Former President Bill Clinton acknowledges the crowd before speaking at the National Council of La Raza annual conference Saturday, July 8, 2006, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)
Posted on 07/08/2006 1:51:23 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Former President Bill Clinton praised George W. Bush on Saturday for supporting reforms allowing millions of illegal immigrants to seek citizenship but argued the debate in Congress is being fomented by Republicans who want to divide America.
"I'm proud of him for doing it and I thanked him for doing it," he said of Bush during a "Cafe con Clinton" breakfast speech to the annual conference of the National Council of La Raza, the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights advocacy group.
Speaking to hundreds of attendees, Clinton said Bush's roots in Texas - which has one of the nation's largest Hispanic populations - have helped him view immigrants as people rather than statistics.
"It's hard to demonize people if you know them," he said.
But Clinton also argued that the nation's government is controlled by Republican ideological hard-liners who want to use immigration to divide Americans and distract them from issues such as the war in Iraq and the health care crisis.
Instead of equal opportunity, they support a "financial elite" because they favor "concentrated wealth and power," Clinton said.
"They believe in a government that is secret, unaccountable and that maximizes its own power," he said. "They really believe the world works better if they run it and we keep our mouths shut."
Clinton supported an immigration reform measure passed by the Senate that would provide a way for many of the estimated 12 million foreigners living in the country illegally to become citizens. A House-approved bill would make illegal immigrants felons and build 700 miles of border walls. House and Senate negotiators so far have not been able to work out a compromise bill.
Bush has said he wants to enforce the borders so fewer people sneak across but also provide a way for those already in the United States to become legal. He has praised Hispanic immigrants as hardworking and family oriented. Clinton used similar language in his own speech.
The message played well with La Raza, which opposes the House bill and whose current president, Janet Murguia, was an assistant in the Clinton White House.
Hispanics view the immigration issue as one of civil rights, said Carlos de los Ramos, a La Raza member who works for the Latin American Community Center in Wilmington, Del.
"This was the right issue to talk on," he said of Clinton. "The only thing you have to be is Latino to be discriminated against."
Before Clinton's speech, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa noted a string of rallies over the immigration issue, including one in March that sent 500,000 people into the streets of Los Angeles and garnered international attention.
"You literally reshaped the political landscape of our nation ... we can still see a movement blooming before our very eyes," he said.
In fact, both Democrats and Republicans have been looking for ways to court Hispanics, whose fast-growing population gives them the potential to become an enormous voting force. Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, was scheduled to address the convention on Tuesday.
Outside, a handful of protesters said they opposed the Senate bill, calling it a poor compromise.
I haven't had a thread pulled in a couple days.
Thanks!
:-)
Absolute proof that the Bush immigration plan is wrong.
Suspect the hildebeast gave bubba a real tongue-lashing when he got home that night. Giving the prez any type of credit is out of the norm for her and the rest of the demoncrazies.
Bwwhahahaha
42 can't stand to be ignored
We can stop right there. (BTW, read my tagline.)
Everyone's a victim.
Praise from a Clinton means nothing, less than nothing.
Former President Bill Clinton acknowledges the crowd before speaking at the National Council of La Raza annual conference Saturday, July 8, 2006, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa speaks at the NCLR annual conference prior to a speech by former President Bill Clinton Saturday, July 8, 2006, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)
Bill needs to meet some of the city folk who dont care who he is rather then the lineup of arse kissers .
We're not demonizing them. We just them to respect our laws and enter this country legally, on our terms, not theirs. This isn't a free-for-all.
Former President Bill Clinton speaks at the annual conference of the National Council of La Raza, Saturday, July 8, 2006, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)
Especially Dane, who's always telling us that going against Bush on this issue is like supporting Hillary.
This has nothing to do with them being Latino. It has everything to do with them being (mostly)Mexicans that came here illegally, and are working here illegally.
Mexican hometown groups wooed-Members urged to become U.S. citizens, vote for local politicians
LA Daily News | 7/8/06 | Rachel Uranga
Posted on 07/08/2006 10:49:39 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1662421/posts
Bill Clinton is proud of him ... sigh .... well, I don't know about Dubya but that sure would make my day. Imagine that ... Bill Clinton is proud of you ... Damn! Life is good!
His opinion...like it or not...is like The Godfather speaking.
Sorry to antagonize a lot of Freepers but you're committing political suicide with all your temper tantrums and whining.
I've said from the beginning that the bigger picture and health of the Republican Party depends on welcoming these immigrants that made it here.
Do you think Bloomberg was exaggerating when he suggested New York City would crumble without the illegal alien?
As far as the money supposedly lost treating these peoples' needs, the federal deficit number just published says it's about $300 Billion and shrinking.
How much has Katrina cost?
How much has the WOT cost?
I know my Freeper friends are not racist or bigots. They truly think our country is so precious and get insulted and take it personally when the illegal goes on the government teat in order to survive in the USA.
Well, obviously the government (and me...as a small business owner)disagree. Otherwise why are they spending the money on them and why are the law enforcement bureaus told not to enforce or ask questions?
As we travel into a global market and experience the change over from an industrial economy to a service economy, we'd be in a world of sh*t if not for the Hispanic illegal immigrant.
Bloomberg could have been speaking about a dozen cities...and surely the housing boom...and as of late, the rebuilding of Louisiana.
Dear Freepers. Get on board.
And be sure to stop over at the Freepathon thread before you log off. < wink >
Thank you for your time.
Boy, watta liar. How many people has Bill known quite well but still managed to demonize? The list is long, long, long.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.