Illegals haunt McCain

The Hill ^ | 5/21/08 | Jeff Young

[pissant]

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) is backing the renewal of a $250 million-a-year program that will pay illegal immigrants’ hospital bills.

The very idea that McCain is again supporting a program that some view as rewarding illegal immigrants is certain to attract attention from the same conservatives he’s trying to win over for the White House.

The measure, which would reimburse hospitals for the cost of treating illegal immigrants, has broad support from both parties, including from some immigration hardliners and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.).

Even some of McCain’s toughest critics on immigration admit it is a relatively benign program. But McCain’s association with it underscores his rift on immigration with the right wing, which sees him as championing amnesty for illegal immigrants.

“It’s another reminder that he’s ‘Amnesty John,’ ” said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the conservative Center for Immigration Studies, who nevertheless has no major objection to the proposal. “It’s another reminder of his role in promoting not just amnesty but promoting illegal immigration in the first place.”

An aide to McCain said the Arizona Republican stands by his position.

Federal law forbids hospitals from turning anyone away from emergency rooms, regardless of immigration status or ability to pay for care. Hospitals have been complaining for a decade about the increasing financial burden they bear treating illegal immigrants. Congress responded by creating this funding stream in 2003; it is set to expire at the end of the fiscal year.

McCain is not alone in supporting the program. Sens. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), who are illegal immigration hardliners, also support it.

Yet McCain sponsored legislation with Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) that would offer a path to citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants. This damaged his credibility with conservatives, and they do not trust him on the issue.

Though the bill did not pass, many conservatives view the McCain-Kennedy legislation as a black mark on McCain’s record.

McCain adopted a harder stance on the campaign trail as his primary opponents painted him as soft on the issue. Since he emerged from the field as the GOP’s presumptive nominee, McCain has steered clear of immigration whenever possible.

Some staunch immigration reformers detest the hospital-funding program as a giveaway to lawbreakers. Conservatives like Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) maintain that hospitals should be required to ask patients about their immigration status to identify people in the country illegally.

The hospital industry and many lawmakers, especially those from border states, say the funding is critical to keep the facilities open. Hospitals and ambulance services in Southwest border states provided more than $200 million in free emergency care to illegal immigrants in 2000, according to a study commissioned by Congress.

[Das Outsider]

The very idea that McCain is again supporting a program that some view as rewarding illegal immigrants is certain to attract attention from the same conservatives he’s trying to win over for the White House.

By the way, how is that whole winning over the conservatives thing going, Team McCain?

McCain's date with La Raza

[AuntB]

LOL!

The News about Tomorrow’s News Making Show!

May 21, 2008 | Posted at 5:40 PM

Ellen has an incredible show for you tomorrow. Her interview with Senator John McCain may even make some news. Here she is to tell you all about it.
http://ellen.warnerbros.com/

[Das Outsider]

Ellen has an incredible show for you tomorrow. Her interview with Senator John McCain may even make some news. Here she is to tell you all about it.

It should be a great show--for me to hear about later from someone who could stomach watching it. ;)

I will be interested to know how many questions for McCain originated from the Ellen site link.

[Bobalu]

Since federal law forces the Hospitals to care for the illegals then the federal gov should at least foot the bill!
(250mil does NOT cover the bill)
Hospitals should be exempted from the rules mandating care. Charity hospitals used to exist in large number...they can again. 20 bed wards and all...

[pissant]

Change the law then

[Travis McGee]

This is the man John McCain chose to be his "Hispanic Outreach Director." Hernandez is a self-certified traitor. Born in Dallas, he decided as an adult to become a dual-national Mexican citizen. His last "real" job was serving on Mexican President Vicente Fox's cabinet as his "American Reconquista Director." After that gig ran out, he worked (sic) for George Soros funded internationalist foundations, like the one that published his new book.

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." When McCain was asked about this choice, 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 a new Benedict Arnold.

[indcons]

LMAO. How many posting points for an entire vanity thread, BTW?

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

LMAO. How many posting points for an entire vanity thread, BTW?

The reward, in that particular instance, involves a personal visit from McCain, himself; a feathered boa; and the theme to A Summer Place. ;)

[ChildOfThe60s]

But McCain’s association with it underscores his rift on immigration with the right wing, which sees him as championing amnesty for illegal immigrants.

