Posted on 03/13/2010 10:21:22 AM PST by NormsRevenge
SANTA CLARA — Seizing on the issue of illegal immigration, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner stepped up his campaign Friday to persuade California Republicans that he is the true conservative seeking the party’s nomination for governor.
At a news conference just prior to former eBay CEO Meg Whitman’s speech to the state GOP convention, Poizner called for the elimination of all public services for illegal immigrants that are under the control of the state and pledged to lobby for federal changes so that schools could turn illegal immigrant children from their doors.
“We should move that forward,” he said of the effort to close schools to illegal immigrant children. “Our public school system is deteriorating, collapsing. We’re being overwhelmed.”
Whitman did not mention the issue in her convention speech — other than to say her opponent has changed his tune on it — but told reporters earlier in the day that she could not support any effort to deny education or healthcare to illegal immigrants.
“I come down on the side of kids,” she said. “I’m not in the business of holding kids accountable for the sins of their parents.”
She also said federal rules requiring the provision of emergency healthcare to all are wise. “It’s the right thing to do,” she said.
Fiscal experts estimate that the state spends more than $5 billion on services to illegal immigrants, the vast majority of it on schools. They are ineligible for most state-run services, although illegal-immigrant mothers can collect CalWORKS cash assistance to care for children who are U.S. citizens and pregnant women are eligible for prenatal care and other services regardless of residency status.
Poizner called their positions on illegal immigration one of the “huge differences” that separate him and Whitman. “The differences will come out in the course of this convention,” he said.
Some Republicans caution that such sharp rhetoric on illegal immigration could serve to harm the party’s nominee in the fall, because many Latinos perceive it as hostile to their heritage.
Sen. Abel Maldonado of Santa Maria, who is seeking the party’s nomination for lieutenant governor, called Poizner’s rhetoric reckless.
“We know what that kind of wording did to the Republican Party in the past, and that’s not productive,” he said.
Maldonado noted that there are more Latinos in Los Angeles than there are people in Chicago, and that the party can only win “by multiplication, not subtraction.”
The author of a measure that placed an open primary measure on the June ballot, Maldonado said such rhetoric flows from a closed primary system in which candidates of both parties must appeal to their most ideological voters. “These are platitudes in a closed Republican primary,” he said.
Whitman assailed Poizner as a phony, born-again conservative. She cited Poizner’s financial support for a proposition that lowered the vote threshold to approve school bonds and said he has been all over the map in expressing his opinion on abortion-related issues and illegal immigration.
“There is only one liberal Republican in this race, and it’s not me,” she said.
Whitman, a billionaire, has already spent more than $40 million on the campaign and in recent weeks has swamped California airwaves with negative attacks against Poizner.
Poizner has just begun his campaign advertising, but promised there will be more to come.
“I have a pretty nice war chest now,” said Poizner, who as multimillionaire is also largely self-funding his campaign. “Meg Whitman is blowing away all the records. She spent more just in 2009 than any Republican has ever spent running for governor anywhere in America.”
Poizner ran for Assembly in 2004 in a Democrat-dominated district in Silicon Valley, and during that campaign presented himself as a moderate — saying at the time, for instance, that he opposed President George W. Bush’s tax cuts.
“I understand why he’s running hard to the right,” she said.
Poizner acknowledged that his views have evolved over the years, but said his core philosophy hasn’t changed. “I was a conservative back then, and I’m a passionate conservative now,” he said.
The convention will continue through the weekend, and will feature appearances by all three GOP candidates for the U.S. Senate. In addition, Ventura County Sen. Tony Strickland is scheduled to hold a news conference today to officially announce his candidacy for state controller.
On Friday night, Strickland introduced former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who in turn introduced Whitman before her dinner speech.
Whitman assailed Poizner as a phony, born-again conservative.
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Long way to go ‘til they turn the lights out on this race... and a lot of mud yet to fly.
Thanks for posting this. I just read a similar account.
I just don’t see that Whitman will be much better than the Dems.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2468978/posts?page=11#11
Hm, and there I’d wondered how these two RINOs would differentiate each other. Poizner has my attention.
A reminder that we will be Tea Partying there at 2 PM today.
At the least...this Poizner is not going with the Myth that you must pander to Illegal Aliens to get the Hispanic vote...
All states need to end funding for illegal aliens. Hard working Americans should not be subsidizing lawbreakers
Cool.. It’s a nice sunny crisp day in the Bay Area!!
Poizner is fixin’ to earn my vote...
Clow to 25% of the food stamps in LA County go to illegals.
Think of how much money taxpayers could save if....
He knows he needs to let it all hang out for him to have a shot, even tho he is pretty wealthy by his lone self,, Meg has deep pockets in her pant suit... and shady characters all aroud here, much as aRnold. She may well be just another aRnie in a pant suit.
The base may rally to his cause, we’ll see. June 8th is the Primary..
Illegals can’t get food stamps.
Sorry, but I don’t trust either of them. I wish we had someone like Palin or Jindal running. It’s gonna be another “lesser or two evils” election.
The feds would have to write a law overturning the USSC which allows them an education
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04733.pdf
Good luck with that.
Some Republicans caution that such sharp rhetoric on illegal immigration could serve to harm the party’s nominee in the fall, because many Latinos perceive it as hostile to their heritage.
____________________________________________________
Say what ???
I bet they never ask.
there is a federal verification process to get food stamps
You are incorrect. Illegal ADULTS are not supposed to get food stsamps, however, if you check the materiaqls, in many of the printed materials, there is the invitation, “Even if you are unable to qualify for foodstamps because of (immigration status, or somesuch nonsense, I forget the wordsing), your CHILDREN may be eligible.” Like the opponent said, she’s “Not holding children responsible for the sins of their parents.”
I found it unbelieveable when I read some of the information at DWS.
Illegals can’t get food stamps.
12 posted on Saturday, March 13, 2010 1:35:14 PM by sabe@q.com (Yes, I’m a SW freak!) -——————————LOL that made me laugh out loud
legal children get them
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