Posted on 02/08/2008 9:16:15 PM PST by NormsRevenge
PHOENIX (Reuters) - What a difference a few weeks make -- at least when it comes to the U.S. presidential campaign and the hot issue of immigration.
When the White House race began in earnest with the first party nominating contests in Iowa in January, a broad field of Republican candidates vied to demonstrate their toughness on illegal immigration, pledging more border enforcement and a crackdown on illegal workers.
But with a narrowing of the races to secure the Republican and Democratic nominations ahead of November's general election, the issue could slip lower down the agenda as far as the candidates are concerned, analysts say.
"Looking forward to the general election, it's not that immigration is going to be redefined, it's just going to go away," predicted Steven Camarota, research director of the Center for Immigration Studies think-tank, which advocates reduced immigration.
Sen. John McCain emerged from coast-to-coast "Super Tuesday" nominating contests as the most likely Republican candidate and all but sealed the deal when his nearest rival, Mitt Romney, pulled out on Thursday.
McCain -- viewed as soft on illegal immigration by his conservative critics -- co-sponsored a comprehensive immigration overhaul that was nixed by the Senate in June. His position earned McCain the lasting enmity of many Republican voters who will likely push him to take a harder line.
On the Democratic side, the race is down to Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton, who fought to a virtual draw in the February 5 voting. They both favor measures set out in the failed immigration bill, which sought to combine tougher border security with a path to legal status for many of the 12 million illegal immigrants living in the shadows.
Early Republican front-runner Romney, who ran terse television advertisements promising get-tough measures on illegal immigrants, is now out of the race. Mike Huckabee, who got endorsement from the Minutemen civilian border patrol group, is now seen as extremely unlikely to stop McCain.
"With Romney and Huckabee fading away, you essentially have different flavors of the same proposal," said Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Texas.
TAKING THE MIDDLE GROUND
The question of what to do with millions of illegal immigrants has been a hot-button topic for months in the United States, and consistently ranks among the top three issues for voters, alongside the economy and the war in Iraq.
Many Americans see illegal immigrants as a drain on jobs and resources such as schools and health care. With a recession looming, anti-immigrant feeling may intensify.
Others argue that most work illegal immigrants hard in often low-paid jobs that would otherwise go unfilled.
The candidates who are eventually picked to run for president by each party may try to avoid discussing immigration, although they are unlikely to be successful. When forced to address the issue, they could seek the hitherto elusive middle ground, analysts said.
"Presidential candidates from both parties are going to want to avoid it, and when they can't avoid it, they are going to want to straddle," said Tamar Jacoby, a senior research fellow at the Manhattan Institute think-tank, who supported the bipartisan Senate immigration bill.
"If you go too far in the restrictionist direction it's going to lose you Latinos, if you go too far in the pro-immigration direction, it's going to lose you some backlash voters," she added.
The problem is especially acute for McCain, who needs the votes of his party's strident anti-immigration wing and will be under intense pressure to toughen his position.
The issue is certain to loom large in the race for Congress, where all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs on November 4, as well as 35 Senate seats and 11 state governorships.
"Republicans running for .... Congress and state and local offices, almost all of them are going to run on illegal immigration," said Frank Sharry, of the National Immigration Forum.
"Whereas most Americans think mass deportations are unrealistic and undesirable, there's a significant number of Republicans who think it is a desirable policy."
That’s right, Syncro, but most of them who are pulling up roots (some of these are homeowners who are bolting from the subprime mortgages they owe and have been foreclosed upon) are simply going to other states as is the case from Oklahoma to Texas. Texas and CA have the most illegals in the U.S. CA has probably 15 million, maybe more. Texas and CA are unfortunately liberal states in many ways, run by globalist RINOs who will NEVER crack down on illegals. In fact, some cities in CA—like SF and Oakland—have refused to work with ICE to apprehend illegals. Gov. Ahnold refuses to send in the National Guard. If CA really wants to get rid of its illegals, it will require the Army or National Guard, or both.
But getting back to the point made by Syncro...Illegals WILL self-deport—which is also known as “attrition thru enforcement”. When illegals see their friends being rounded up and their underground community passes the word that ICE is on the way to arrest them. they will leave. Attrition thru enforcement is something that McCain will most likely not continue if elected.
