscience, the pro-open borders amnesty GOP funds an ad attacking a pro-open borders amnesty Democrat for being pro-open borders favorable towards amnesty and the loss of our distinct national culture and soveriegnty. Not attacking the ad....just the hypocrisy of the party funding the ad.

She disputes advocating amnesty, and has used the words of Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona to buttress her case.

LOL! I have tears in my eyes...laughing...so hard.

Whatever the outcome of Tuesday's vote, Democrats are already claiming victory.

Oh brother.

McCain, too, agreed to campaign for Bilbray, but he abruptly canceled a recently scheduled visit when Republican strategists decided it might cause Bilbray political problems.

Wait! Hold up...I'm confused? Didn't Dowd and the rest of the amnesty brigade tell us amnesty was, um, popular? That the House approach is a killer? Who are these renegade Republican stategists, then, that state otherwise? Paging M. Dowd!!!

McCain, a strong draw for GOP voters, is also a leading supporter of legislation that recently passed the Senate. The bill combines enhanced border security with a guest worker program and a shot at citizenship for many of the illegal immigrants in the country.

If McCain is such a favorite [sarcasm] of GOP voters, then shouldn't he be down there to encourage strong turnout? I don't know, something just doesn't seem to compute here! Dang 'nabbit if this yahoo can make heads or tails of this...

Unless it has something to do with McCain popping out in another Republican setting preaching amnesty, that Resulted in Cannon coming in second to Jacobs Resulting in an elective challenge in a few weeks. Why, if I didn't know better I'd guess the GOP is well aware amnesty is none too popular?

Meanwhile she got taped at a rally with Hispanics in which at least one man said he didn't "have papers." She then tells him he can help her campaign and vote anyway.

ROFL!!!

If it weren't for the fact he has a record strong on illegal immigration I'd say toss him based on his record on practically everything else, I've had my fill of Liberals, but I'm making an exception for the Liberal based on this one issue. It's too important. Elect Bilbray.

18 posted on 06/02/2006 6:45:46 PM PDT by Soul Seeker (Deport the United States Senate)
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To: Soul Seeker

""Whatever the outcome of Tuesday's vote, Democrats are already claiming victory.""

I second your "Oh Brother". A "victory" in the inability to knock off an opponent whose party predecessor was as scandalously corrupt as Cunningham?


19 posted on 06/02/2006 6:50:34 PM PDT by Shermy (Ronald Reagan was man enough to call an Amnesty an Amnesty.)
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To: Shermy
Thank you for the link Shermy. I might point out that I have been something of a "poll junkie" for years and I generally consider Survey USA polling to favor Democrats, so I regard those results as good news.

I also meant to say that the one thing I see that suggests to me that the Democratic strategists might see themselves in trouble in this race is their public statement "we've already proven . . ."

Once I see one side saying that "even if we lose we've still won," I tell myself that they're preparing to cushion the blow they expect on election day.
20 posted on 06/02/2006 6:52:10 PM PDT by StJacques
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