Posted on 01/14/2004 10:55:23 PM PST by JustPiper
Edited on 07/12/2004 4:12:33 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
President Bush's political strategists, taking note of the unpopularity of his immigration initiative as reflected in public-opinion polls, expressed confidence yesterday that the proposal will gain support as it is recast as an economic and homeland security issue.
"Once people have had a chance to educate themselves about the proposal and what it does, support for it will grow," said Christine Iverson, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
To promote it that way, at first, would make it seem like Bush was only using "compassion for the illegal immigrants" as a cover for his plan.
I think this program would help us get a handle on which immigrants are dangerous. The really bad dudes will be among those immigrants who do not sign in with the government.
I don't understand the ins and outs of the proposed program...but, if, as I began to suspect last week, it aids in US security, I'm open to a discussion of the idea.
Well, let's ask Christine of the RNC.
"Once people have had a chance to educate themselves about the proposal and what it does, support for it will grow," said Christine Iverson, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee.
I'd say that is a resounding, yes! Obviously, once again, we just don't/can't understand their strateregy. Blackbird.
Yes they are. The polls show that 80% of the population is against amnesty. Once they hang up the phone they answer the door and pay the illegal that just mowed their lawn and then completely forget the issue until the next time the pollster calls. This is NOT a big issue. It is unpopular but it is unpopular in the same way that taxes are unpopular. No one likes taxes but they file their return every year and go on and forget about it until the following year.
That's evidently true for a lot of us. Blackbird.
Hmmm, so they only polled the Gated Community Elitist types? I cut my grass, shovel my snow, wash my own car, babysit my own kids. Been doing it without ILLEGAL ALIENS for 40+ years, leaving me of course wondering how I managed. Blackbird.
My statement, while outrageous, was not what you took it to be.
Let me restate, in a more sensible fashion.
Let's say that there were thousands, not millions, of illegal immigrants, and that they were relatively easy to identify somehow. Then it would make perfect sense to me to identify them and deport them. With whatever force was sufficient, but not in great excess, pick them up from here and put them down there.
But as it is, I am claiming (in the face of considerable and reasonable disagreement from others here) that it would take a house to house effort with massive police forces and warrantless searches under beds and in closets, along with a national ID card handed out with a careful background check, to find any reasonable percentage of illegal alliens at present.
Such an effort would be very offensive. Certainly the consequences for those illegals identified and arrested would be massively less offensive than waking up dead in a gas chamber. Those arrested would find themselves waking up in Mexico City some morning soon, with a good meal in their stomach, and their fingerprints on file forever after with our INS.
But the level of effort, in my estimate, to disentangle the 10 million illegal aliens from the 50 million (or whatever, just guessing) legal Hispanic resembling citizens and residents would be far beyond what we would or could do.
Oh come on. Look at the FR poll. This is the first time I have seen a clear majority of the FR membership against a Bush proposal. Those that focus on illegal immigration had most of the forum including most of the "bushbots" on their side. What did they do? They did what they always do they overplayed their hand. Instead of mobilizing whatever clout Freerepublic has to influence the decision they immediately turned it into a "dump Bush" movement. They called for his impeachment, they called for electing a democrat to teach the GOP a lesson, they called for "bounties" on the heads of illegal aliens, they called for treason charges and those were the milder demands. Now, what is the agenda? Is it to do something about illegal immigration or is illegal immigration just the stalking horse to dump Bush and the GOP? To me it is clear that, to a large extent it is the latter. You yourself have stated that you prefer "divided" government to what we have now and you have glommed onto this issue as your justification. It is fine to want to dump Bush, that is anyone’s right, however to use a forum that is mostly supportive of the GOP and Bush in particular to hide your opposition to both and then hiding behind an issue that the clear majority of the forum agrees with is dishonest.
Not sure I want them knowing, either.
Almost every adult should have ID under the proposed system, I'd guess.
I would also guess that there will be plenty of routine "accidental" and deliberate discoveries of still-illegal aliens. For example, the legals will be riding on regular transportation (like airplanes) and driving with licenses. The still-illegals will be the ones travelling weirdly.
A few months back, some folks on FR were angry that states had to bear the expense of holding illegal aliens as prisoners until the INS could look at them.
States would save money, if they didn't have to house those illegals for the INS.
If you are talking about state governments you are right. It is the states that have the most generous welfare benefits that have the lion's share of "deadbeat illegals". California being the gold standard in that area. The feds have no control over a state's generosity or lack thereof of welfare benefits.
Translation:
Bush's political strategists are desperately trying to get the left-wing and neocon media to cover for them.
Somehow I doubt that recasting it as a homeland security issue will fly unless Bush retracts his welcome mat to the illegal immigrants.
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