Posted on 09/12/2006 6:41:25 PM PDT by VU4G10
WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans on Tuesday distanced themselves from campaign activities that encourage college students to "Catch an Illegal Immigrant" and shoot cardboard cutouts of leading Democrats with a BB gun or paintball gun.
Democratic Chairman Howard Dean said in a letter to his Republican counterpart, Ken Mehlman, on Tuesday that such activities, reportedly put together by a GOP college organizer, "can only be described as divisive, potentially dangerous and discriminatory."
The Republican National Committee said it had no connection with Morgan Wilkins, the woman accused of organizing the offbeat campaign activities at the University of Michigan. RNC spokesman Brian Jones said "the woman has no affiliation with the Republican National Committee, and we certainly condemn this kind of behavior. It's offensive and there's no place for it." He said news reports she was hired by the RNC are incorrect.
Paul Gourley, chair of the College Republican National Committee, said Wilkins is an independent contractor hired to recruit students to the GOP, but he said the reported activities were not authorized. Wilkins declined to comment Tuesday night.
The events were reported by the University of Michigan newspaper, The Michigan Daily.
The "Catch an Illegal Immigrant" event reportedly allows participants to win prizes for catching others posing as illegal immigrants and a "Fun with Guns" event allows people to shoot cardboard cutouts of top Democrats such as Sens. Hillary Clinton and John Kerry with a BB gun or paintball gun, the newspaper reported.
Dean cited several news reports that college Republicans on other campuses were involved in events like "Catch an Illegal Immigrant.
"As chairman of America's two major political parties, we have a responsibility to elevate the political discourse in America," Dean wrote to Mehlman.
Mehlman, who has been trying to recruit more minorities into the GOP, wrote back: "I wholeheartedly agree with you that the activities you cite in your letter are reprehensible."
Mehlman said Dean's call for less divisive rhetoric was ironic, citing the Democratic chairman's earlier comments that Republicans are "a white Christian Party," and "I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for."
I'm with them on this. It's this kind of childish crap that makes it easy for the left to smear all anti-illegal immigration voters.
The Republican Party flat-out just don't know how to play the game.
The "Catch an Illegal Immigrant" event reportedly allows participants to win prizes for catching others posing as illegal immigrants and a "Fun with Guns" event allows people to shoot cardboard cutouts of top Democrats such as Sens. Hillary Clinton and John Kerry with a BB gun or paintball gun, the newspaper reported.
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Certainly better ideas than come out of GOP headquarters...but be careful. Hitlery shoots back...just ask Vince Foster...
Perhaps we might interest the federal government in sponsoring this innovative new program, especially since they have so convincingly demonstrated their total inability to enforce this nation's immigration laws.
It's all about getting the RNC to apologize. That's all it is. This is the Dim's secret wrestling move that knocks the GOP flat. Get Republicans to apologize, so they'll be weaker in the eyes of their supporters. Dean doesn't care about the feelings of those hurt, it's about weakening the Republicans.
It's very easy. The Republican party wants to cut loose of the constitutional law and order type conservatives. Those types tend to demand things from time to time like laws being enforced. Hence the catch the illegal immigrant followed by a denial.
The other part is gun control. Which may or may not become a plank of the Republican party. Just like democrats it's whatever they think they can get away with.
George Washington had all political parties pegged.
...especially since they have so convincingly demonstrated their total inability to enforce this nation's immigration laws.
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Yes, a clear legal double-standard, when it comes to Washington politicians. There is a set of laws for those that are perceived as having critical votes and campaign contributions --- then there are the laws for the rest of America's REAL citizens...the duplicity and arrogant hypocrisy of Washington is killing this country that was once a Constitutional republic.
One more of the many reasons the Second American Revolution is coming.
I agree. Political parties, the willingness of the population to sacrifice liberty and privacy for some vacuous promise of safety, and voting ourselves funding from the public till are the greatest dangers to our Liberty and our Nation! If all the mad mohammeds in the world were armed with nukes, they can't hold a candle to the combined effects of these threats.
LOL!
Well, minorities really do support typical GOP values. They are religous, socially conservative, believe in self-reliance, believe in the strong family. And demographically speaking, they are growing faster than the white population. And this type of sh*t scares the hell out of them.
The problem for the GOP is they refuse to take a short term loss for a long term gain. We are a little to accomodating to the neo-confederates in our party. And when we have them, anything we do will look like anti-Affirmative Action, anti-Civil Rights, enforcement of immigration laws, it colors their perspectives of us.
When our leaders say there is no racism, but a Black stockbroker making 250K a year can't get a cab to the UWS, or it never seems like an innocent white guy gets gunned down by police, it makes us look foolish.
If we don't do something, we are going to be a minority party forever.
No doubt then, the dems would condemn a full length movie featuring the assassination of Pres. Bush.
And they think it's a great achievement as well, while African Americans have issues with America, they still think it's the greatest country in the world. But that doesn't mean we can still improve.
But the problem is we define Affrimative Action, minority scholarships as a "handout." The successful Black stockbroker knows either himself, his parents or grandparents were able to gain their position in life because of Equal Opportunity laws and Affrimative Action.
What many on the right seem to think is AA is a guarantee to success, African Americans see that as an opportunity to success.
They vote Democratic because we don't treat them with respect.
Minorities are to Democrats, what Christians are to Republicans. They stay in place not because of performance or ideas, but because the parties give voice to small groups that scare the hell out of them.
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