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Tancredo stirs the pot again
Denver Post ^ | December 1, 2006

Posted on 12/01/2006 6:26:50 AM PST by Dane

Tancredo stirs the pot again Article Last Updated:11/30/2006 07:15:30 PM MST

Congressman Tom Tancredo, who has perfected the art of stirring up political storms, is reveling in controversy again. And, like a pig rolling in mud, he's loving every minute of it.

Not that we're calling him a pig, of course. But Florida Gov. Jeb Bush had another name for the Littleton Republican: "What a nut," the president's brother told reporters. "I'm just disappointed \[that\] he's a Republican. He doesn't represent my views."

Tancredo, who has been flirting with a presidential run and possibly a Senate bid, kicked open a hornet's nest again when he recently likened Miami to a "Third World country."

"You would never know you're in the United States of America," Tancredo told the website WorldNetDaily.com when asked about the effects of immigration. "You would certainly say you're in a Third World country."

His incendiary words do little to help address the very real problem of illegal immigration in this country. Instead, they merely sparked the obligatory verbal sparring, this time between the Republican governor who felt the need to defend his adopted hometown in a letter touting the city's declining crime rates, and Tancredo, who called him "naive."

Tancredo could play an important role in Congress on immigration reform should he choose to, but instead it seems like he just continues to use these fleeting moments of notoriety merely to stir up controversy.

"The debate reached a different level when \[Gov. Bush\] chose to respond, and that's good for me," Tancredo said. "I want this debate to go on."

Debate on an important topic is critical, but talk can't be the only goal. Americans want, and deserve, solutions for this complex issue.

Oversimplified rhetoric doesn't help, either. Miami is clearly not as bad as Tancredo makes it out to be (just because pockets of the community don't speak English doesn't make it "Third World"), but everything isn't as rosy as Gov. Bush would like us to believe. All big cities have crime and challenges.

Tancredo made his comments while in Palm Beach, Fla., for "Restoration Weekend," a conservative conference. This controversy probably won't help "restore" his party's national power. In fact, Republicans with an eye on last month's voting results likely will run from Tancredo and his remarks. Previous inroads made by Republicans with Hispanic voters shrank in November, and some observers believe it was a result of harsh, anti-illegal immigrant rhetoric coming from some GOP politicians.


TOPICS: Editorial; Government; Politics/Elections; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: aliens; immigrantlist; immigration; ingraham; johnconyers; lauraingraham; levin; limbaugh; marklevin; rushlimbaugh; tancredo; tancredo2008; tancredoimplosion; tomtancretin
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Congressman Tom Tancredo, who has perfected the art of stirring up political storms, is reveling in controversy again. And, like a pig rolling in mud, he's loving every minute of it.

I have to admit they hit the nail on the head with the above.

1 posted on 12/01/2006 6:26:52 AM PST by Dane
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To: Dane

"Congressman Tom Tancredo, who has perfected the art of stirring up political storms, is reveling in controversy again. And, like a pig rolling in mud, he's loving every minute of it."

Our national capitol needs more "pigs" of this sort.


2 posted on 12/01/2006 6:29:30 AM PST by RoadTest (God gave us a brain to process data - not to be a god.)
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To: RoadTest

He might even be the best statesman we have in
DC.


3 posted on 12/01/2006 6:31:22 AM PST by television is just wrong (Our sympathies are misguided with illegal aliens...)
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To: RoadTest

At least he didnt say "turd world".


4 posted on 12/01/2006 6:32:00 AM PST by Long Island Pete
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To: television is just wrong
He might even be the best statesman we have in DC.

Please, IMO, Ronald Reagan is shaking his head in shame at Tancredo's remarks.

5 posted on 12/01/2006 6:35:23 AM PST by Dane ("Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" Ronald Reagan, 1987)
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To: Long Island Pete

I will then, "Turd world". There, that about sums it up.


6 posted on 12/01/2006 6:37:08 AM PST by taxed2death (A few billion here, a few trillion there...we're all friends right?)
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To: television is just wrong
He might even be the best statesman we have in DC.

Insulting the residents of another city is not very statesmanlike.

7 posted on 12/01/2006 6:41:39 AM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: taxed2death

I think we need more like him throwing stink bombs at the rotten cities the dems run.


