Posted on 05/22/2008 11:46:28 PM PDT by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle
First, my friends, a reminder of what was printed right here on January 23, 2008:
After spearheading a disastrous, security-undermining illegal alien amnesty bill last year with Teddy Kennedy, “straight-talking” GOP Sen. John McCain claims he has seen the light. In TV appearances, he vows to put immigration enforcement first. On the campaign trail, he offers a perfunctory promise to strengthen border security and emphasizes the need to restore Americans’ trust in their government’s ability to defend the homeland.
“I got the message,” he told voters in South Carolina. “We will secure the borders first.”
But how can McCain cure citizens’ distrust when his own credibility on the issue remains fatally damaged? He doesn’t believe his own election-year spin. And he knows we know it. This is cynicism on steroids with a speedball chaser.
Not all of us have forgotten how the short-fused Arizona senator cursed good-faith opponents in his own party (“F**k you!” and “Chickensh*t” were the choice words he had for Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn during a spat over enforcement provisions). Not all of us have forgotten that he voted against barring felons from receiving amnesty benefits under his plan. Not all of us have forgotten the underhanded, debate-sabotaging manner in which McCain/Kennedy/Graham/Harry Reid conspired to ram their package down voters’ throats.
His admission of the shamnesty failure is grudging and bitter. While he now tells conservative voters what they want to hear about the need to build the southern border fence, he takes a contemptuous tone toward physical barriers when talking to businessmen. “By the way, I think the fence is least effective,” he told executives in Milwaukee, according to a recent Vanity Fair profile. “But I’ll build the goddamned fence if they want it.” Straight talk? Try hate talk.
For all his supposed, newfound enlightenment about what most Americans want—protection against invasion, commitment to the rule of law, meaningful employer sanctions, an end to sanctuary cities, enforcement-by-attrition plus deportation reform, and an end to special illegal alien benefits that invite more law-breaking–The Maverick remains a Geraldo Rivera Republican. Like the ethnocentric cable TV host who can’t string a sentence about immigration together without drowning in emotional demagoguery, McCain naturally resorts to open-borders platitudes when pressed for enforcement specifics.
And, now, straight from the campaign trail with Arnold “Move Left” Schwarzenegger, McCain has shed every last pretense that he “got the message” from grass-roots immigration enforcement proponents and is back to his full, open-borders shamnesty push. No surprise to any of you. But his complete regression back to the “comprehensive immigration reform” euphemism is a notable milestone.
Also, you don’t need to guess anymore how he would have voted on the Feinstein/Craig illegal alien farmworker amnesty:
Republican presidential candidate John McCain joined Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in calling today for comprehensive immigration reform, including guest worker visas to bring employees to California’s Silicon Valley and the state’s vast agricultural fields.
The two men brought up the issue at McCain’s prompting during a global competitiveness roundtable featuring California technology executives and entrepreneurs.
Asked by Silicon Valley panelists on what he would do to grant more visa for skilled technology workers, McCain broadly advocated the comprehensive immigration reform plan he had backed with Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy in Congress.
The same issue brought McCain intense criticism during the Republican presidential primary from conservatives who assailed him as soft on illegal immigration and an advocate of amnesty.
But today McCain, the now presumptive GOP presidential nominee, said an immigration program is needed that protects America’s borders and national security. While he called for punishing employers who hire illegal immigrants, he also advocated a humane approach that treats illegal workers as “God’s children.”
McCain said they should be allowed to seek legal status in a “humane and comprehensive fashion” through a program “they can count on and trust.”
Responding to a question about so-called H1-B visas for Silicon Valley workers, McCain said: “We have to attract the best and brightest minds. It isn’t just H1-B visas. In our agricultural sector, they can’t find workers as well. We need a temporary agriculture (worker) program.”
Schwarzenegger echoed McCain’s remarks after the Arizona senator asked his opinion on the topic.
“We need to change the system. All this is part of a comprehensive immigration reform. You can’t piecemeal this thing,” Schwarzenegger said.
While the governor said, “securing the border is extremely important” to California he added: “You have to have the courage to do this kind of immigration reform so we can bring people into this country legally.”
Schwarzenegger said he supported a pathway to legal status so that more people can have “legal drivers licenses” and “everyone would have bank accounts…and there would be background checks so that there would be no criminal element in this country.”
Same old, same old about sham background checks.
They’ve learned nothing. Nada. Zippo. How about you?
***
More from the NYT:
“Senator Kennedy and I tried very hard to get immigration reform, a comprehensive plan, through the Congress of the United States,” he said. “It is a federal responsibility and because of our failure as a federal obligation, we’re seeing all these various conflicts and problems throughout our nation as different towns, cities, counties, whatever they are, implement different policies and different programs which makes things even worse and even more confusing.”
He added: “I believe we have to secure our borders, and I think most Americans agree with that, because it’s a matter of national security. But we must enact comprehensive immigration reform. We must make it a top agenda item if we don’t do it before, and we probably won’t, a little straight talk, as of January 2009.”
