Posted on 02/28/2008 8:34:27 PM PST by levotb
WARNING TO CONSERVATIVES!!! When the AP quotes Open Borders moll Tamar Jacoby, Arlen Specter, RINO/Bushie/McCainite Charlie Black as saying McCain is "looking strong" or good on immigration" and no conservatives or anti-Invasion advocates or experts are quoted in the [following] story, you know the fix is in! McCain is on a major media effort to try to make conservatives like him enough to vote for him and he knows he's in deep trouble. So he's going to try to pull the wool over our eyes by saying he's going to get tough on the Border--if elected. What he WON'T discuss and what this [idiot] writer conveniently didn't ask McCain was, "What do you plan on doing about the 30-40 million illegals in the U.S. now?" What this [idiot] writer also refused to ask McCain or these hack RINO McCainites was "Hasn't [McCain] said only that he wants to rid the country of illegal alien GANG MEMBERS, est. at 125,000-200,000...and not the 30-40 million illegals [who are] not affiliated with gangs?"
Talk about a puff piece on McCain! Here it is, folks: ******************************************************** McCain Retools Immigration Stance By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS Associated Press February 28, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) -- John McCain faces a dilemma on immigration as he works to persuade conservatives he's tough enough on the issue without erasing his historic appeal to Hispanic voters. Once a crusader for offering the nation's roughly 12 million undocumented immigrants a way to get legal status, McCain now says his first priority is fortifying U.S. borders.
The metamorphosis reflects McCain's intensifying effort to consolidate his support among conservatives, who deride the Arizona senator's past proposals on immigration as offering amnesty to lawbreakers, and bitterly resent his work with Democrats, including Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, on the issue.
Coming off a primary season where his immigration stance was seen as a major liability and GOP opponents hammered him for having an overly permissive approach, McCain is remaking his image with an eye toward the general election.
If he goes too far in the other direction, though, he could alienate the Hispanic voters who he's counting on to siphon support from a Democratic rival in states like Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and to be competitive in California.
''He's focusing on enforcement, and in this community, enforcement means deportation, and that means separating more families, and more racial profiling and more of the incredible hardship that is affecting not just immigrants, but native-born Latinos,'' said Cecilia Munoz of the National Council of La Raza.
McCain infuriated the Republican base when he teamed with GOP moderates like Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. and Democrats led by Kennedy in 2006 to push legislation -- with strong backing from President Bush -- that would have given illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. That measure died after the House, then dominated by conservatives, passed a bill that dealt only with border security and refused to consider provisions to address undocumented workers who are already in the United States.
The bipartisan group tried again last year -- but this time, McCain kept his distance from the negotiations as he campaigned for president. He rarely showed up for the marathon round of meetings where the plan was shaped and seldom spoke publicly on the effort until a deal had been cut.
That bill, too, ultimately died in the Senate after being branded as amnesty by conservatives and condemned as too punitive by liberals.
Listen to McCain's speeches or look on his campaign web site now, and there's little mention of the fight to give illegal immigrants a way to stay in the U.S. lawfully. He instead emphasizes border security -- the catch phrase of conservatives who scorned his earlier proposals.
It's a difference of emphasis, not a change in stance, Republican strategists say.
''He's in an excellent place with conservatives who are concerned about immigration, because his position -- that he'll secure the border first and have that security certified by the border-state governors, and then we'll go back and deal with the 12 million -- seems to have satisfied most people,'' said Charlie Black, a McCain adviser.
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''He says, 'Look, we got the message -- the American people do not trust us when we say we'll secure the border,''' Black added.
McCain told congressional Republicans in a closed-door meeting recently that he had been badly bruised by his push for immigration reform and had learned the hard way that sealing the border should be his priority.
Republicans who support McCain say he has no choice but to abandon his past approach on immigration in favor of one that causes less consternation among conservatives virulently opposed to providing undocumented people with legal status.
''What kind of an idiot can't figure out the route that you took didn't work? You don't keep charging the center line when you're getting your head bashed in, and John was on this,'' said former Sen. Trent Lott, R- Miss.
Persuading Republicans that he can be trusted on immigration has been a slow process for McCain, and it's not over yet, Lott added. ''I don't know if they're happy yet, but they'll get happier.''
Specter predicted that immigration, a main theme of the Republican primaries, wouldn't have much influence on the broader presidential race, and that GOP voters -- even those angry about McCain's immigration stance -- ultimately will turn out to support him.
''I think conservatives will, because the alternative of either Senator Obama or Senator Clinton will persuade Republicans of all political views to support McCain,'' Specter said.
Tamar Jacoby, who has worked with McCain on immigration overhaul efforts, said he has positioned himself well on the issue, taking the get-tough stance the party faithful espouse while stopping short of repudiating a broader solution that could address the legal status of those who are already here illegally.
''McCain is promising conservatives to do what conservatives most want done, which is to secure the border. Does that mean he will never go further than that to rationalize the system? No, but he doesn't have to say that,'' said Jacoby, the president of ImmigrationWorks USA, a coalition pushing for a broad overhaul.
