Posted on 06/16/2007 6:40:40 AM PDT by kellynla
During a speech last month to Georgia law enforcement officials, President Bush opined that opponents of the stalled immigration reform bill “don’t want to do what’s right for America.” If they only understood the bill’s provisions, he implied, they would see the light. But, alas, they hadn’t “read the bill” and could only “speculate” about its complex provisions. He warned them to stop trying “to frighten people.”
These unscripted remarks unleashed a torrent of criticism from the president’s political base. Conservative talk-show hosts, pundits, bloggers and grassroots activists seized on the criticism as an opportunity to educate Americans on the bill’s many flaws. Constituent mail and phone calls poured in. Ultimately, a hardy band of conservatives forced Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to pull the bill after two weeks of angry debate.
Last week, the president ventured to Capitol Hill to dine with Republican senators in a high-profile attempt to revive the bill. But he converted no one. With congressional leaders scheduled to consider other legislation guaranteed to further annoy and divide the president’s supporters (e.g., reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act and approving the sovereignty-stripping Law of the Sea Treaty), the question arises as to whether the president’s immigration dilemma -- having to thread the needle between openly hostile conservatives and the usual assortment of Bush-haters on the Left -- will be the norm for his remaining 18 months in office.
Several recent polls underscore the extent of his challenge.
According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, the president’s overall approval rating fell six points between April and June (from 35% to 29%). But the drop was most intense among Republicans (from 77% to 65%), including conservative Republicans (from 86% to 74%), and Independents (from 34% to 22%).
Another poll, conducted by Gallup after Bush’s Georgia speech, found a similar drop in his standing among GOP loyalists, where his positive rating hit a near-record low of 70% (alarms sound whenever a politician scores below 80% with his core supporters). According to Gallup, the only other time Bush’s GOP approval rating was so low was about a year ago when -- you guessed it -- the Senate was angrily debating comprehensive immigration reform. Hmmm.
“It was the debate over immigration,” pollster Scott Rasmussen confirmed last week, “that cost the president support among his base and pushed his approval ratings to new lows.”
Political operatives are well aware that the disenchantment over immigration has settled primarily on Bush and those lawmakers who have led the charge in the Senate. Sen. Reid’s approval rating sunk 7 points in a month, to a microscopic 19%. John McCain (R-Ariz.) fell in many presidential polls. Yet the national GOP emerged unscathed, and may even have benefited, from the turmoil.
A month ago, Rasmussen reports, Democrats enjoyed a 14-point advantage (47% to 33%) as the party best able to handle immigration. Following the Senate debate, however, the Democrats’ advantage shrunk to only five points (40% to 35%). “Immigration,” he concludes, “is now tied with taxes as the GOP’s strongest issue” and is “the only issue on which unaffiliated voters trust Republicans more than Democrats.”
What explains the intensity so many Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents bring to this issue? My guess is that this is yet another manifestation of the ideological divide that separates Red from Blue America. Because Republicans are more reflexively pro-American than their Democratic colleagues, they place a much higher value on U.S. citizenship and therefore are more likely to vigorously oppose policies they perceive as granting citizenship too freely, especially to lawbreakers.
For example, polls demonstrate that Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say they are “very patriotic” and more likely to see America as a place where “most people living in other countries would like to live.” Also, by a 2-to-1 margin, Republicans believe “we should be willing to fight for our country … right or wrong.” A majority of Democrats disagree. Finally, Republicans attach more importance to the rule of law than Democrats do. Republicans are much more likely to want to penalize employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens and banks that offer them credit cards.
The disenchantment with Bush can be summed up in an L.A. Times/Bloomberg poll, which asked Republican primary voters whether they want the next Republican nominee for president to continue Bush’s policies or move the country in a new direction.
They opted for a new direction by the overwhelming margin of 65% to 27%.
Cool... Thanks for explaining, I appreciate it. (o:
I agree with what you’ve said WOSG. I don’t think it would work either, but at least more people are offering solutions besides amnesty for the whole lot of them.
[I was honestly more concerned that “naturalize” was a code word of sorts. I’m glad UltraDude took the time to explain what he was proposing. There are too many trolls coming on board lately and I was honestly concerned that he was another one. My apologies to you UltraDude...]
