GOP legislators are pushing state audit of illegal voting

The Arizona Republic ^ | Aug. 19, 2003 | Elvia Díaz

[Pubbie]

Arizona Republican lawmakers want the state to do an audit to find out whether undocumented immigrants are voting illegally, as backers of a proposed 2004 ballot measure suggest.

Seventeen House Republican legislators said Monday the measure, Protect Arizona Now, would do little to combat illegal immigration and alleviate the state's financial problems. They are among an increasing number of prominent politicians opposing the measure, which is being pushed by two Republican state legislators.

[Kuksool]

Tom Tancredo has saved the GOP from extinction. Yet interestingly, some GOP consultants see him as an extremist who must be purged from the party. It is absolutely amazing that the GOP is willing to commit political suicide just to satisfy some campaign donors with cheap labor.

[Pubbie]

"Yet interestingly, some GOP consultants see him as an extremist who must be purged from the party."

Tancredo really didn't get into trouble until Karlos Rova came to town.

Don't fool yourselves - Tancredo speaks for A LOT of GOP congressman who are VERY uneasy about Rove's "Hispandering" "Strategy".

Just because Rove hates him doesn't mean that his colleages in the House do.

There are far more Congressman who agree with him than oppose him.

[4.1O dana super trac pak]

Bump for good news.

[4.1O dana super trac pak]

When we get hit again these open border freaks can get to sing on the Capitol steps again.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

There's no way Tancredo can block this without an overwhelming support of House Democrats.

You sure about that? It can be blocked in the Immigration Subcommittee or the Judiciary Committee. That's where the 245(i) scam was stopped the last time. The Republicans control them, and if Tancredo can persuade the majority not to vote for the Kolbe/Flake/McPain sellout then it won't make it to the House floor.

If he says he has the votes, I believe him, there's no reason not to.

[ArneFufkin]

Tom Tancredo would ONLY know he had the votes to kill the bill if he was sure that his alliance with a huge opposition bloc would put the "nay" number over.

Now, who do you think that huge bloc would belong to, the GOP or the Democrats?

He doesn't have the position or resources to survey the prospects of a measure that would elicit sizable splits and crossover alliances within each party caucus.

More likely, this is similar to the vote for the Prescription Drug benefit, where 15-17 of the GOP "unappeasables" joined with 200 of 203 Democrats to nearly kill a bill that contained the poison pills necessary to scuttle the odious Senate measure and kill the entire horrid idea in Conference. Tancredo can only serve to "kill" a measure by alliance with Socialist Democrats.

[Pubbie]

See post #25.

[qam1]

Tommy T is getting into the 2004 Presidential race as a GOP primary challenger

I hope you are right, That would wonderful, A serious primary challange to Bush is what is needed, Even if it's chances of sucess are slim it will hopefully straighten him and other so called conservatives out. Not just on this issue but with all the other Liberal social crap that's coming out of this crop of Conservatives

[ArneFufkin]

Jim Kolbe can get anything to the floor that he deems crucial, he has that political capital with the House managers and the vast majority of his peers.

Kolbe wouldn't put his heft behind a measure that he didn't have an overwhelming confidence would succeed. John McCain doesn't lend his name to a measure crucial to Arizonans that fails, and he's not going to let it be publicly targeted and undermined by a back bencher from Colorado.

It will be interesting to see the composition of Tancredo's bill-blocking opposition bloc. If 185 Democrats and 33 GOP are involved in his effort, will that cause any of his admirers here pause?

[LNewman]

Bookmarked!

[sweetliberty]

"What is most interesting is not that Tancredo is fighting the "Guest Worker Program", but that there is enough Conservative votes in the House to block the House from bringing the Bill up for a vote."

That was my thought too.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Jim Kolbe can get anything to the floor that he deems crucial, he has that political capital with the House managers and the vast majority of his peers.

This bill is not going to make it to the House floor for a vote, you can count on that. It would be political suicide for the Republicans to vote for this, and in fact Kolbe was complaining the other day the GOP leadership in the House has no intention of taking it up this session. He was in Arizona trying to build public support it, there isn't any. It's DOA.

[Pubbie]

"That was my thought too."

Great minds think alike!

: D

[Pubbie]

I think "ArneFufkin" is a Kolbe Staffer!

: D

[sweetliberty]

[clockwork]

I hope you are right, That would wonderful, A serious primary challange to Bush is what is needed, Even if it's chances of sucess are slim it will hopefully straighten him and other so called conservatives out. Not just on this issue but with all the other Liberal social crap that's coming out of this crop of Conservatives

That's worth saying again (and I just did)!

[Reaganwuzthebest]

I think "ArneFufkin" is a Kolbe Staffer!

I don't know, but I should would love to be a Tancredo staffer. We've got to get immigration under control and he's the man who can do it.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

I don't know, but I should would love to be a Tancredo staffer.

Meant to say I sure would love to be a Tancredo staffer. You wouldn't have connections by any chance would you?

[dagnabbit]

Nice try there.

It's far more likely that the numbers Tancredo refers to are similar to last month's successful House bill against "Matricula consular IDs" which broke down as follows:

Republicans: 203 Yeas 21 Neas
Democrats: 23 Yeas 176 Neas

Kolbe, naturally, was among the 21 GOP open-border clowns, who joined the dems on your side of the issue. So if this is at all like last month, it's Kolbe (and McCain as usual) who are rounding up dems votes, not Tancredo.

[itsahoot]

(even here on "conservative" FR).

More Libertarian than Conservative lately. Big difference.