McCain has won re-election in Arizona with large majorities of Latino voters. He has drawn backing from 45 percent of Hispanic Republicans this year -- slightly better than the 39 percent support he got from whites -- according to exit polls from 22 states that have held Republican primaries.
Only one in five Republicans name illegal immigration as the country's top problem, half the number who name the economy but about the same proportion as those who named Iraq. But fewer than three in 10 of those have voted for McCain this year, his worst showing based on issues that concern GOP voters.
''He is obviously aware of where the base is on this issue,'' said Sara Taylor, a former top political aide to Bush. ''His challenge is bridging a communications gap that the base perceives they have with him.''
At the same time, Taylor said, McCain's position on immigration has a silver lining for Republicans: ''His stance and the way he's communicated it potentially puts a state like California in play.''
Hispanic voters there and elsewhere, though, are listening with concern to the same change in tone that has gained McCain points with the GOP base.
''His rhetoric has absolutely shifted, and people have noticed,'' said Munoz of La Raza, ''He's going to have to figure out a way to talk to this community.''
That’s why I initially liked Hunter. What a waste. Maybe he will grow into it. One can always hope.
Who’s he trying to fool? Does he think we conservatives don’t have a thing called ‘memory’? Does he think we forgot that he and Ted Kennedy tried to cram their Shamnesty bill down our throats?
“My friends, we will close that border, like I promised. We just don’t have the money to do it right now, my friends. And, the millions that are already here? Well, my friends, we can’t deport them - you know. One of them might be a soldier’s mama. So, my friends - you had all better learn to speak the new official language of this country: Spanish.”
Charlie Black is delusional.
Me: “I now support John McCain for President of the United States. He has proven that he is tough on the border issues and will stand up for the rights of LEGAL American citizens and those that are ILLEGAL will be dealt with according to the laws of this land.”
John McCain tomorrow: “I denounce the hateful rhetoric that has been spoken by Uptoolate. This campaign will not tolerate support from people such as these.”
NYT headline: “McCain’s Biggest Support Comes From The Left”
Given the announcement yesterday that the “virtual fence” is a failure and probably won’t be fixed and in place for three years I think it’s obvious that SITTING SENATOR McCain has no intention of closing the border.
Specter speaks from experience!! President Bush & the party campaigned for him. He won. He stabs the President & the party every chance he gets to thank them for the favor! (remind you of anyone whose name is John McCain)??
We might look stupid Mr Specter - but you might be in for a surprise this time.
The old line - conservatives have no place to go -- so they'll cave in - line up to vote like they always have.
Ever heard of the straw that broke the camel's back??
If not - stick around.
AMNESTY or a REAL fence ???
That is the question ....
Whether tis better to have a “pathway to citizenship” for the 30,000,000 illegal aliens, or to listen to the pleas of the American citizens...
“McCain Now Trying To Woo Conservatives By Talking “Border Security”
OMG what is next, Hillary waxing poetic on ethics? Bill giving speeches on the wonders of monogamy? Hussein giving speeches on the joys of living in a capitalistic society?
Build a wall and throw out the illegals. Is that so frigging hard to understand?
Little will change on border and illegal immigration control no matter who is elected, and that includes the “dream” candidates like Fred and Hunter. If you haven’t figured that out yet, you haven’t been paying attention.
Not that I like the guy much, but he does say now that the people have spoken and he gets it, we want our borders secured. That is how it should work, so maybe he does get it.
The "New American Pioneers" proclaimed in his book are the illegal alien invaders he urges to become settlers in the USA. Hernandez believes all Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in the USA should become dual citizens and consider themselves Mexicans first, "to the 8th generation." He believes there should be no border at all between Mexico and the USA, ever.
And this is the man McCain chose for his "Hispanic Outreach Director." In the past week McCain was asked about this choice, and he said he chose Hernandez because he agrees with his positions. If so, McCain is supporting invasion and reconquista.
Then I read our Constitution, Article 4 Section 4, where it says the federal government MUST protect the states from invasion, and I can only conclude one thing: John McCain is our new Benedict Arnold.
"In his own words: McCain’s radical Hispanic outreach director Juan Hernandez on youtube"
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/01/27/in-his-own-words-mccains-hispanic-outreach-director-preaches-open-borders/
No sale pal.
More pandering from an oportunist.
Really Juan? Wonder why that is? Could it be that you not only supported Open Borders and Amnesty, BUT were in fact spearheading this effort thru back-room deals in the middle of the night with one of your good buds, Ted "The Swimmer" Kennedy---the other being John "The Snake" Kerry.
And now, you've got one of the biggest Hispandering, pro-Mexican, Anti-American, poltroons (Juan Hernandez) working on your campaign. Gee, that really speaks volumes about your sincerity and objectives.
I remember one of your quotes not long ago, (paraphrasing) "Judge me by the company I keep."
Enough said???
And then what?
What a pitiful selection we have..........of the 3+ millions of people in this country, these are the only 3 we can come up with...?
I'm sick...(wishing Duncan Hunter were still viable!)
WARNING TO CONSERVATIVES!!! ... Open Borders moll ...RINO/Bushie/McCainite ... these hack RINO McCainites ...
I assume that isn't really a GOP website? lol.
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