I haven’t watched GWB on TV since he was reelected. Too boring, and life is too short to spend time on that.
I don’t watch t.v. at all....for almost a year.
As far as news...I likely haven’t watched the alphabet channels of Faux news for at least 2 years.
It’s all propaganda.
It seems to me that once a leader thinks he’s more intelligent/wise than every one of his followers, he becomes a tyrant.
Just say NO to Illegal Alien Amnesty!! Keep calling!! It’s NOT OVER!!
U.S. Senate switchboard: (202) 224-3121
U.S. House switchboard: (202) 225-3121
White House comments: (202) 456-1111
Find your House Rep.: http://www.house.gov/writerep
Find your US Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
“Enforce immigration law by sharing information between local, state and Federal law enforcement,”
“You are contradicting yourself.” Um, no I’m not. “What recourse do we have if local or state govts. refuse to comply with the Feds (or in some cases actually prohibit the Feds from carrying out their duty)? This, as you know, is happening. So what you need is a tool to punish these local/state govts.”
The TOOL ALREADY EXISTS! In 1996 the Federal law includes provisions that forbid cities from being ‘sanctuary cities’. Several US cities are in violation of Federal law ... we just choose not to enforce the needed info-sharing.
We can up the ante by requiring levels of cooperation from states and locals in order to get access to Federal crime-fighting grants etc. And also we can and should enable local law enforcement of immigration law and reimburse local govts for same. This is Lamar Smith’s “CLEAR Act”.
Of course it’s not inthe Senate bill at all. Probably Sen Inhofe’s ENFORCE Act is similar, but I dont know details.
” This is what the current immigration laws did not foresee, that is, rogue liberal activist local jurisdictions impeding enforcement.” Incorrect, again, there are laws on books but - they are not enforce.
” That is why you need some more laws, such as Tancredo’s brave effort to punish these jurisdictions, don’t you see?”
Again. WE DON’T ENFORCE OR USE THE TOOLS WE HAVE.
This is like someone with a backhoe saying he needs dynamite to dig a ditch... “Have you tried the backhoe?” “Nope, wont work, need more” “Well, have you tried?” “It’s too hard” “Have you used it?” “Well, no.”
“Again, the anchor babies is a back door, again an unforeseen situation.”
Many have warned about anchor babies for years.
“ This also needs to be resolved.”
It does, but we are playing defense right now. We wont get anchor babies fixed with the current House, senate or president. perhaps never, if the Supreme Court decides its a 14th A issue. It lacks popular support.
Since the Senate immigration bill doesnt address ANY REAL ENFORCEMENT OR BORDER SECURITY issue in a decent way, but instead floods the system with 20 million amnesty applicants (including criminals), it will definitely be worse than nothing.
THERE IS NO UPSIDE TO THE SENATE IMMIGRATION BILL. IT MUST BE OPPOSED 100%.
“Once the border is secured (which I am absolutely in favor of - I just don’t know when it will be done) there will not be any more significant number of illegals. That is where a guest worker program kicks in, to allow the very poor to come and take the low wage jobs that Americans won’t do. (For example, Americans don’t want to pick strawberries for $4/hour. They apparently want more and would rather stay on welfare, never mind that a dumb job like picking strawberries is not worth more.)”
Bilge!
Even the Bush admin secret documents on their proposal show that the largest portion of agricultural workers are native-born Americans!
Further, did you know that labor costs for picking are a tiny fraction of total food costs in the supermarket.
Your strawberries would cost only 1 or 2 percent more if the fruit pickers got 50% more in pay $6/hr instead of $4/hr.
“never mind that a dumb job like picking strawberries is not worth more.” If it is not worth more, we ought to kick it out of our economy entirely. out source it to another country. farm automation has been stunted by cheap labor, time to revive it.
Further, you disgracefully insult Americans as on welfare. ... did you know immigrants use more welfare proportionately compared with native Americans? Did you know the hispanic rates of welfare use, crime, and broken families are higher than whites and Americans overall?
the illegal aliens are far less educated than average americans, more than half lack even high school level education.
You are buying into a phony image of illegal immigrants being swarthy workhorses ready to climb the economic ladder of opportunity, instead of remaining poor and becoming welfare dependent as soon as they are legally able (which is more likely).
