MSM Trying to Kill the Immigration Card

American Thinker ^ | January 15, 2008 | Selwyn Duke

[neverdem]

With the victories of Mike Huckabee and John McCain in the first two primary contests and Mitt Romney's recently falling star, a fiction is being bandied about: The anti-amnesty position wasn't playing well in Peoria. 

A good example is this San Diego Union-Tribune piece didactically titled "Lesson Learned?" (read: Take the blue pill or your fantasy will become a nightmare in November).  It's dishonest pablum, with more spin than a whirling dervish on speed. 

The editors begin with a convenient characterization, stating that amnesty proponents Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Huckabee and McCain are prevailing while opponents are faltering; Romney is losing the race and Tom Tancredo has left it.  A few slippery paragraphs down the rabbit hole, a triumphant proclamation follows:

"Voters have obviously had their fill of divisive rhetoric, catchy slogans and shameless demagoguery passed off as solutions to the immigration problem. And they're letting the candidates know it."

The truth is just the opposite.  The "divisive rhetoric, catchy slogans and shameless demagoguery passed off as solutions to the immigration problem" voters have had their fill of emanate from the scamnesty side.  And the candidates know it.  This is why every presidential contender either pleads the fifth on illegal immigration or proposes to deep-six it.

With the Democrats, mum's the word.  It's correct to say they don't talk tough on immigration, but more apropos here is that they don't talk about it much at all.  Why do you suppose that is?  While they don't want to alienate the far left, they're also mindful of winning Reagan Democrats.  Hence the balancing act.

As for Tancredo's early exit, it's not that his immigration stance has been rejected; it's that all the Republicans are Tancredos now.  Huck has reinvented himself, preaching against amnesty and rolling out a plan designed to secure the borders and toughen enforcement. 

And if McCain hasn't seen the light, he certainly fears the darkness.  The Trib cites his co-authorship of last summer's scamnesty bill to burnish its position, pretending to forget that this very proposal provoked the McCain Mutiny and sent his campaign into exile.  But despite Father Time's merciless march, McCain's memory loss is not so profound.  Twice shy on the trail, he now says he has "heard people" and emphasizes border security and not rewarding illegal behavior. 

As for Romney's woes, the San Diego paper would have us confuse cause with effect.  It proposes that Romney finished second in Iowa and New Hampshire largely because he ran commercials casting his opponents as pro-amnesty.

Nice try. 

Romney's precipitous drop in the polls was not caused by the attack ads - it inspired them.  He only ran them after Huck surpassed him in Iowa with Christian credentials and a populist message and the old soldier made him fade away in the Granite State.  (It should also be mentioned that Romney leads in the delegate count.)

Moreover, while the message is sound, the messenger is suspect.  Romney plays the right notes, but the tune never sounds authentic.  With his reputation as a shape-shifter, people just don't think he is as good - or his targets as bad - as he would have them believe.  Political ads are only as credible as their source.

The truth is that the Union-Tribune insults its readers' intelligence by childishly casting correlation as causation.  They well know that political fortunes rest more on money, mystique and marquee names than purity of policy.  They know that a pro-amnesty Democrat is going to win every primary not because of said position, but because all the Democrat candidates embrace it.  They know Republicans are wholly dissatisfied with the viable contenders - none of whom possess impeccable immigration credentials - and are reduced to looking for the largest Lilliputian.  They know Obama's win was Hollywood, Hillary is the anointed one, Romney labors with a plastic persona and that Tancredo, lacking Ross Perot's bankroll or Pat Buchanan's personality, couldn't escape political Siberia.  They just don't want you to know it.

This is why I will call these editorialists liars.  If the media thought these candidates' real record on immigration resonated, why wasn't it front page all along?  After all, it is a position with which they agree.  Please, Lilliputian leg men, if being pro-amnesty plays so well, I challenge you to consistently tout the pro-illegal credentials of Clinton, Obama, McCain and Huck.

I dare you.

Do it, and watch their poll numbers fall like your circulation.

I won't hold my breath waiting, as the media are playing a game.  When they want to crown a candidate king, they need only suppress reportage of any pro-amnesty leanings he might have; once he's coronated, however, they then extrapolate those leanings to his supporters, creating the illusion that such sentiments enjoy popularity.  They are then, finally, revealing the truth about these politicians, but only when doing so will give the impression that manly immigration-control advocacy is a losing strategy. Then, it is hoped, those who support enforcement of immigration law will become disheartened and adopt an "If you can't beat ‘em, join ‘em" attitude for fear of electoral disaster.

That's the straight dope on these cut-rate Machiavellis who play their readers for dopes.  

I hope the lesson is learned.

Contact Selwyn Duke

[purpleraine]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1955200/posts

Really confusing.

