Why anti-immigration conservatives fell flat in 2006

Reason magazine ^ | February 2007 | David Weigel

[mo]

"anti-immigration conservatives"


The phrase says it all. Anti-immigration will never fly. Anti- ILLEGAL immigration is an easy winner....and easy to paint your Democratic opponent into a corner as refusing to obey the law and abet lawbreakers. However anti-immigration makes the Republican/conservative out as a bigot/racist.....and the media fostered this image...and won. Politics is all sound bites.

[zbigreddogz]

Woops!

Sorry, ignore my last post, I thought you said that it was immigration, and not taxes, iraq or guns.

You are right, it was corruption.

[edsheppa]

The conservative Republican base is split right down the middle on immigration.

You really think 50% of the conservative Republican base support illegal immigration? I think you're crazy.

[EnochPowellWasRight]

"Repeat for each state"

Poll-shopping is a minor art form....

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/4/9/224821.shtml?s=ic

[daybreakcoming]

The real reason the Dems won was the faux Conservatives like Webb they put up

Oh BINGO for one of the two major reasons. The other was the one issue voters who stayed home.

[Ben Ficklin]

I didn't have a problem finding those videos.

[arnoldpalmerfan]

President Bush supports rewarding millions of illegal aliens with with legal status and a path to citizenship. This is the approach of S.6211, the Senate immigration reform paln that was overwhelmingly supported by Senate Demcorats (including Hillary Clinton, Ted Knnedy and John Kerry)and rejected by a majority of Senate Republicans.

Rep. Tancredo voted for H.R.4437, the House anti-illegal immigration bill that was supported by an overwhelming majority of House Republicans. You claim that "Tancredo and company ARE anti-Hispanic".

Please list the names that comprise the "and company" portion of your allegation.

What other members of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus do you consider to be anti-Hispanic?

The anti-illegal crowd did not lose the election as you claim. Members of Cong. Tancredo's caucus retained their seats at at higher percentage than Republicans in general in Congress as I pointed out previously in this thread.

In general, Democrats in House races ran as being as tough or tougher than Republicans on border security issues. I'm sure you don't believe that Heath Shuler or Brad Ellsworth are going to support President Bush's plan to reward illegal aliens with legal status and a path to citizenship.

I do not believe that President Bush's immigration plan will be passed. Many of the new Democrats in the House will never support any plan that gives millions of illegal aliens legal status and a path to citizenship.

[Plutarch]

I didn't have a problem finding those videos.

You found pro-amnesty political ad videos? Please provide a link!

[dangus]

The corruption scandals are not a seperate issue from immigration; the Americans believed that Republicans were just crooked politicians exploiting the issue of immigration for electoral gain.

[Ben Ficklin]

Well yes, public opinion supports strong enforcement.

Did you notice your NewsCrack article stated 47% support deportation and 49% oppose deportation

[EnochPowellWasRight]

"Did you notice your NewsCrack article stated 47% support deportation and 49% oppose deportation"

More than 50% thought we would be better off without the illegals.

What's more, that was a general response, not a Republican response. If Republicans no longer stand for law enforcement, what good are they?

[EnochPowellWasRight]

"I do not believe that President Bush's immigration plan will be passed. Many of the new Democrats in the House will never support any plan that gives millions of illegal aliens legal status and a path to citizenship."

The Dem leadership would love it, though. They're salivating at all those new voters President Bush wants to give them.

[Ben Ficklin]

I found what was supposedly Hayworth's first ad which was on his and Mitchell's immigration position. I found Mitchell's ad on Hayworth's refusal to do anything about the immigration problem. I also found Pelosi's ad with Hayworth and Rangel.

These have been posted many, many times at FR. Yet you act like it is a revelation.

[LibKill]

I have nothing but pity and sorrow for the people suffering from the crappy way Mexico is run. But that's not my fault! And I sure as hell don't want 20 million of them here, running around illegally and unmonitored.

[Ben Ficklin]

If what you say is true, the repblicans would still control Congress.

You are correct that it is a response from the general population. Like many extremists, you think you can win without the independents.

All elections are won and lost between the 40 yard lines

[EnochPowellWasRight]

"If what you say is true, the repblicans would still control Congress. "

If that was the only issue, that might be true.

"You are correct that it is a response from the general population. Like many extremists, you think you can win without the independents."

You "moderates" think you can win without conservatives.

"All elections are won and lost between the 40 yard lines"

So, perhaps the GOP could reconsider only offering "it could be worse" as a reason to vote for them.

[arnoldpalmerfan]

What potential candidate or candidates for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination do you believe would make a good president?

What member of the United States House of Representatives best represents your views with regard to immigration issues?

[Ben Ficklin]

I didn't say moderates, I said independents.

If the GOP continues its lurch to the far right, all is lost.

[Ben Ficklin]

I will be supporting the republican nominee that can win Florida and the inland west.

[dforest]

Republicans lost for not putting their money where their mouth is. Social conservatism wins. If Republicans win they have to stop acting like democrats. Conservatism appeals if Republicans have a true conscience. Without it, they lose.