Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Lose and Learn (A Nativist Campaign Failed to Save the Hassert Seat)
Wall Street Journal ^ | 11 March 2008 | Editorial Staff

Posted on 03/11/2008 5:46:35 PM PDT by shrinkermd

Democrat Bill Foster won the Illinois House seat occupied for more than two decades by former Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert, who retired before the end of his term. The result shows that Democrats not only have political enthusiasm on their side but that Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who endorsed Mr. Foster, is a campaign asset down ballot, at least in his home state.

...To his credit, Mr. Oberweis did talk about lower taxes, smaller government and other Republican themes. But as in his past campaigns, the issue he hit hardest was illegal immigration. One of his infamous Senate ads featured Mr. Oberweis in a helicopter over Soldier Field complaining that the number of illegal immigrants who enter the U.S. every day could fill the stadium in a week.

Mr. Foster called for comprehensive reform that includes a path to citizenship for illegals and deflected his opponent's over-the-top rhetoric by reminding voters that a subcontractor at one of Mr. Oberweis's ice cream shops was caught employing illegal immigrants.

Republicans such as Mr. Oberweis remain convinced that illegal immigration is a winning issue. And if the electorate were comprised mostly of Internet screechers and cable news anchors, they might be right. But the fact that Mr. McCain, the Presidential candidate most closely associated with immigration tolerance, has outlasted Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee and other immigration hardliners, should be an indication that other issues are foremost in the minds of even GOP voters.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections; US: Illinois
KEYWORDS: gopcoup; illegalimmigration; issue; nativism; oberweis; republican; rinos
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-34 next last
Nativism is defined as the policy of protecting the interests of native inhabitants against those of immigrants. It is a deeply held and emotional belief that brooks no argument. Unfortunately, it has left a trail of broken Republican candidates who trued to ride this wave of resentment.
1 posted on 03/11/2008 5:46:41 PM PDT by shrinkermd
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: shrinkermd

I’m just sick of overused terms like nativism and protectionism. They’ve become catch all phrases to be used as a weapon against a pretty wide range of perceived enemies.


2 posted on 03/11/2008 5:51:31 PM PDT by cripplecreek (Voting CONSERVATIVE in memory of 5 children killed by illegals 2/17/08 and 2/19/ 08)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: shrinkermd

Not a very convincing analysis.


3 posted on 03/11/2008 5:53:03 PM PDT by Free Vulcan (Don't think I can vote for you John, I'm feelin' like a maverick.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: shrinkermd

WSJ Editors are the biggest bunch of elitist Country Club RINO’s to ever exist. They are the Open Borders Gang.
It’s my understanding that the Candidate himself is a tried and true Loser all around.
That’s how we ended up with McQueeg.


4 posted on 03/11/2008 5:53:17 PM PDT by acapesket (never had a vote count in all my years here)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Free Vulcan

Then, find me one, just one, Republican who won their election voicing nativist sentiments as their principal issue.


5 posted on 03/11/2008 5:54:58 PM PDT by shrinkermd
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: shrinkermd

Steve King, IA. He’s been as outspoken as anyone on the issue.


6 posted on 03/11/2008 5:58:13 PM PDT by Free Vulcan (Don't think I can vote for you John, I'm feelin' like a maverick.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: shrinkermd

My congressman took the seat away from RINO Joe Schwarz in the last election. Schwarz was one of McQueeg’s Main Street Soros puppet buddies. My new congressman was endorsed by the Minuteman PAC.


7 posted on 03/11/2008 5:59:26 PM PDT by cripplecreek (Voting CONSERVATIVE in memory of 5 children killed by illegals 2/17/08 and 2/19/ 08)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Free Vulcan

Steve King, IA. He’s been as outspoken as anyone on the issue.

________________________________________

And now he’s got a bullseye on his back. They’ll target him for sure next time around.


8 posted on 03/11/2008 6:00:19 PM PDT by soupcon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: shrinkermd

This is a weakly reasoned editorial (at best premature). Even the locals haven’t figured things out. http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/835763,2_1_AU11_14THDIST_S1.article

No mention of illegal immigration there but I guess the WSJ editorial board is more in tune with Illinois 14th district local politics than the 14th district Republicans.


