Posted on 09/14/2007 9:24:44 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Outgoing White House press secretary Tony Snow said today that the Bush administration had underestimated the ferocity of opposition to White House-backed immigration legislation.
"I freely admit that we underestimated the (public) skepticism," Snow said over breakfast with a group of reporters on his final day on the job.
Snow said that the White House was not prepared for the anger of foes of illegal immigration, who believed that government at all levels had failed to secure the nation's borders. While the public backlash is aimed "not merely (at) the Bush administration," he conceded that the White House "made some miscalculations, as well."
The president's chief spokesman, who has waged a very public battle with cancer during his two years in the high-profile job, said that though a compromise immigration bill came close to passage, the process now "requires a much longer debate."
"We should have gotten it through last time," he said. "This is an issue that will be with us -- it will not go away."
After the 2007 debacle, he said, the government must demonstrate that the federal government can secure the border "in a competent way" before legislation that would allow American companies to hire more immigrants and permit the legalization of illegal workers can gain traction on Capitol Hill.
But Snow argued strongly for a flow of immigrant workers. "We have this big, booming economy," he said, "and we don't have enough workers."
Calling America "a nation of immigrants," he said Congress and the president needed to come up with a plan to deal with the about 12 million people who are illegally in the country today. "A lot of these people really are pursuing the traditional path to the American dream," he said.
To win political support for comprehensive legislation, Snow said the government needed to re-establish "the credibility of the rule of law" by protecting the border and requiring illegal immigrants to pay substantial penalties -- "not just a wrist slap, but something significant" -- before taking their place "at the back of the line" to citizenship. While awaiting legal status, they should not be permitted to collect welfare and should be required to maintain continuous employment and crime-free lives.
Despite the passionate opposition to illegal immigration on the Republican right and populist left, Snow said that both political parties should be sensitive to the feelings of Hispanic voters.
"No political party is going to be able to survive (without the) fastest-growing voting bloc in America," he said.
Asked what he thought of the 2008 Republican presidential candidates' repeated attacks on President Bush's immigration record, Snow uncharacteristically demurred.
"Ask me that question in a week -- or even tomorrow," he said. "As the president's press secretary, I'm not going to step into that one."
1). Reform the welfare system, so that no homegrown bum 20-55 years of age that is able to hold a shovel or a broom gets a free pass;
2). Send all non-violent prisoners to the fields to pick up whatever crops are in season...
and that magic 12-20+ number of illegals will become much smaller.
It just blows my mind that there is so much debate about whether the H1B quota for highly skilled law abiding legal immigrants should be 65,000-80,000 per year, when there are 800,000-1,000,000 high school droupouts crawling under the fence each year and making themselves into an ever expanding permanent underclass that receives all kinds of freebies and preferential treatments.
He’s lying through his teeth.
Well, duh. This reveals how out of touch the DC establishment is to anyone who isn’t a lobbyist (i.e. WE THE PEOPLE).They aren't that out of touch...They (from the top down) simply don't care about you.
Snow helped drive the Bush approval ratings to the lowest levels.
The contempt poured on the American people by the Bush admin, and others, was largely predicated on the belief that the average man wouldn't, couldn't, or didn't pay attention to the difference. I heard Snow in enough interviews, beyond his responses to the press, to know he truly thought it didn't matter. Neither did Bush. That's why they were humiliated, and deservedly so.
Precisely and concisely put!
Mostly they underestimated the intelligence of millions of American voters.
“It is apparent from this article that you have still not learned your lessons, and attribute your failings to poor politcal processes, not the inherent errors of your positions. Well, don’t think the proletariat is going away. We are going to be around to kill every new attempt to opening borders and granting amnesty to law breakers.”
BTTT!
Stay vigil people!
Don’t put your pitchforks down or let your torches go out until our leaders (and I use the word ‘leader’ loosely) get the message that they serve at your disposal: not the other way around.
“Calling America ‘a nation of immigrants’,”
...A nation of “LEGAL” immigrants, Tony!
Still don’t “get it” do we?
Yes, they are, Tony. But most of them are not.
And all of them are here ILLEGALLY! -- simply because the federal government has allowed them to be.
No, Tony. They should go home. Then, they can get in "the back of the line".
They still don't get it.
In 1996, the Clinton administration conducted 186 prosecutions of employers employing illegals.
Not nearly enough.
But, in 2006, the Bush administratiion prosecuted .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................six cases.
WE ARE NOT A COUNTRY OF IMMIGRANTS. SINCE 1770 MORE THAN 80% OF THE PEOPLE WERE BORN HERE. We were Never a Country of Immigrants. We were a Colony that grew into a country. Those who say this BS is to equate ILLEGAL ALIENS with those that came here legally and passed a health inspection. No other Country in the world says it is a Country of Immigrants, why should we?
Yeah. So instead, "WE THE PEOPLE" have succeeded in kicking the broken can down several years hence, keeping the illegals here, doing nothing, just like Reagan did, Clinton did, just like social security.
Big win.
Congress is not going to build a fence and cut off the labor supply.
No argument from me.
While all that is true, I still think the crappy education system, the fact that kids can’t work until age 14 or even 16 in some areas, and the fact that we’re pushing kids into more years of school removes a lot of youngsters from the lower end of the job market who could be productively employed, and those spots are being filled by illegals.
Tony Snow was bought, too.
I’m glad to see at least one other person gets it.
I’ve been saying they’re colonists for quite a while. The term needs to spread onto every “immigrant” thread.
Tony Snow. Gulping gallons of k00laid.
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