Posted on 03/03/2008 1:21:43 PM PST by Milltownmalbay
For the most part, the Republican presidential candidates tried to play the "immigration" card — one that may backfire come November.
Only John McCain was willing to take a gentler approach to immigration and thank God he’s the last man standing. CNN and the liberal media were all too willing to let the Republicans continue their suicidal plunge on immigration.
Meanwhile, the New York Post recently featured a column by Geraldo Rivera decrying the impact of the immigration debate on the Republican Party: freefall in the polls among Latino voters. President Bush carried 45 percent of the Latino vote in 2004.
The number plunged during the 2006 midterm elections and prominent opponents to immigration suffered devastating defeats, including Rep. J. D. Hayworth from Arizona. Meanwhile, support for the Republican Party has plunged to about 21 percent among Latinos.
The problem is even worse when we consider that the Latinos are the fastest growing demographic in the country and will grow in electoral influence throughout this century. Concurrently, continuing anti-immigrant rhetoric will continue to cost Republicans among this important group of voters.
Does this mean that the Republican Party should allow open borders and turn a blind eye to illegal immigration? Obviously not, but that does not mean that immigration should figure so prominently in the Republican platform.
Perhaps President Bush’s approach to the abortion issue could serve as a blueprint. President Bush does not speak about abortion. When asked about the issue, he is less than articulate. Yet he has done more to advance the pro-life cause than any other president, including the most eloquent defender of human life Ronald Reagan.
Pro-life voters can thank President Bush for the partial-birth abortion ban, the Unborn Victims Protection Act, as well as judges Roberts and Alito. In 2004, they did: 23 percent of the people who voted for Bush were single-issue pro-life voters. Meanwhile, there was little or no rhetoric to energize pro-abortion voters.
The same approach should be used for immigration.
A Republican presidential campaign should say very little about immigration. A Republican president could order the Justice Department to enforce the law while publicly advocating more legal immigration. Republicans should quietly enforce the law and loudly argue for greater quotas and a streamlined, less bureaucratic system to enable legal immigration. Likewise, Republicans could put in place a more aggressive program to help Americanize and mainstream immigrants.
Republicans will never have an opportunity to lead on this issue or any other if they do not tone down the rhetoric, however. Eroding Republican support among Latino voters threatens to freeze Republicans into minority status for another 50 years. Perhaps nothing underscores this point more than CNN’s eagerness to ask Republican candidates about immigration during the debates.
Rev. Michael P. Reilly is assistant principal at St. Joseph by the Sea High School in Staten Island, New York.
This guy is an ignorant disingenuous turd. All this justification of the McCain folly. What a joker.
Hispanics that are legal immigrants want border control just as much as citizens who were born and raised in this country.
Anyone who refuses to acknowledge the difference between legal and illegal immigration is a crook.
Just another liberal Catholic “Father” looking to pad the membership rolls.
Hand in hand, this bipartisan effort paved the way for the future of the Republican party.
Fixed it
From my understanding, Hayworth lost to a Dem who claimed to be more anti-illegal immigration than he was. Also, all the anti-illegal ballot measures in the state (AZ) passed easily (as in some Democrats and independents voted for them as well, based on the numbers). Also, Hayworth claimed a bunch of lefty college kids registered in his county (despite not being residents) specifically to vote against him (and defeat him). Liberals love to point to J.D. Hayworth's loss to shore up their weak arguments for illegals, but they never ever mention those other facts (especially the ballot measures), and I'm sick to death of it.
It's still funny to me some tards gave Geraldo a book deal out of an argument that I bet most people would side with O'Reilly on. Geraldo got beat like a rented mule in that spot, it was awesome.
STOP coming into OUR nation and demanding free medical care, education, housing, and other benefits that taxpaying US citizens provide.
STOP jumping the line in front of immigrants from 180+ other nations that want to come here legally.
STOP demanding "rights" when you have none here. You don't pay taxes, you are not citizens.
STOP voting if you are not a citizen. That is another law you are breaking.
STOP crossing the border when you are 9 months pregnant in order to squat in a US hospital and demand your child be an "anchor baby" so you and your uncles, aunts, and cousins can come to the US.
STOP committing crimes in the US that are off the charts. Illegals are responsible for more crime in certain states than any other group.
I will never vote for McKennedy, and I am fed up with article such as this one.
What the Republican Party needs is for all the conservative Christians to stay home in November and see the GOP get killed. Let Hillary/Obama socialism take everything they can from the country club Republicans...hike their income taxes to that old 70% level, sock them with more in capital gains and inheritance taxes, let Robin Hoodism buy the votes of the poor against the rich as Chavez has done in Venezuela. Then maybe these blue-nosed complainers would appreciate the “good old days” when they actually were able to win elections with Reagan’s conservatives.
Spoken like a true liberal about a fellow liberal!
Why am I not surprised, the catholic church, not catholics, but the church hierarchy, has been nothing but open borders.
“McCain” and “prayer” in the same sentence! That’s a hoot!
Where is the “Barf Alert?”
McCain and the Republican Party are dead in my eyes. Funny thing I just received a letter from the RNC asking if I had abandoned the Republican Party.
The party has abandoned me. I refuse to send donations to an organisation that supports the likes of McCain and Spector and the rest of the RINO’s.
If I’m going to get the Axe,I’d rather get it from my enemy than the party I am supporting.
I’ll take the risk with Obama or the Witch.
Amnesty by any other name, is still a Bad F***in' Idea.
And I am really starting to develop an anti-Catholic sentiment with the ongoing and open Catholic support for illegal immigration that frequently includes openly and flagrantly breaking US laws regarding immigration.
I’m still not voting for him.
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