Posted on 09/16/2007 9:38:52 AM PDT by DCPatriot
Given the responses I got the last time I focused on this issue, I almost hate to bring it up but here goes.
I think Tony Snow is exactly right when he says here:
I deeply admire what [Mr. Bush] did on immigration and I think hes right, Mr. Snow said. I think the policies the president outlined generally are the ones that eventually this country is going to adopt.
Let us hope so, because the alternative solutions out there - let everyone in and register them all Democrat on the left and ship them all back to Mexico no matter how long theyve been here or how productive - are neither workable nor just.
Snow also says, here,
the White House was not prepared for the anger of foes of illegal immigration
For crying out loud, thats a staggering statement when even I - a lowly and not terribly bright housewife - completely understood the mood of the illegal immigration extremists. They were not interested in any sort of half-measure by President Bush - they did not want Bush do what Reagan always tried to do, get 75% of what you want and come back later for the rest. No, the extremists on this issue, crying, were the base, you better dance with who brung ya, were relentlessly uncompromising on the matter of illegal immigration and President Bush - and any other politicians who disagreed with them or sought a more workable solution than ship them back and build high, high walls had their rhetorical heads smashed repeatedly against the rhetorical curbside.
I still have a few dents, myself.
The illegal immigration hardliners demanded all or nothing at all, from President Bush and the GOP leadership. And now, they have nothing, and no political power to do much of anything. Illegal immigrants are still entering the nation mostly unchecked. The useless NIS is no closer to being reformed and retooled into something useful. There are no plans to design as sort of Ellis Island West, to actually process potential citizen immigrants the way my grandfather came into New York - legally! as the hardliner crows. Nothing is being done. But hey at least the folks with the high, strong principals can sleep at night knowing they didnt compromise!
A long time ago I wrote that the blood of many may well rest on the heads of those who would not get serious about the War on Terror. By the same token, I think it would not be completely unfair to state that the increases and excesses of illegal immigrants - and whatever political fall-out or legislative impotence comes from once more refusing to deal realistically with an issue that has been ignored for decades - will rest on the heads on those who took a hard, uncompromising line; those who managed to drop-kick the first president to try to effect positive change, and further weaken his entire presidency, while still getting nothing done. This issue was not well-played, folks. And just because the only ones still talking about it are the one-noters in internet forums doesnt mean the issue is put to bed. Far from it. The reckoning - and the issue itself - has simply been kicked down the road for the time being, launched by a tantrum of conservative anger, which sent it nowhere good.
In the Wall Street Journal today the editorial writers take a look at how the hardline stance against illegal Mexican immigrants (come on, you never hear about the illegal Irish all over Boston or Long Island) can hurt the GOP and conservatives politically. Theyre right to be concerned. When conservative and Republicans find themselves further weakened politically because theyve managed to give the back of their hand to what every year becomes a more substantial portion of the electorate, who will they blame? Theyll have no right to blame George W. Bush - who tried to deal with the issue - but they may try to. Its easy to blame Bush for everything, after all. But the truth is, theyll have no one to blame but themselves.
I have a suspicion, just a little one - its anecdotal and nothing I can cite - but a suspicion nonetheless that some of the folks who jumped on the all or nothing, ship them back, Bush has betrayed the base bandwagon are beginning to regret the ride
turns out it was just a merry-go-round, after all.
“Thats pretty much when the gloves completely came off, but the brazen contempt for conservatives was there previous to 2006.”
I don’t disagree, and actually the best thing that ever happened for Jorge politically was 9/11/2001. With all the patriotism and support that accrued to him after that event, it naturally became the number issue and he was able to fly under the radar on all his liberal proposals. Without 9/11, I doubt he could have won reelection in 2004, and would probably have have Republican primary challengers.
9/11 and the WoT gave him good cover up until he became so brazen and insulting this year during the amnesty debat. That’s when large numbers of Republicans had had more than enough.
IMHO:
If illegal immigration is good, it wouldn’t be illegal!!
If allowing shamnesty is good, why not do it for all criminals and empty our full prisons and jails?
If borders cause crime, guns kill people, pencils cause misspelling, and matches cause arson.