The charlatan who is Mike Huckabee is the main reason that FTD is not our nominee and John McCain is.
Huckabee latched on to the “Fair tax” and got many even here on this board to believe him sincere, even though his past governorship showed no fiscal restraint, let alone any desire to change the tax apparatus of the state.
But it was a item he used with gullible people along with his cut and paste immigration policy taken straight from National Review.
Now as he is jockeying to be McCain’s VP, the Huckster will never mention the “Fair tax” again, as he is only interested in being McCain’s chosen one.
So IMO, Huck the weasel and the “Fair tax” gave us John McCain.
“But Obama would be opposed by the Republicans in congress”
Sure — that and a dollar won’t get you a cup of coffee.
Look at the recent Republican losses. If Obama wins, he will also have a Dem majority in Congress, possibly even a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.
Obama and the Dem Congress will have NOTHING standing in their way to implement their far left anti-American agenda, including stuffing the courst with leftist activist judges, and all Republicans will be able to do is whine, because they won’t be able to mount any kind of effective opposition.
They would do irreparable damage to the country.
As for Carter, he did irreparable damage to the country. If it hadn’t been for Carter, we would have a pro-US government in Iran, instead of the Ayatollas who are sending “insurgents” to Iraq to kill our soldiers, intend to nuke Israel and us.
I know there will be a Dem majority in Congress - but they will still have to debate their legislation and that brings it to the attention of the public and the moderate Dems. With McCain in office, the Rs won’t bother to oppose the liberal legislation, but with Obama - they will. Look at the recent amnesty provisions in the war funding bill. Those 4 were taken out due to public response - initiated by conservative opposition in the Senate.
McCain will also have a Dem congress to pass his liberal legislation with. I’d rather that be tied to the Dems’ reputation and not hailed as ‘bipartisan’ or even worse, tarnishing the GOP even more.
Carter was bad and did temporary damage. But we did get Reagan after him and the economic problems were fixed. Once McCain screws up the country, where will we turn then? The GOP will be tarnished and people will associate the problems with it.
You are under the incorrect premise that McCain will somehow govern as a conservative. Bush didn’t. McCain is to the far left of Bush. Being in denial doesn’t change that.
I wonder if he really is a roofing contractor. I just had my roof replaced my wife says Mexicans came to do it. I am away in Iraq, I wasnt too happy about it. If I had been there I wouldve asked the contractor if he was using illegals. I paid 1700, I wouldve went to 2500. this is not a big house either.
I got the meaning of that graphic, good job, I was about to explain it to him.
Dang girl, yer pretty hardline on them folks.
FTD is why FTD isnt the candidate, he didnt act like he wanted it. I agree between huck,romney,mcain,rooty, ftd was by far better. but the best ones are Hunter and Tancredo.
LOL (laughing to keep from crying)
I didn't like Dole either. I hated the fact that we let the Dems and the media pick our candidate for us (and it looks like they got us again).
At least Dole had enough class to resign his seat in the Senate when he ran for the Presidency. If all three of the current Senators running would do the same, we'd be rid of at least two of them in January....a net plus!
I will be voting for Obama in the hopes that he throws black folks a bone and runs the illegals out.
After thinking about it for a few hours, I've decided to make the change. Thanks for the idea!
bump
I think that the WORST possible message Conservatives can send to the Republican Party is NOT to vote -— because then they can say that “Conservatives don’t matter, don’t care — or don’t exist”.
Voting for McCain and just going along with the program, is just as bad for the same reasons because it can also be interpreted as “we don’t care, don’t matter and are just willing to go along with corruption of Conservative principles”.
Voting for Obama also says that we either don’t exist or have become “converts to Socialism”.
If we want to make a point, we MUST find a a way to be “counted” somewhere, as doing something!
I am not crazy about this idea, but it is growing on me — and seems to me to be the best of some of the otherwise useless protests: “Vote Third Party”.
If Bob Barr, gets the Libertarian nomination, in fact, Bob Barr will be the most Conservative Presidential Nominee in the Race —with a Lifetime ACU rating of 98% — and that is no “compromise”.
To vote Libertarian, in this case, would mean some “nose-holding” for many as hanging out with the pro-Marijuana group and anti-war crowd, will be a real stretch.
But have no fear, because Barr’s chances of winning are very low, however YOUR VOTE WILL BE COUNTED, it would make McCain lose and the Republican Party would realize that they can’t win another election without Conservatives!
The alternatives of passively sulking and not voting, or voting for Obama, will make Obama win, but it will also only prove that “Conservatives can successfully be ignored”.
Actively voting (but not for McCain or Obama) will tell the Republican Party that “CONSERVATIVES CAN’T BE IGNORED” and they can’t win an election without us.
Q: How can you tell Juan MacCain is lying?
A: His lips are moving.
Q: How can you tell Juan MacCain is lying?
A: His supporters' lips are moving.
And watch him when he talks about amnesty (SW giveaway), the Hundred Year War, and kicking conservatives to the curb. His posture changes......as his leash is being tightened.
I love your posts. Keep fighting the good fight.
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