Clinton praises Bush on immigration reform

Yahoo News ^ | 07/08/06 | By ROBERT JABLON, Associated Press Writer

[garbageseeker]

LOS ANGELES - Former President Bill Clinton praised President Bush on Saturday for supporting reforms that would allow millions of illegal immigrants to seek citizenship but said 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

[garbageseeker]

In Southern California, they are mainly out in the suburbs.

[garbageseeker]

Karl Rove is special adviser to Governor Arnold.

[Arizona Carolyn]

Really, Citgo is in Southern California now? I grew up there and I swear I don't remember seeing Citgo... mostly Union 76, Chevron, Mobil, etc..

[garbageseeker]

Yeah they are here. The gasoline is lousy though.

[Arizona Carolyn]

When did that happen? I thought Arnold was keeping his distance from the WH?

[Arizona Carolyn]

I read on here, a month or so ago, that Hugo is having trouble meeting his delivery obligations and was buying fuel from Russia to meet his demands... also that he had basically chased off all his experienced engineers and the one's there are ruining the existing wells.

[garbageseeker]

This is from the NCLR web site speakers list:

Tuesday, July 11 Tuesday Luncheon Location: West Hall B Time: 12:30-2:30 p.m. Terry Boike, Director Retail Mortgage Sales, E*TRADE Financial Janet Murguía, President and CEO, National Council of La Raza Karl Rove, Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the President Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, R-CA (Invited)

Apparently, the Governor is not keeping his distance from the White House but embracing it.

[garbageseeker]

Really, I did not know that.

[Mo1]

Clinton is so full of crap

He's also more then obvious with this so called praise of Bush

[Arizona Carolyn]

Looks like.

[garbageseeker]

LOL. Thats true.

[texastoo]

It looks like the Bush's and the Clinton's are "best buds".

[garbageseeker]

The Republican Party spent 10 years and millions of dollars of getting rid of Bill Clinton.Now Bush and Clinton are best friends? It can't be happening.

[garbageseeker]

This whole thing reminds me of the Twilight Zone.

[Arizona Carolyn]

Yep, I was a suprised. I wonder how much it has to do with ineptitude rather than depletion of reserves? Here is the link:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1626393/posts

You want the hair to stand up on your neck: Keyword Hugo Chavez or Venezuela and just read the titles of the articles and the synopsis... I don't think we are paying enough attention to the formation of ties between Venezela, Iran, NK, Russia and China.

[garbageseeker]

Thank you. I agree, Venezuela is a huge problem. Venezuela is funneling money to every leftist organization in the world including an organization like La Raza. I also agree that these countries are linking together and forming alliances.

[Mia T]

 

by Mia T, 04.12.06

"I am, you know, adamantly against illegal immigrants. Certainly we've gotta do more at our borders and people have to stop employing illegal immigrants."

HEAR hillary clinton pander to the opponents of illegal 'immigration'

 

"The faces of the people who care for our children and our elderly. The faces of the people who do the hard work of contruction and landscaping. The faces of people who wait on us in restaurants and clean up after us in hotel rooms. The faces of those who give us a good day's work and often not for a fair day's pay."

HEAR hillary clinton pander to the illegal 'immigrants'

READ MORE

[garbageseeker]

I would not be surprised whatsoever, that Chavez is funneling money into La Raza. How can the afford all the things like their lobbying state and federal officials and other programs they promote. I would love to audit their books.

[garbageseeker]

Bump that. I have not heard from you. How are you doing.

[scott7278]

"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."

This, ladies and gentlemen, is a very good example of projection.