“I meant the low-class, low-wage existence is temporary (Point C above).”
For whom? The stats are clear- They will only be laborers due to their low skill/education level. Why we need 12 million barely literate 19th century-level workers in a 21st century economy is beyond me. There was a time when America outgrew the plantation and the housekeepers (except for ultra-rich), and became a more egalitarian society.
Heather MacDonald has stats that show the low education persists for *many generations*. We are buying ourselves inequality, welfare dependency, and man social problems through the importation of massive poverty.
And for what? Because we dont have the b***s to say no to cheap labor lobbies and the common sense to enforce the laws on the books.
“I don’t buy the idea that the president, and 535 grown, educated, intelligent people could make such a mess of things by anything other than willful purpose and carrying out orders.”
Um, you will have to buy into the idea that the people who are our leaders are, in fact, our leaders. It’s reality.
“They are not running things, they are being told what to do, how to do it, and how to hide the real agenda. “
Don’t ascribe to a conspiracy what could be laid at the feet on incompetence. The agenda isnt hidden. Its out inthe open.
Didnt you notive the immigrants marching? Dont you have the lists of organizations supporting this? Kennedy and Democrats on board as well?
It’s sad to see normal people fold up into the fetal ball of a conspiracy theory. This is the moral equivalent of believing in the tooth fairy. These are rampant when Government is dishonest or lacking in trust. It may be a convenient way to disassemble the dishonesty of politicians and Government, but it doesnt make it true.
“We’ve been in this situation for a long time, I would estimate since Kennedy was killed. I believe that Carter was the only one that wasn’t in the Cabal and that’s why he looked like such a moron. He wasn’t included in the overall plan because he was kept outside and was not trusted to implement orders. The only thing that Carter did was implement the petty rules and was butchered for the rest.”
You need to lay off the LSD.
Carter looked like a moron because he *was* a moron.
“That way, my friend, lies paranoia. This “shadow government” is not so much a conspiracy, as it is sheer lack of will and intellectual laziness.
This kind of thing happens when you have career politicians who have had no experience outside government before taking up a suzerainty granted them by a local political machine. The concept of “citizen-legislator” gets lost, and the retention of the seat for a lifetime becomes a way of life.”
Well said.
The rest is fully explained by Bastiat’s The Law.
There is no ‘hidden conspiracy’, the buying and selling of power is right there in the open. And guess what, you can band together and try the game of political power too.
Gas was higher in the Fall of 2005 and didn’t cost Bush support among conservatives and/or Republicans. Nice try, tho.
"Hardy band?"
Try pervasive majority.
“Maybe you should keep your opinions to yourself...
You Brits have enough problems of your own without sticking your nose in American politics.”
C’mon now, that was uncalled for. Snugs has been a good and loyal FReeper who contributes enormously to these threads. Of course she hasn’t had the pleasure of living in LA with wall-to-wall illegals, as you have.
Dual citizenship came into effect during Clinton’s years? I’ve been asking and not found the answer to that. I remember most of my life that to be granted US citizenship, people had to renounce their former citizenship. I think we should return to that .. seems now half the people I know are dual citizens.
In your world the 'hard core Right' appears to be anyone who isn't prostrating themselves at Dubya's feet, if not his posterior.
I haven’t been brainwashed since Monica. I’ve never seen survivor, american idol, 24, and neither have my children. We now have a 64 inch TV (Monitor) in the den set up to the internet and we watch news, entertainment, music video’s as a family. All the children’s friends think it is cool to sit around the internet with such a large monitor.
Mainstream media is obsolete.
To argue about republican or democrat is like arguing about which side of your coin bought you your ice cream.
We did this once with Reagan, we still didn’t secure the borders, it is one of Ron Paul’s truths, America is responsible for the shape it is in. Don’t blame Republicans, Dont blame democrat, and Don’t blame the messenger. We voted, we allowed this to happen, we are at fault.
Watch the news clip and see:
http://justwhatithink.com/blog/zedilloandclinton.html
Mexican President Zedillo and EX President Clinton Celebrate New Amendment For Mexican Dual Citizenship”
“I like your tagline, and it’s time for a change. May I suggest a trade?”
Sorry I plan on keeping it for now.
Check back if, A. We bugout from Iraq or B. the Immigration Bill gets signed.
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