We don't "see" anything. We KNOW it. For God's sake, the man sponsored blanket amnesty and benefits for 15 million ILLEGAL ALIENS, and millions more of their relatives that have yet to sneak over the border. There is no interpretation required.

[fetal heart beats by 21st day]

McCain is trying to win us over? I hadn’t noticed.

[freekitty]

I still say we should scrap McLame for Michael Steele.

[sheana]

I have a better idea. EVERY citizen who visits any hospital should just tell them....I have no social security # and am illegal. You would hear the doctors and hospitals screaming for things to change when they had to eat that many bills.

[ArcadeQuarters]

Is he aware that some American citizens don’t have health insurance? Couldn’t that quarter billion be better spent elsewhere?

[TigersEye]

Si se puede!

[Liz]

McCain better understand the obstacles to his winning are Lieberman, Hernandez, Giuliani and Kristols--pere et fils---who have a death grip on his campaign. Their elitist contempt for conservatives is palpable. There can be no dialogue unless McC dumps these conservative-hating elites.

============================================

LET US COUNT THE WAYS JUAN IS A LOSER

Phony Joey Lieberman lied his way into office---he took a poll so he knew pro-life votes were there for the taking. Lieberman calculatedly told religious pro-life leaders, he would be good on abortion (as opposed to pro-abortion incumbent Weicker). When Lieberman got in w/ pro-life votes, he showed his true colors, becoming the Senate's most ardent abortion facilitator---voting six separate times for p/b abortion.

Billy Kristol's daddy, Irving, was Giuliani's foreign policy adviser. The Kristols were forced to drop their first choice---when RINO Rudy tanked like a deadweight down a 300 ft cistern. B/c these people have a total lack of principles---they joined up with the perfect partner for the unprincipled----McCain.

Shortstuff Billy Kristol (Fox pundit) and his daddy are cheerleaders for the current admin's most destructive polices----including the failed amnesty provisions and trillions of dollars bleeding into the Mideast hellhopes and into the pockets of war profiteers.

These people are a shadow government intent on destroying the political process and removing the conservatism they abhor---they are obsessed with religious cleansing of the Repub party and kicking conservatives to the curb. Billy Kristol and his daddy are in that nauseating group of big-government globalists that include Lieberman, Giuliani and Hernandez.

Daddy Kristol announced the shape of things to come, and I quote: "The historical task and political purpose of neoconservatism would seem to be.....to convert the Republican Party and American conservatism in general, against their respective wills, into a new kind of conservative politics suitable to governing a modern democracy."

[TADSLOS]

McCain already explicitly told us the 'lesson' he learned about illegal immigration - that "we need comprehensive reform".

LOL! So, McCain is true to his word. He is setting about to comprehensively "reform" the republican party by remaining an advocate for not only illegals but protecting the global citizenship of polar bears as well. Next up, comprehensive homo nuptial reform. Whatever it takes to bring in those votes.

[Ben Ficklin]

Some people can't distinguish between the problem and a symptom of the problem.

In earlier times the problems/costs of illegal immigration fell disproportionately on the border states. These medical costs are but one example.

When the congressional delegations from the border states tried to get Congress to reimburse the border states, they would be unsuccessful.

But, as the illegals began to spread out to other parts of the nation, other states began to have the problems/costs also.

Thus, as the article points out, in 1993 Congress passed legislation to reimburse(partially) the states.

So while you may think it is significant that McCain(border state) supports this, in reality, the significance is that enough congressmen from non-border states passed this in 1993.

BTW, if you are interested in knowing, it was Kyl, with the help of Bush, who got the legislation thru Congress in 1993.

[Ben Ficklin]

"Change the law then"

Some people make their argument based on "the way things ought to be"

[TADSLOS]

Some people make their argument based on "the way things ought to be"

Yeah, kinda like those loons from way back- The Founding Fathers. What the hell were they thinking? Too bad McCain, little billy Kristol and the Chamber of Commerce weren't around then to set them straight.

[mad_as_he$$]

This is a typical McCain move. Backing a program that is too small to do anything good and sticking a finger in the eye of conservatives at the same time. $250 million will not even pay for ER services to illegals in Los Angeles. Pitiful.