Why anti-immigration conservatives fell flat in 2006

Reason magazine ^ | February 2007 | David Weigel

[EnochPowellWasRight]

"The party is abandoning the fiscal conservatives for the cultural conservatives. "

Actually, it is abandoning both.

[Ben Ficklin]

"it is abandoning both"

Not hardly.

The problem is that no matter how much you give to, or compromise with, a cultural conservative, it is never enough.

[bray]

There are bigger issues than immigration to most voters but not to the Bomb Bunker Conservatives. Some of us Conservatives are not afraid of Guest Worker Programs.

Immigration is not important enough to divide the Party.

Pray for W and Our Troops

[EnochPowellWasRight]

"President Bush is CiC."

Of the Armed Forces only, within legal restrictions. He is not also the Commander in Chief of the citizens of the United States in their public lives. We don't have kings, you know.

"If you voted for him, then he still deserves your support. "

Oh, come on. What choice did we have in 2000 or 2004? You think voting against Gore and Kerry means I have to support everything the man does no matter what the result will be?

If the President gets his amnesty, the GOP will NEVER HOLD A MAJORITY AGAIN. I will NOT support the President in that endeavor. Sorry, but I will not be a "good German" and go along with the Party bosses.

He deserves my support when he earns it back.

"If you didn't vote for him, then show some respect for the office."

I do show respect for the office. That's why I refer to him properly without cute names. I referred to Clinton properly when he was President, as much as I despised the man. Did you? Salute the rank, if not the man.

"Support them if you wish; they're bigots too."

This line or argument is straight from your fellow traveler's playbook, liberal.

[EnochPowellWasRight]

"Not hardly. "

All they've done on the "culture" front is pander a little right before elections.

Sorry, I don't buy it.

"The problem is that no matter how much you give to, or compromise with, a cultural conservative, it is never enough."

Do you define border security and immigration controls as "cultural issues"? Regardless, this party has ignored FISCAL conservatives for years.

[harrowup]

If you don't understand just how vile a bigot Enoch Powell was then you don't understand the meaning.

[EnochPowellWasRight]

"Some of us Conservatives are not afraid of Guest Worker Programs. "

However, some (not you, apparently) are aware of the effects of the last amnesty and have seen the result of large "guest worker programs" in places like Germany.

I think some here who claim to be "conservatives", define that as whatever a Republican politician wants.

"Immigration is not important enough to divide the Party. "

Importing 50 million new Democrats and CONTINUING to leave our borders undefended against terrorists won't "divide" the party, it will destroy it. Sometimes I wonder if that's what your side in this argument is about.

[nwrep]

I think he is right. Immigration fanatics like Michael Savage and the ones mentioned here were in for a rude awakening.

[jerry639]

It is my own personal opinion that illegal immigration was an issue in 2006. The reason Republican candidates failed to win on that issue was because voters did not believe them. And, why should they? Republicans were in control of both Houses and the Presidency. For years they did absolutely nothing to close the border and send the illegals packing back across the border. Then along comes an election year and they then start promising to do something about the problem if they are elected or reelected. Why should voters believe them?

Before anyone decides to get on me too hard, I worked many hard days in the effort to to elect Republicans in 2006. I know the sentiment was there for something to be done about all the illegals in this country. Most voters I talked to wanted the illegals out but most also didn't feel that the Republicans would do anything about it. Living in a county where registered Republicans are mere 8% of the total voters, you have to work damn hard to convince them to vote Republican. We did carry this county for President Bush in 2004 and kept an incumbent House member's votes low enough that a Republican defeated him in 2004 by 1400 votes. In 2006 that same Democrat came back to defeat the incumbent Republican by 10 thousand votes. Why? Because both claimed that they would be for doing something about the illegals issue. Voters no longer believed the Republicans, so the Dem wins.

[bray]

Hope you guys understand when you lie you damage your side. Go argue w/someone who cares.

Pray for W and Our Troops

[EnochPowellWasRight]

"If you don't understand just how vile a bigot Enoch Powell was then you don't understand the meaning."

Thatcher didn't think so.

I see you completely missed Powell's point, which is to be expected from someone obviously driven by the MSM's opinions.

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/feder021698.html

Of course, actually reading what the man had to say is too much to ask, I suppose. Particularly when the media didn't like him....

I tend to find ignorance vile, but that's just me, I suppose.

[La Enchiladita]

YOUR HEADLINE SUCKS... THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS 'ANTI-IMMIGRATION CONSERVATIVES'... GRRRRRRRRR.........

[Ben Ficklin]

Opposition to immigration or immigration reform is totally cultural.

The cultural conservatives come up with these half-bake ideas that they think immigration is economically bad for the country but essentially all economists dispute that.

They also use the terror threat as a reason but what they advocate increases the terror threat.

[EnochPowellWasRight]

"Hope you guys understand when you lie you damage your side"

We aren't lying. Your side is.

"Go argue w/someone who cares. "

The retort of liberals everywhere.

[EnochPowellWasRight]

"Opposition to immigration or immigration reform is totally cultural. "

Opposition to ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION is NOT.

"The cultural conservatives come up with these half-bake ideas that they think immigration is economically bad for the country but essentially all economists dispute that. "

Illegal immigration is. Perhaps we should just send the bill to illegal alien supporters like you and yours?

"They also use the terror threat as a reason but what they advocate increases the terror threat."

This is false. You apparently haven't been paying attention to the increase in Muslims among the illegals crossing our border in their millions...

Securing our frontier doesn't increase any terror threat. It reduces it. What gives you this idea? The DOD and FBI don't agree....

[dforest]

Actually, it is abandoning both.

I am going to respond to this one. This is very true. To deny it is to lie to yourself.

[hosepipe]

Legal and Illegal ALIENS PLUS proudly ignorant TRAITORS..
are an increasing dominant VOTING BLOCK..

[La Enchiladita]

There are plenty on FR who buy the Left/media spin that conservatives are "anti-immigration"... hook, line and sinker. We're supposed to know better on FR.

[harrowup]

I tend to find ignorance vile, but that's just me, I suppose.

Don't be so hard on yourself.

[EnochPowellWasRight]

"I am going to respond to this one. This is very true."

It is not.

"To deny it is to lie to yourself"

To continue to repeat a lie, as you are doing here, is a tactic Lenin would approve of....