Posted on 06/21/2006 6:02:26 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sharply criticized House Republican leaders Wednesday for calling summer hearings on a proposed immigration overhaul before trying to compromise with the Senate.
The Republican governor said public forums across the country were unnecessary because "we know what the facts are."
"It would be inexcusable, it would be ludicrous for them to say, 'Well, we can't work it out,'" Schwarzenegger said after a helicopter ride along the Mexican border to see where National Guard troops will soon be deployed. "That's their job - to work it out."
His remarks highlighted divisions among Republicans on how to tackle the most sweeping immigration reforms in two decades. House Republicans said Tuesday that they wanted to hold a round of public hearings that may delay negotiations with the Senate until the fall, just as November's congressional elections approach.
Schwarzenegger called for more secure borders and "a legal way" for Mexicans to work in the United States.
"I think everyone in the United States is expecting immigration reform," he said.
Schwarzenegger addressed reporters on a dirt road used by the Border Patrol after a 22-minute flight that extended from the Pacific Ocean to the mountains east of San Diego.
The governor initially resisted President Bush's plans to send up to 6,000 National Guard troops to four southern border states, but he relented after a 17-day standoff with the White House.
Schwarzenegger said Wednesday that he was reassured after the federal government promised to withdraw troops by the end of 2008, pay the full cost of their deployment and extend rotations beyond two weeks. A "majority" of Guardsmen will serve between six months and a year on the border.
According to the Guard, 235 troops have already arrived on California's southern border to prepare for their new assignments. About 200 troops are expected to arrive every week until their numbers reach 1,000 to 1,200 by the end of July.
Troops from the Pacific Ocean to the Arizona state line will observe the border for illegal activity and notify the Border Patrol if they see anything, said Guard Col. Kevin Ellsworth. The Guard will not make any arrests. Troops will carry weapons in self-defense if they are considered to be threatened.
Schwarzenegger was briefed by Border Patrol officials before flying in a National Guard Blackhawk helicopter over dusty trails used by migrants and inspecting a 15-foot steel fence that has dramatically reduced illegal border crossings in the San Diego area.
The trip "reinforced my belief that the federal government has to do much more to secure our borders," he said.
Will somebody please take away his White Flag?
All of these "compromises" are gonna kill this state and country.
Actually I think he wants a gutted HR 4437, that's been morphed into the Senate bill, passed. I think the Pubies are fearful that if they push forward on this, that enough spineless pubies will back portions of the Senate bill, that they'll wind up with a disaster on their hands. I think they're probably right, if that is what they are thinking.
The House must be on the right track if the Terminator is criticizing them.
The story says the national guard will keep their arms for self defense.
"That's what he meant, innit?"
Could be, but then he would be misunderstanding the purpose. The purpose of the review of the Senate bill in public by the House is a tactic to get the public to consider all the issues raised by the Senate Bill.
Exactly the thing the Senate bill supporters don't want.
Interestingly Schw. has, apparently, hired the same pollster who was working with the WH and feeding the press scare polls showing support for Amnesty.
schwarzzie baby....this is the gig...see you beat angelides,
, then McClintock wins, and after a year more of kowtowing
to the spendoholic/soft on crime/demagogue to the poor/ dems
you resign for health reasons, and let McClintock run the
show for a while...couldn't be a bad idea, the other possibilities
are much worse...
huh....you have a plan?
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I read months back he was hired to help run Arnold's re-election campaign. At the time I didn't have a problem with it, though some did because Arnold's liberal. I don't really think most of these high level campaign workers have strong ideological leanings anyway, and if they do, most tend to lean Liberal. They simply care about getting their candidate elected and getting their paycheck.
That was back before Dowd started circulating propaganda in a desperate attempt to push amnesty. I still don't care that he's working for Arnold, but my opinion of him has fallen very low. Spinning facts to advantage your candidate is one thing, I don't expect them to publish the facts that don't favor their candidate. That's for the opposition to do.
But pushing statistics you manipulated to sell a lie that you have the public's support? To attempt to mislead their representatives and the public themselves by making them think they are the oddball so they'll jump onboard? There is no integrity in that at all. Sure, it's politics, but it's sleazy politics and I want no part of it.
IMO, Arnold just doesn't want to have to take a stand on illegal immigration in a Dem state in an election year. The more the House travels the country making every provision known, the harder it will be to avoid. Like most Liberals he probably doesn't understand rank and file Libs don't like illegal immigration either. Even though the issue DID result in his first election.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, steeling for a tough 2006 campaign, has tapped another top White House veteran to join his re-election drive -- hiring Matthew Dowd, a lead architect of the Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign to be his chief campaign strategist, sources said Wednesday.
The addition of Dowd, a confidant of top White House aide Karl Rove, Bush's former chief pollster and a former senior adviser to the Republican National Committee, is expected to be announced shortly. The GOP strategist heads ViaNovo, a management and communications firm in Austin, Texas.
And
........Dowd is a former Democratic operative who spent considerable time in 1992 in San Francisco assisting the state coordinating campaign for then-Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton. That California effort was headed by Susan Kennedy, a Democratic activist who went on to become a top Davis aide -- and recently was hired by Schwarzenegger as his chief of staff.
I think it's probably his new campaign team that is influencing him, including ex-Dem Matthew Dowd who spent the last five years working for Bush trying to push the not-an-amnesty Amnesty plan. There is a bunch of info on Dowd posted on this thread. (See posts 18, 44, 50, and 54).
But, you were pretty close. Dowd worked on Clinton's 1992 Campaign with Susan Kennedy.
Ping to above. There's some more stuff on the linked thread regarding Dowd.
Bingo!
""Agreed. Misunderestimating Hastert looks like a bad idea right now, and the fireworks show should be great!""
I've been following this closely so I am right...for what that's worth. :)
""As for Arnold and his new consul ant, well, I hope he doesn't start believing his own propaganda.""
What he says on one day, or any pol, can't be held against him too much. But there is an elite white fear that if they are firm on immigration they will lose the "Hispanic" vote. From my experience that fear is a little well founded for some if the debate is framed as being about "hispanics" and not illegals from all nations like China, Saudi, etc. That's a little hard to do with both Fox and Bush pushing the Mexican angle.
The Senate proposal and the worse to come in the future are biased against supposedly "unskilled" labor which disproportionately would effect Blacks and Hispanic citizens and legal residents. So in effect the Senate bill is "racist."
That's a cozy little coterie. But the lady might be good staff for him despite the different registration.
Arnie send the NG lots of live ammo.
More interesting than the party-love-in is whether Vianovo is lobbying for Mexican interests. Great find. Know anything more about them?
¡Sí, Se Puede! ...baby.
There are already several guest worker programs and legal ways to immigrate. The problem is millions of Mexicans have chosen the illegal way and so have their employers. We Americans want the law enforced.
Interesting, Dowd never worked for a true conservative but has gone as liberal as Feinstein.
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