They’re ALREADY “committing crimes”, pandora! Illegals murder or kill in drunk driving accidents 25 Americans each day. It is documented. But the MNM won’t dare state that, not even Lou Dobbs will allow such a statement on his show. Ask Rep. Steve King of Iowa. He knows!
With McCain and Hillary pro-open borders the media won't discuss immigration. It is only an worthy issue when it can hurt Republicans. Since hardcore anti-illegal immigration voters wouldn't vote for McCain it can't be used against him.
It doesn’t look good.
Voter fraud is electing politician more and more
Hey Biblebelter
What’s wrong with having an ego? Are you AFRAID of others’ egos? Pols have egos just like the rest of us.
WRONG! Biblebelter, haven’t you heard of The Constitution Party?
Goldfinch
Actually, a vote for Hillaru or the Obamanation instead of McCain will hurt McCain MORE than simply not voting...If you want to stop McCain, vote against him. Just not voting won’t hurt hims nearly as much.
Only with John Mclaim supporters, and not all of those..
Some of those will grit their teeth to hide their cowardice and lack of principles..
But still be outraged at a drug dealer controlled border..
He’s not MY nominee! Oh, you mean, the nominee for Republicans? Oh...
"Looking forward to the general election, it's not that immigration is going to be redefined, it's just going to go away," Don't bet on it, Paco! Americans still don't want amnesty! We're VERY angry at our government for trying to cram it down our throats!That idiot's name isn't Paco...It's Steven Camarota, research director of the Center for Immigration Studies think-tank, which advocates reduced immigration.These idiots can't seem to understand that we DON'T want to give them amnesty. Not yesterday, today or tomorrow!!!
"Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana, could be the next Ronald Reagan." (638.60 KB pdf file
We need one page of these that are fronts and, one page of these for the backs, that we can print and cut, to fill the prepaid envelopes from the RNC and the ACU.
There will be a price to pay for supporting McCain.
We can vote conservative on Senate and House primary seats, and vote for anyone other than McCain on the Presidential seat, including a democrat in the general election.
The question of what to do with millions of illegal immigrants has been a hot-button topic for months in the United States
CORRECTION: "...The question of what to do with millions of illegal immigrants has been a hot-button topic for YEARS in the United States..." (Especially here in Southern California!)
Re: “often a liberal will sneer and say”
YEP
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1966946/posts?page=85#85
Politicians have made them so at home here, but they resent us natives.
Send ‘em home, skedaddle vamanoose invaders!
Pun intended...
Look at the differences between the immigration bill of 2006 when the GOP controlled Congress and 2007 when the dems took control.
There were changes made to border enforcement, workplace enforcement, amnesty, and the guest worker program.
If the dems expand their control of Congress in November, there will be more changes.
Only in their twisted MSM dreams...
ILLEGAL immigration. UNLAWFUL immigration. ILLICIT immigration.
the issue could slip lower down the agenda as far as the candidates are concerned, analysts say.
Well, the anal-cysts have spoken!
I won't vote for them.
Makes me think it may have been the reason why they had Thompson hang back and just dangle the carrot of 'possibly running'.
They were waiting to see if the anti illegal migration candidates (Hunter especially) gathered any steam and when he did... bang, Thompson finally entered the race. Then as soon as Hunter left the race, so did Thompson.
The people won't forget.
You think? Calling for CPT Obvious on this part.
FR search results for Parkland Hospital
The first two FR threads are:
Parkland Memorial: 70% of the women who gave birth at Parkland were illegals [Posted on 06/17/2007]
My husband is a finish carpenter, he does the same thing. My husband tells me a lot of them are lazy, they leave stuff unfinished and that they are hacks. You’ve got to keep your eyes on everything because you’ll get robbed blind and some of the builders have started putting camera’s in the houses because appliances are getting stolen and other things, such as using closets, tubs and the corners of the basements as a restroom. Also peeing in the a/c vents and fireplaces. Sorry folks, these things did not occur until the invasion took over. BTW, my husband works in $700,000+ homes.
I bet there were Whigs saying the same thing you are, in 1856. Gotta vote for the party that wants to compromise with slavery, otherwise you are just voting for the party of slavery. No thanks. But you enjoy your support of continued socialist encroachment.
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