Posted on 07/19/2007 6:40:22 AM PDT by SittinYonder
Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo is accusing President Bush, rival John McCain and others who tried but failed to push through an immigration reform measure of a total disregard for the views of others.
"It was the arrogance that got to me as much as the bad policy that they were pushing," Tancredo says. "I mean even the president, you remember him saying, 'I'm going to see you in the Rose Garden at the (bill) signing ceremony.' Well, there was no signing ceremony. There's not going to be a bill signing ceremony."
Tancredo has made his opposition to illegal immigration the focus of his campaign and he has referred to the plan which failed to make it out of the U.S. Senate this summer as "amnesty" for those who've entered the country illegally.
"We didn't stop the problem. We didn't solve the problem. It is still there," Tancredo says. "We still have borders that are porous." Tancredo says this fight over the immigration issue and the perception that leaders like Bush are "arrogant" has intensified public dissatisfaction with their government.
"When you look at 14 percent approval ratings for the congress of the United States, 20-some percent for the president -- lowest in the history of poll-taking, right -- it's not just dangerous for incumbents. It's dangerous, I think, for the republic...when you have this much of a disconnect between the people and their government," Tancredo says. "...I know the frustration. I feel it myself." Tancredo will be campaigning in Iowa almost non-stop in the days leading up to the Iowa Republican Party's Straw Poll August 11th.
On Jimmy Carter’s US School Board:
"There is no constitutional role of the federal government to have the Department of Education. I don’t believe we should have the U.S. Department of Education."
- Tom Tancredo
Click for more on Tancredo on the issues.
FREEPMAIL ME TO BE ADDED TO THIS TANCREDO ’08 PING LIST
“The torches and pitchforks candidate”
Namecalling instead of advancing a serious argument.
Not too bright.
Well, good for him. He’s absolutely right.
Most amazing to me is that none of the front running candidates seem to have learned anything from it. Instead, they saw the crapola hit the fan and ran to claim the issue as thier own without owning up to the fact that they’ve been weak on immigration till they realized that they need it to win.
It is a serious argument. The gap between We The People and our elected officials is enormous. The debate over the immigration issue underscored that more than any single issue has since Hillarycare - which never had the support among the elected representatives that amnesty did.
When there is a gap that wide, and the elected officials believe they can go against the will of the people, it is arrogance.
Not too bright.
What's not too bright is reelecting these people or their counterparts.
Tancredo represents change from status quo and change from establishment Republicans.
You're free to vote for another status quo, establishment Republican if you like, but I'm voting for the guy that's toting the pitchforks and torches and storming the castle.
Tancredo speaks for me. What angers me more than illegal immigration is the arrogance congress shows about the subject. If citizens can’t get such an obvious threat dealt with, why should we trust them with anything?
Do you know that Tom Tancredo has the most consistently conservative voting record of all the candidate? Are you suggesting that people who lack "brains" vote conservative?
Do you know that he was appointed by Reagan to serve as the head of the regional office of the federal department of education and that in his 10 years there he reduced the size of the staff from 225 to 60? Are you suggesting that Reagan appointed people to positions of power who lacked "brains"?
He served as the president of the Independence Institute.
He was way, way out front of the illegal immigration issue. Are you suggesting that people who want to enforce the laws, stop the flood of illegals coming into the country lack "brains"?
I'd love to see you try to defend your statement, but my guess is you won't and can't.
We absolutely should not trust them with anything.
Tom isn’t my candidate but I would easily sidestep to him if Hunter drops out first. I suspect that a lot of Tancredo voters would just as easily go to Hunter if Tancredo drops out first. Both men are strong and consistent.
I hate to say it but he is right on.
You mean brains like Romney’s? Brains that allow him to take 3 positions on each issue?
I agree with you completely. There are issues where I think Tancredo is stronger and that’s why he’s my first choice, but I don’t think I would regret voting for Hunter.
Why would you hate to say it?
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