8 posted on 12/01/2006 6:42:43 AM PST by ClaireSolt (Have you have gotten mixed up in a mish-masher?)
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To: television is just wrong
Main Entry: states·man

Pronunciation: 'stAts-m&n
Function: noun
1 : one versed in the principles or art of government; especially : one actively engaged in conducting the business of a government or in shaping its policies
2 : one who exercises political leadership wisely and without narrow partisanship

The first definition could fit anyone. The Second definition most assuredly disqualifies Tancredo, especially the WISELY part.
9 posted on 12/01/2006 6:44:38 AM PST by MikefromOhio (Prayers for my cousin Jeff and his family.)
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To: ClaireSolt
I think we need more like him throwing stink bombs at the rotten cities the dems run.

Get back to me when he throws a stink bomb at a real socialist hellhole, Detroit.

Whoops, wait a minute Detroit doesn't have that many Spanish speakers, Tancredo will be silent on that, IMO.

10 posted on 12/01/2006 6:45:15 AM PST by Dane ("Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" Ronald Reagan, 1987)
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To: 1rudeboy

I see it all the time right here at FR. San Fransisco, Seattle, Detroit, New Orleans....


11 posted on 12/01/2006 6:45:20 AM PST by cripplecreek (If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?)
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To: Dane
Previous inroads made by Republicans with Hispanic voters shrank in November, and some observers believe it was a result of harsh, anti-illegal immigrant rhetoric coming from some GOP politicians. As long as a large % of hispanics are the legal children of illegals we will never make any gains in the Hispanic community. The reason they are coming to this country is for free stuff. Will they be more inclined to vote for a small government tax cutter or a big government spender.
12 posted on 12/01/2006 6:46:53 AM PST by nitzy (America is a nation not an economy)
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To: cripplecreek

So do I. Doesn't make those Freepers statesmen (or women), either.


13 posted on 12/01/2006 6:46:57 AM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: 1rudeboy

You're absolutely right in saying that it's not very Statesman like or P.C., however it is the absolute truth of the matter and that's coming from someone that left Florida just for reasons like this. Miami is just like a Turd world country and i'm one American that is just as fed up with it as Tancredo.


14 posted on 12/01/2006 6:47:21 AM PST by HELLRAISER II (Give us another tax break Mr. President; Kick out the illegal aliens & worry about Americans.)
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To: Dane

It's now controversial when you tell the truth.


15 posted on 12/01/2006 6:47:21 AM PST by BnBlFlag (Deo Vindice/Semper Fidelis "Ya gotta saddle up your boys; Ya gotta draw a hard line")
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To: Dane
Gee, I like Tom.

I would reckon that you could take any number of Freepers (myself included), blindfold them, then drop them into some Miami neighborhoods and pull the blindfold off. Until someone actually _told them_ they were in Miami, they, too, might think "third world country"....

Certainly not the ol' U. S. of A. ...

- John

16 posted on 12/01/2006 6:48:38 AM PST by Fishrrman
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To: ClaireSolt
Detorit Mayor: Kwame Kilpatrick

Where is Tancredo's criticism of Detroit?

17 posted on 12/01/2006 6:48:38 AM PST by Dane ("Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" Ronald Reagan, 1987)
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To: MikefromOhio

I suppose pandering fits better. Most of congress, senate, and the white house spending their time pandering to special interest, and foreign governments.


18 posted on 12/01/2006 6:54:27 AM PST by television is just wrong (Our sympathies are misguided with illegal aliens...)
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To: HELLRAISER II
I agree with you. I live in Orlando and it's rapidly becoming the same as Miami with all the run up in third world population here.
I've come to believe Jeb Bush is nothing but the big government nanny that his brother and father are.
I'll never vote for another Bush again; I'm ashamed to say that I voted for them every time one ran for president. Never again though.
19 posted on 12/01/2006 6:54:29 AM PST by fox martyr son
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To: Fishrrman
But that's the point. Rep. Tancredo (R-pig) did not call "some" of Miami a "Third World Country." Had he done so, he probably would've have had to do the same for his own district.
20 posted on 12/01/2006 6:54:47 AM PST by 1rudeboy
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