[counterpunch]

Huckabee’s sudden 180 on immigration for political expediency will probably be enough for the idiots out there. After all, he signed a pledge they’ll say, a PLEDGE!

We already know politicians lie, and Mike Huckabee is certainly no exception. There is no bigger liar short of Hillary Clinton herself in the entire presidential field. A politicians pledge isn’t worth the paper it’s written on, and Huckabee’s signature can only decrease the value even more.

We are in serious trouble if this roadkill eating snake-oil peddler gets anywhere near the nomination.
Sadly, he probably will because the GOP has been so corrupted by Karl Rove’s “permanent majority.”
Rove set out to make the GOP a big tent, and wound up with a sideshow.

[AuntB]

“The truth is that the Union-Tribune insults its readers’ intelligence by childishly casting correlation as causation.”

That’s the best explanation of that outfit I’ve seen. DO they ever. They are the major problem with Duncan Hunters campaign, his hometown newspaper. One of their main columnists is the democrat incumbent that Hunter first defeated in his district.

They’ve spread rumors and lies ever since and anytime you see anything negative about Hunter, trace it back, always to the same source, The San Diego Union Trib. All of their allegations have been wrong and they are wrong about immigration, one of the reasons they hate Duncan Hunter.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

Get ready for a return on the issue of amnesty because those pieces of excrement in washington will try again.Both parties have been bought out on this issue and the reason is simple,It is all about their power increasing and ours decreasing.Look for recently passed laws against illeagals to be challenged and overturned by judges appointed by ...you can guess.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Unfortunately you are right.

They WILL try to rush that crap through again on us, come early 2009, and in each of the following scenarios.

President Clinton OR President Obama OR President Edwards OR President McCain OR President Huckabee OR President Romney OR President Guiliani.

They may try it with President Thompson.

They would not DARE try with President Hunter.

Nuff said.

[SoCalPol]

The S.D. Union Trib. use to be Conservative, at best very Republican.
The editor for yrs was Herb Kline who was Nixon’s media person. Also Lynn Nofzinger, a reporter and Reagan’s Media person are just some of the former and great folks.

The son of the late pub. of the paper who took over a few yrs ago is a lib and single for a reason.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

And it will be political suiside for whomever the president is at that time.

[neverdem]

The Race for the American Mind

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Bush wrongly blames America for not bombing Auschwitz

Obama's spiritual mentor - Powerhouse Chicago preacher draws attention, and plenty of controversy

From time to time, I’ll ping on noteworthy articles about politics, foreign and military affairs. FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks neverdem.

[Ron H.]

Rove set out to make the GOP a big tent, and wound up with a sideshow and wound up with a model for Republican self-destruction as we once knew as a Conservative movement.

[Convert from ECUSA]

Ain’t that the truth!

[devolve]

[seemoAR]

Connect the dots. Big business buys our Politicians. They give more money to candidates than any other group. They also fund TV and newspapers with their ads. They are also very pro illegal immigration.

[PhilDragoo]

[potlatch]

Very nice illegals posts devolve!

[redgirlinabluestate]

It is the craziest thing I've ever seen. We fight against amnesty for over a year then the stupid people in our party are on the verge of possibly nominating one of the two weakest candidates on immigration -- Huck or McCain. What is wrong with South Carolina?

Tom Tancredo does not trust McCain or Huckabee to do the right thing.

____________________

U.S. Congressman Tom Tancredo endorsed Romney:
"While several of the candidates appear to be committed to our cause [immigration reform], there are others whose records as public servants are abysmal on this issue. They have been on the other side of the battle for years and encouraging and even inviting, in a way, illegal immigrants into the country. I fear that remaining in this race, when I know I cannot win, could contribute to the nomination of one of those candidates. We have done too much. We have come too far. The stakes are way too high for me to allow that to happen. And so today I’m doing two things that I believe are in the best interests of this cause, and that cause is, of course, a secure America. I am withdrawing from the race and I’m endorsing Governor Romney for president of the United States." (Video: Rep. Tancredo describes in detail why he endorses Governor Mitt Romney for President)

[Ron H.]

Connect the dots. Big business buys our Politicians. They give more money to candidates than any other group. They also fund TV and newspapers with their ads. They are also very pro illegal immigration.

Spot on and the corporate money-changers who buy the politicians expect mega-dividends in return such as a endless or bottomless pool of slave-wage labor and the pols are all too willing to comply in order to keep the money spigot open. And we as a people have the power to upset this applecart yet we don't.

We keep returning these rotten apples to Washington because too many of us have a stubborn streak in us that believe that Washington is indeed corrupt BUT it is YOUR politician that is corrupt and theirs is the only good-guy and deserves to be returned to office again and again. And it will never change until these people, that's you and me, take off our blinders and throw the thieves out of office in utter disgust.

[potlatch]