Posted on 08/22/2006 4:03:04 PM PDT by Dane
Senator Jokes About House Painter Montana Republican calls his house painter 'nice little Guatemalan man'
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2006 By By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WriterAssociated Press Writer
Associated Press Writer (AP) Republican Sen. Conrad Burns, whose re-election campaign is pressing for tighter immigration controls, referred to his house painter as "a nice little Guatemalan man" and suggested that worker as well as employees of a roofing company he hired might be in the country illegally.
"The other day, the little fella who does our maintenance work around the house, he's from Guatemala, and I said, 'Could I see your green card?'" Burns said at a June meeting recorded by Democrats. "And Hugo says, 'No.' I said, 'Oh gosh.'"
Burns spokesman Jason Klindt said the worker, Hugo Reyes, is legally in the United States, owns a painting company and the senator "never had any doubt" that Reyes is a legal resident.
"He was telling an anecdotal story about a time he took the extra step to make sure a worker was legal," Klindt said.
Burns, who voted against a Senate bill this year that would have offered millions of illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship, also joked about the issue at a debate against his Democratic opponent, Jon Tester, earlier this year.
Burns said he was on the phone with his contractor when he saw an interview with an illegal immigrant on television. The immigrant said he was a roofer and was headed north.
"So I told my roofer, you better go out and get your help," Burns said. "Or you won't get my house roofed."
Burns' comments come on the heels of controversial remarks by Republican Sen. George Allen of Virginia, who called a Democratic staffer of Indian descent "Macaca." Indian-American groups and others criticized Allen for his racially insensitive comments after a video was posted on the Internet.
A staffer for Allen's opponent, Democrat James Webb, caught that incident on tape. Likewise, Montana Democrats have been filming Burns as he campaigns across the state. In a video released by the Tester campaign this week, Burns is seen interrupting his own stump speech at a campaign event to take a cell phone call and then appears to speak to the painter.
"Hugo is a nice little Guatemalan man who is doing some painting for me ... in Virginia," Burns told the audience, to laughter, after hanging up on the call. "No, he's terrific, love him."
That event was Aug. 15, according to the Tester campaign. In audio tape from a June meeting also released by the Democrats, Burns is heard recounting the conversation in which he asked Reyes for his green card.
Matt McKenna, a spokesman for the Tester campaign, said that meeting was held at the headquarters of Family Service Inc., a Billings, Mont., charity for low-income families. The Democrats' videographer, Kevin O'Brien, sat in on the meeting and recorded it.
Conservatives and advocates for stricter immigration control said Burns crossed a line with his comments, even if they were said in jest.
"A U.S. senator hiring illegal immigrants is not a joke," said Michael Dougherty of The American Cause, a conservative group founded by Pat Buchanan that supports strict immigration controls. "He could easily dispirit his voting base."
"If you have the very people who are responsible for making the laws mocking them, it's a pretty good indication of why we have 12 million people breaking the law," said Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for Federation for American Immigration Reform. An estimated 12 million illegal immigrants live in the United States.
Efforts to reach Reyes were unsuccessful. Klindt said he has been in the country for 30 years. He said the Democrats are "desperate" to take the focus off other campaign issues.
Burns has used the issue of immigration in a campaign ad.
"Burns votes against amnesty," the ad announcer says, referring to the Senate bill. "It gives illegals Social Security and tuition with your taxes."
Burns, 71, has had to apologize in the past for controversial comments.
In July, he confronted members of a firefighting team at the Billings airport and told them they had done a "piss-poor job," according to a state report. The Hotshot crew had traveled 2,000 miles from Staunton, Va., to help dig fire lines for about a week around a 143-square-mile wildfire east of Billings.
The crew was awaiting flights home when Burns made his comments. The senator, who has a house in Billings, said he was expressing the frustration of ranchers who were critical of the way the fire was handled. He later apologized.
In 1999, Burns issued a written apology after referring to Arabs as "rag heads" during a speech while commenting on oil prices.
"If you have the very people who are responsible for making the laws mocking them, it's a pretty good indication of why we have 12 million people breaking the law," said Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for Federation for American Immigration Reform. An estimated 12 million illegal immigrants live in the United States.
Well, well a Pat Buchanan supporter giving the liberal media soundbites against a conservative.
BTW, Mr. Dougherty, how about your hero Pat driving a German built Mercedes, while he was railing against foreign made cars.
Can someone say hypocrisy.
PING
I dont get it? Whats the controversy.. Burns was telling an anecdotal story... Hugo Reyes is in the country legally, a respectable business owner by all accounts... whats the story here... ?
I think the article says the worker is legal. they are criticizing Burns purely for the jokes and reference to the guy's background.
Something I don't get - how someone who knows everyone he speaks to is remembering what he says,and how he says it.
Doesn't he know that he can't go to the john without the press knowing it?
We need every senator we can hold on to. But I think we can write of this one.
I previewed my response, but still left "of" instead of "off".
'Think I am losing it.
So, in other words, the Democrats offer up nothing of substance to debate in the arena of ideas. Par for the course.
My goodness.
It's reassuring to know that the Democrats would never engage in the Politics of Personal Destruction.
Oh wait --- nevermind.
A Senator who sells out his country and mocks citizenship and legal entry is no conservative.
Senator jokes about house painter.
So what?
Are we to end humor in this country?
As for me, humor transcends PC nonsense.
Putting words in his mouth are we?
Oh yeah I forgot, tancredo was to busy bloviating in DC than to actually know who was buidling his basement home theater at his Colorado home, nevermind.
Well, he called him a Guatemalan and not a Maccarena Monkey and the press is pissed that this story will have ZERO legs.
Now folks are questioning the conservative bona fides of Conrad Burns? Looks like some folks have entirely too much time on their hands.
Which is so hypocritical of the dimos, surprise, surprise.
How is this any different from Plugs Biden's "joke" about East Indian accents, Dunkin Donut and 7-Eleven stores?
Democrats are totally despicable in every way and Republicans are just plain dumb in letting themselves be crucified for their stupid jokes and then letting dimos just skate free on their equally stupid jokes. Ugh!
Buchanan isn't just laying the turds anymore, now he is stirring them.
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