Posted on 05/19/2007 11:40:04 AM PDT by Pokey78
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Delegates to the state Republican convention unleashed a rare chorus of boos and hisses at U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss on Saturday, as he spoke up for a bipartisan immigration reform package unveiled in Washington this week.
Hear it for yourself by clicking here.
Chambliss had just finished emphasizing his devotion to border security provisions contained in the measure, and brought up agriculture’s need for temporary, foreign workers.
“We’ve got to face the fact that we’ve got to create a new, truly temporary worker program” — the boos started here, but Chambliss plowed on — “for that segment of our economy that need temporary workers.
“If we don’t have a meaningful, workable program, we’ll simply be dependent on foreign imports for food products, the way we’re dependent on foreign imports for oil products,” Chambliss said, finishing his thought.
After the speech, Chambliss said he took the crowd’s reaction as a lack of popular understanding of the shape of the current immigration system.
Both Chambliss and U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson spoke at a breakfast meeting, then before 1,200 or so delegates who gathered in the Gwinnett County Civic Center.
Isakson was first. He laid out the enforcement and border security aspects of the immigration bill, due to come up before the Senate this week.
His speech was short, and received polite applause. “We have the opportunity and a narrow window to change what has plagued our society for 21 years,” Isakson said.
The current bill does just that, he said, endorsing “citizenship the right way, the naturalized way, the speaking-English way.”
Chambliss, the state’s senior senator who is up for re-election next year, did most of the talking.
He explained that he and Isakson engaged with Democrats — after their attempts to change immigration last year were blocked, in a Republican-controlled Congress.
“Today is a different day in Washington. Republicans are not in control. The Democrats have decided that an immigration bill is coming to the floor.
“We could either sit on the sidelines and we could throw rocks, or we could become engaged and make what we knew was a bad bill, better,” Chambliss said.
But he promised that both he and Isakson were not inalterably committed. “You need to know, you did not elect two potted plants to the Senate,” Chambliss said.
But he also had a word for critics.
“We either come up with a comprehensive immigration package or we have the status quo,” he said.
“Please don’t believe what you hear or see on radio and TV,” Chambliss said. “We’re not asking you to trust us. But give us an opportunity to explain it to you.”
The issue of illegal immigration has the potential to create a serious split in the party, on a state and national level.
“If this gets categorized as amnesty, it could cause the party to split next year, particularly if the top of the ticket is viewed as too liberal,” said Mark Rountree, a political strategist who works with Republican candidates.
By liberal, he meant former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. Rountree wants former Tennessee senator and actor Fred Thompson in the ’08 presidential race.
Immigration is yet another of those issues that where the fault line separates the business community from the ideological base of the party.
Supporters of the immigration bill backed by Chambliss and Isakson include Gary Black, a former candidate for state agriculture commissioner.
“We just can’t turn our heads anymore. We’ve got to find some resolution,” Black said.
He’s a member of a group formed only in the last few weeks, called Georgia Employers for Immigration Reform.
Sad to say that the ones who sold us down the river included Republicans (not conservatives).
America's trust is gone.
There weren’t as many boos as there should have been.
How these “strategists” make a living while uttering such idiocy continues to amaze me.
I’m against the bill. Strongly against. I’m also against throwing bricks, and I’m even against booing.
On another thread, it was said that those who don’t bash Bush...although disagreeing with him on immigration...and those who don’t forswear the Republican Party forever, are the kind who “drink Bush’s bathwater they love him so much”. And from what I’ve seen on this forum for awhile now, that’s a mild insult. I’m tired of it.
Meanwhile, a raft of new, meaner than a junkyard dog posters have decended on us, and some mighty fine human beings are gone from our midst for not being able to take it anymore.
I’m very upset with Bush on immigration, and somewhat upset on other things. Have been for a long time. But you’re right: These “junkyard dogs” (good term for them) are too much.
It’s about time these morons got the message! Their “in your face” arrogance is reprehensible. They were sent to DC to represent the people not themselves alone.
I would say that these pro-amnesty senators deserve to be booed. But all things considered — in view of his great responsibilities, his hard work to keep us secure as a nation despite failings even on that front, and the horrible abuse he’s gotten from the Left — I would never boo President Bush.
I’d feel better if they would promise to publish the whole thing, and send it through comprehensive hearings in multiple committees, and have a couple of nationally televised debates and run some town hall meetings first, and then bring it up in the fall.
That way we could all familiarize ourselves with it and be prepared to keep them from lying about it.
“Chambliss said he took the crowd’s reaction as a lack of popular understanding of the shape of the current immigration system.”
I’m outraged at being so dumb. I don’t understand income taxes or illegal aliens, or border patrol agents being sent to prison, or exactly what part of illegal alien is so hard for Congress to understand.
There has been a contingent of anti-Bush folks here since my early lurking days. There are also many conservatives here that have long distrusted the republican party, and here is a prime example why.
So it is completely understandable to me, that when the GOP offers up another Amnesty bill, after decades of completely ignoring the laws (employer fines?? quick deportations? Sanctuary cities??) we need to come down on them like a ton of bricks. The Amnesty fans have many powerful allies in the GOP and media. It will be up to us to stop this abomination dead in its tracks. Much in the same way it will be up to us to stop a liberal from being our nominee. These are the reasons for FR’s existence.
And this is coming from one of Bush’s biggest fans here.
Chambliss:
“We either come up with a comprehensive immigration package or we have the status quo,” he said.
Translation:
“We have absolutely no intention of ever securing the border. We are using the mounting threat of bankruptcy, terrorism and marked increases in violent crime against you, our constituents, to extort from you your passive acceptance of our desire for a poor and dependent class of voters.”
The status quo is far, far superior. Just get Hunter’s border fence built and double the size of the BP and start following the 1986 laws, and the problem will go away.
Of course.
Obviously I failed to make the point I was aiming for.
Which is, that there is not now, nor ever was there, nor will there be, any desire on the part of our fearless leaders to control the border in ANY WAY.
And they are using our desire to protect ourselves and our families as a weapon against us.
WHAT'S THE POINT? The President has proven what an incompetent CHIMP he is over the issue of national sovereignty and amnesty and he is fiddling while Rome burns. Who want's to drink that koolaide any more??.
Really, for FR, what's the point any further? He's NOT ON OUR SIDE, HE'S NOT ON MY SIDE.
Not sure what they are doing, but it sure sucks.
Don’t even go there.
Chambliss is only doing what the party chairman, Mel ‘Amnesty’ Martinez told him to. Where is Martinez’ next appearance so we can boo, hiss, and otherwise FReep him? We need to look into that and make that happen
No! Without the illegals, the system will equalize itself out. Either the growers offer a bigger wage to attract people or develop the technology to do the work. It's been done before, many many times.
Saying that they've allowed illegals in to do this is deceptive and a lie. We CAN do without them. I don't care if I pay an extra quarter for a head of lettuce. It's the price we pay for all kind of other products. Taken a look at the rises in the price of gas lately? Products rise in price, its a fact of life in a capitalist society. Products rise in price and salaries rise in pay.
It's worked for over 200 years. Don't know why people keep insisting that it doesn't work anymore.
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