Posted on 06/08/2006 10:34:34 AM PDT by NapkinUser
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO), Chairman of the House Immigration Reform Caucus, welcomed Representative-Elect Brian Bilbray (R-CA) to the IRC as its 98th member. Bilbray won a special election yesterday in California’s 50th district, spanning San Diego’s northern suburbs.
“Brian has long been a strong advocate of secure borders and tough enforcement of immigration laws. As a former Member and a spokesperson for a non-profit reform group, Brian has worked with me on immigration and I know he’ll be a tremendous asset to my party as we try to block the Senate’s amnesty pact,” said Tancredo.
Bilbray ran primarily on border security. During the campaign, he promised to fight against amnesty for illegal aliens while adding personnel and infrastructure to the border. His opponent endorsed the McCain-Kennedy bill which gives blanket amnesty to illegal aliens, includes only token border security, and has a guest worker plan that ratchets up over several years.
“San Diegans sent a message loud and clear to beltway backers of amnesty: you don’t represent us. Brian had to weather a perfect storm—a sour national mood towards Republicans, and a district that is the perfect testing ground for the Democrats so-called ‘culture of corruption’ message. But a tough stand on immigration carried the day,” said Tancredo.
George Allen is a "virtual fence" kinda guy.
When begs the question for the Tancredo Fan Club -
What issues are they willing to trade in for secure borders?
Pete Wilson and Bilbray won their elections on pro-brder security while being liberal on social issues. It seems that the formula for GOP success would be to use the illegal immigration to appeal to conservatives and support gun control, gay rights, and abortion on demand to woo suburban soccer moms.
The NJ Senate race this year will test this theory.
I agree. I've posed the same question to many of my friends in the border security movement.
Many need to realize that the internal threats to our free republic and our Constitution are as real, and more dangerous, than the very real and very dangerous external threats we face.
Let's hope the rest of Congress has been paying attention to this race. IF they're not, it will be a disaster for the GOP!!
Bilbray ran against illegal immigration. He ran to the right of the usual congrssional campaign. The fact that some people didn't believe him or threw a fit and voted third party means nothing. Busby ran commercials supporting the McCain senate abomination and encouraging people to vote for the independent candidate. Busby tried to embrace McCain.
If you think Bilbray's win is a victory for "open borders," you are seriously mistaken.
LOL! No one ever claimed it was a victory for open borders.
There were several conservatives running. but they all split the vote to enable Bilbray to make the run-off with 15% of the vote.
There was a third party type. Both he and Bilbray pretty much used illegal immigration as their core issues and even that turned into kind of a food fight. The minutemen, and some of Tancredo's followers, ended up endorsing the third party opponent because they didn't think Bilbray was strong enough on immigration.
Me, I want closed borders and I don't want a Mexico, Canada, USA Union like the EU. I'm thrilled Bilbray won and find Tancredo winning the straw poll very interesting, too.
LOL! I'd ask how people like you can get lobbying for open borders out of these comments but I'm afraid the tortured answer would be far too hilarious and I'd hurt myself laughing.
Wrong. Pence's plan includes passage of HR 4437 along with a limited guest-worker provision THE SAME ONE THAT TANCREDO SUPPORTED IN HIS OWN PLAN
Congratulate me. In the next several months I will be moving to a small Indiana town and will have a new Congressman...Mike Pence. That man is going places.
I wouldn't term myself a Tancredo Republian, though on this issue we're clearly more in sync then I am with the administration.
Here's the problem.
If that Senate proposal or anything near it passes, conservatism in other aspects is dead politically. People can claim Mexicans are more socially conservative, but those here illegally or given entrance easily from socialist countries will vote Democrat. 20-100 new votes for Democrats. And elected Democrats will not vote for social conservative policies, anymore then they do now even though blacks support social conservatism.
Yes, Bilbray is more Liberal on other issues then I like. But at this point in time he's the lesser threat to conservatism by far by coming out strongly in favor of our borders. Once they are secured, the dynamics of this calculation change. And, I certainly don't think he's beyond challenge two years from now from someone who's conservative on Borders AND in other areas.
For now, immigration has shot to the number one spot on my list above Iraq/WOT and judges. Both of which are jeopardized if the Democrats new flood of vistors are legalized.
Yes, Allen seems like the kind of guy who, when pressured, will support the conservative position, but I prefer someone whose natural instinct and philosophical underpinnings are conservative. They will be less likely to desert us in difficult times. Once those guys are President, or Supreme Court justices, they become free to go with what they want, and are less subject to the pressure.
Yep.
I'm fearful Mike that you have your head up and locked.
The anger from conservatives, in the case at hand, is not directed at 43. It's directed at 43's misguided policies on illegal immigration.
Many of 43's policies and actions have received high praise from conservatives. He has also employed some bonehead strategies and followed several winding paths off the reservation which has earned these meanderings deserved condemnation.
The left, on the other hand, is driven by personal hatred, with little regard to policy or outcome.
So everyone who join's Tancredo's House immigration caucus has marginalized themselves and is a political "joke", eh? All 98 of 'em, right? Henry Hyde, yeah, perfect example of a little known, fringe wacko, right? Not to mention Ernest Istook, Candice Miller, Dan Burton, Sue Myrick, Eric Cantor, Charlie Norwood, Butch Otter, Howard Coble, Ron Paul, Mike Pence, Chip Pickering, Dana Rohrabacher, Randy Forbes, Jean Schmidt, Pete Sessions, John Shadegg, Virgil Goode, Ralph Hall, J.D. Hayworth, Pete Hoekstra... ALL a bunch of nobody's in Congress who threw their careers away by joining Tancredo's caucus.
I don't know what you're smoking, but I bet you got it in Meijco!
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