If pardons (amnesty) are good, why did Bill the Clintoon pardon 140 criminals?
all the NOS were not Republicans, and 80% of the public NOS were not all Republicans. This issue crosses many boundaries, which causes me nothing but joy....though your statement is accurate.
I said no such thing, DC, but that was a very nice try at putting words in my mouth.
The 1987 amnesty failed because politicans promised border security and enforcement and never delivered.
Washington in this day and age is even worse at doing its basic governmental duties. People are quite justified in not accepting the notion that "comprehensive" immigration reform would solve anything - once the pols and their supporters have their way with amnesty and guest worker programs, well, jeez, they just never will quite get around to enforcement and border security ... like 1987.
The American people decided they won't get fooled again. Border security first, DC. THEN and ONLY THEN do we talk about what to do with those already here.
In other words, common sense.
Bush is the reason we lost in 06, no question about it.
“Tell me, what is a DCPatriot?.”
A DCPatriot is someone who’s patriotic to whomever is sending the most money their way.
That is until the voters scare them out of their wits as happened during the recent shamnesty debate. The threat of being voted out of office is the only thing that can turn them away from their ‘DCPatriotism’.
30 pieces of Ag. :0)
The emotionally driven among us never stop to ask a couple of simple questions - First, in this age of government entitlements and terrorism, does any particular persons desire to come to America automatically translate into some supposed “right” to come here? For the Leftists and the emotionally driven I think the answer is undeniably yes, albeit for different reasons. Second, does a particular persons desire to come here override the native citizens desire - for whatever reason - to keep them out? Again, for the Leftists/feminists/socialists, the answer would be yes.
For all of their grand speeches extolling the “will of the people” the Liberals really only care about the will of the people when it matches their own schemes. Otherwise, the will of the people will be savagely attacked and denigrated as racist, nativist (whatever that means) and worse, which in fact we have seen in the past few months.
“and any other politicians who disagreed with them or sought a more workable solution than ship them back and build high, high walls had their rhetorical heads smashed repeatedly against the rhetorical curbside”
Get it? The enlightened emotives in government courageously tried for “a more workable solution”, didn’t they? Obviously they know best and we simply need to accept that. Even the author has a few noble “dents”. How courageous.
“whatever political fall-out or legislative impotence comes from once more refusing to deal realistically...”
Again, the only “realistic” solution is to give away large sections of this country and its wealth and ignore the long term consequences. See how simple it all is? Now don’t we all feel soooo good?
I am more angry by the day about the immigration fiasco and our feckless and duplicitous governments refusal to simply enforce its own damn laws. At some point, the pols and the media I think will be overwhelmed by the anger of the average citizen who feels like they’re being used as servants of the noble “enlightened”, which are code words for arrogant corrupt elitists. As to what that anger mean exactly, I just don’t know.
“9/11 and the WoT gave him good cover up until he became so brazen and insulting this year during the amnesty debat. Thats when large numbers of Republicans had had more than enough.”
About time, too. We don’t just do as we’re told. We aren’t Democrats.
“Bush is the reason we lost in 06, no question about it.”
It may well have been intentional.
And Bush's policy differs from this how?
Most people who pontificate on illegal immigration don't want ordinary people to understand this is not a right vs. left issue, but rather, elites vs. ordinary citizens.
“It may well have been intentional.”
A few days after we lost, Bush was “giddy” and said “the good thing is we can probably now pass a bi partisan immigration reform bill”
BUMP
“A few days after we lost, Bush was giddy and said the good thing is we can probably now pass a bi partisan immigration reform bill”
It’s not surprising that a liberal is happy the liberals won.
Besides the fact the figure is no where near correct, SS is a pay-as-you-go system. Any SS "surplus" is put into the general fund and an IOU for the amount of the "surplus" in the form of non-market T-Bills is placed into the SS Trust Fund. The SS Trust Fund has no assets, but rather, represents a liability, which is why it is included in the $9 trillion national debt as intragovernmental holdings.
Call it whatever you please including "NOT amnesty," but that doesn't change the meaning of the proposal one iota.
Bush has a domestic agenda all his own.
“Bush has a domestic agenda all his own.”
What do you think that agenda is?
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