9 posted on 03/11/2008 6:01:07 PM PDT by loungeSerf (If the theatre is on fire it's ok to shout Fire!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: acapesket

remember the WSJ news coverage is MORE liberal than the NYT.


10 posted on 03/11/2008 6:02:10 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: soupcon
And now he’s got a bullseye on his back. They’ll target him for sure next time around.

Voting for someone "they" won't target does exactly what?
11 posted on 03/11/2008 6:03:19 PM PDT by cripplecreek (Voting CONSERVATIVE in memory of 5 children killed by illegals 2/17/08 and 2/19/ 08)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: shrinkermd
Wins Going Away, Every Time

PS....if the Bush family weren't actively engaging in intimidation tactics against any anti-illegal immigration candidate, a lot more would win. Just ask my friend Randy Graf of Arizona. What they did to him should have made GW and his Daddy persona non-grata in the party for eternity.

12 posted on 03/11/2008 6:04:32 PM PDT by Regulator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: shrinkermd

I guess the GOP would have held the seat if our candidate had advocated open borders. (rolls eyes)

BTW, can you name a presidential election in which the majority of the Hispanic vote has gone Republican, or can you name a congressional district with a Hispanic majority that elects Republicans, other than the Cuban districts in Florida?

If you can’t, then why do you think the GOP will benefit from inviting millions and millions of additional immigrants from south of the border into our nation?


13 posted on 03/11/2008 6:06:10 PM PDT by puroresu (Enjoy ASIAN CINEMA? See my Freeper page for recommendations (updated!).)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: shrinkermd

The guy who took down Gilchrist was not shy about this issue either.


14 posted on 03/11/2008 6:07:36 PM PDT by MSF BU (++)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Regulator

The GOP sure didn’t make it any easier for Tim Walberg to win here. Backing the incumbent RINO was expected but when Walberg won they never bothered to back him against the democrat. Fortunately Walberg won anyway.


15 posted on 03/11/2008 6:10:42 PM PDT by cripplecreek (Voting CONSERVATIVE in memory of 5 children killed by illegals 2/17/08 and 2/19/ 08)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: shrinkermd; BillyBoy; TheRightGuy; chicagolady

Illinois has become skewed as Democrat as New England states.

Peoria doesn’t play the same way as America, anymore.


16 posted on 03/11/2008 6:12:47 PM PDT by unspun (Mike Huckabee: Government's job is "protect us, not have to provide for us." Duncan Hunter knows.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: shrinkermd

but I will concede that if it’s their only issue, and they are hypocrites on it like this guy, they’ll probably lose. a strong immigration stance as a sole issue won’t carry your campaign.


17 posted on 03/11/2008 6:17:23 PM PDT by Free Vulcan (Don't think I can vote for you John, I'm feelin' like a maverick.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: shrinkermd

WOT and taxes are the key issues this election cycle. Securing borders are important too, but kicking out illigals already here is very unrealistic and impossible to attempt as well as inhuman to achieve. It’ll only give ammunition to the REAL psycho leftists to color us as demented.


18 posted on 03/11/2008 6:20:50 PM PDT by parisa
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: puroresu

I’m coming more and more to the opinion that the American public is full of idiots. Why these people vote without even knowing what a candidate stands for is beyond me, yet they do it over and over again.

There are general trends you can note, but very rarely does the public seem to have a firm grasp of the issues. I can’t tell you how many idiots I’ve come across who voted for Huckabee or Obama because there were “good, honest men.” These same people were subsequently clueless as to what they stood for.

*rolls eyes*

Expect this trend to continue.


19 posted on 03/11/2008 6:23:17 PM PDT by CaspersGh0sts
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: longtermmemmory

Their editorial board however is relatively Hawkish except that they worry too much about who is going to do the lawnwork at the Hampton’s summer manse and how much it’s going to cost.
They are elitist cheap bastards.


20 posted on 03/11/2008 6:23:29 PM PDT by acapesket (never had a vote count in all my years here)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-34 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson