Posted on 07/11/2008 7:02:51 AM PDT by GOPGuide
Team McCain has its latest ad out today, taken from a New Hampshire debate in June 2007, when John McCain soliloquized on the contributions of Hispanic citizens and residents to our efforts in Vietnam and Iraq. Titled “God’s Children”, the ad matches imagery to McCain’s impromptu salute:
"My friends, I want you the next time you’re down in Washington, D.C., to go to the Vietnam War Memorial and look at the names engraved in black granite. You’ll find a whole lot of Hispanic names.
When you go to Iraq or Afghanistan today, you’re going to see a whole lot of people who are of Hispanic background. You’re even going to meet some of the few thousand that are still green card holders who are not even citizens of this country, who love this country so much that they’re willing to risk their lives in its service in order to accelerate their path to citizenship and enjoy the bountiful, blessed nation.
So let’s from time to time remember that these are God’s children. They must come into country legally, but they have enriched our culture and our nation as every generation of immigrants before them.
Thank you."
About the best that can be said for this clip is that it was much more effective in context than it is here. During the debate, the other candidates had described illegal immigrants as not much more than a plague upon the land. This response came spontaneously from McCain, defending the contributions of Hispanics in the US as a reminder to Republicans to keep the rhetoric from getting overheated.
Now, though, this ad sounds like a non-sequitur. He and Barack Obama are close in policy on immigration, to the point where conservatives have resigned themselves not to bring it up if McCain won’t. Unfortunately, this sounds now like a deliberate provocation to the Right, who in fairness have never — never — discounted the contributions of Hispanic citizens and legal residents, especially not their long history of service to this nation. The issue is illegal immigration and border security, not whether we know that Americans of Hispanic descent have risked and given their lives for us.
This is a monumentally stupid ad. It spends a full minute saying nothing about the issue it supposedly addresses, and it insults the intelligence of the people whom McCain is trying to woo. And I’m someone who has a little more sympathy for McCain’s efforts on immigration than most on the Right. Take two big steps backward, Senator McCain.
I did not miss the phrase. His speech writer strategically added it to try to catch a few of the unwary. Even if he added it, why believe his words today over those earlier in the week?
“All God’s Chilluns”
I just watched it and it ends with Teddy’s butt-buddy saying, “I’m John McCain and I approved this message.”
He’s made his choice and I’ve made mine:
I’ll vote for Juan . . . as soon as Rosie O’Donut makes the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.
And if the open borders lunatics keep scolding me, I’ll vote for the Obamination just to jam a stick in their spokes.
I’m tired of walking on my knees across broken glass to vote for “compassionate conservatives”. If Juan El Pander Bear wants my vote, he’ll promise to enforce our immigration laws. Period.
And just what part of “get in line (like MY — and Andy’s —great-great-great grandparents) and enter LEGALLY” don’t these amnestiacs fully understand?
http://www.virtualwall.org/ds/ShimpAH01a.htm
It’s the same ad I watched before first posting about it.
Regardless of where it is released, it is still showing either a conservative hostile McCain or a clueless McCain.
Yes I did hear the ‘must come here legally’ part. I’ve heard him say it before and it is typically followed by something like ‘but for those already here...’
The point is that he is trying to attribute people’s desire for rule of law to anti hispanic xenophobia.
Build the wall.
Big and tall.
Find the illegals,
and deport them all.
It's politics with citizens. With illegal aliens, it's racial pandering of the lowest kind
Is this true? Scripture says that one’s father is “the devil” until he is born again, doesn’t it?
Sen. McCain you are not making it easy for me to vote for you. Every time you open your mouth I have to convince myself all over again. Do me a favor and just STFU.
“The point is....that they (Hispanics) make solid positive contributions to our Nation and our society. Those who are here illegally shouldn’t be permitted to besmirch the good that the former has done. “
I don’t think a single person on this forum disputes your point. That being said, it is McCain who is doing the besmirching here by excusing the crimes of illegals by pointing to the good work legal Hispanics and citizens.
Nobody is asking McCain to amnesty legal immigrants and citizens. The man is patently dishonest.
Oil and housing and Iraq are somewhat more pressing issues than this.
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.