Posted on 09/17/2004 12:05:32 PM PDT by QQQQQ
GLENDORA -- Two radio talk show hosts held a "Fire Dreier' rally Thursday, criticizing a local Republican Congressman for doing nothing to keep illegal immigrants from coming into the United States. KFI AM-640 listeners came to the rally next to the office of Rep. David Dreier on Route 66 armed with protest signs and bullhorns. Many honked their horns in support of the rally, which lasted from 3 to 7 p.m. Police said several hundred people came and went during the rally.
In the first of several events aimed at boosting support for the cause, the radio station decorated a vacant lot near Dreier's office to look mildly similar to the set of CBS' reality show "Survivor,' as a "tribal savage' in a grass skirt and bone necklaces danced to pounding drums.
Mocking a bowling party Dreier hosted before the start of the Republican National Convention last month, the show taped Dreier's face to a number of plastic bowling pins, then lined them up for demonstrators to knock down.
Dreier was not in his office during the demonstration and staffers declined requests from some demonstrators to face the crowd.
Earlier in the day, Dreier, 52, told the Claremont Kiwanis Club he was going to introduce legislation establishing a national identification card and a guest-worker program.
Dreier's opponent, Democrat Cynthia Matthews, said the 24-year veteran has failed to keep illegal immigrants from crossing into the United States and costing taxpayers billions of dollars.
Talk-radio hosts John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou held a contest and made Dreier the GOP's "sacrificial lamb.' They are encouraging people not to vote for him in November. They say illegal immigrants are wreaking havoc on the state's economy by cluttering freeways, prisons, hospitals and schools.
Dreier, chair of the powerful House Rules Committee, did not return calls seeking comment about the rally.
His district director, Mark Harmsen, said hundreds of angry Dreier supporters called the office and said they wanted to go to the rally, but were discouraged from attending.
"We wanted to avoid any confrontations,' Harmsen said.
Harmsen said Kobylt and Chiampou didn't put one Republican on the air who said they lived in the 26th District and who said they would not vote for Dreier.
However, Chris Macaulay, 51, of La Verne, said he has voted for Dreier since 1980, but that he's fed up with the lawmaker saying one thing, but voting for another.
"He says he is for protecting the border and stopping illegal immigration, but his actions don't back up his words. The matricular consular he voted for the other day is a security problem,' said Macaulay, a self-employed real estate agent. "It opens the door to get the most secure documents in our country like a driver's license.'
Earlier in the day, Dreier said he was going to introduce legislation next week establishing a counterfeit-proof, biometric, photo-embedded national identification card required for anyone looking for a new job.
"It's not just for immigrants it's for everyone. Immigrants should not be singled out,' Dreier said.
Dreier said the cards would reduce illegal border crossings.
He also said he'll introduce legislation that would establish a guest-worker program allowing immigrants to go back and forth between the United States and their home country.
Oftentimes, he said, illegals don't return to their country because they don't have enough money to pay smugglers to get them back over the border.
"This would be documentation of those who are here. We don't want to reward illegal behavior,' Dreier said, adding that there are 15 million illegal immigrants in the United States, mostly in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
I wondered how many people actually showed up.
Sounds like the rally was a bust.
"Police said several hundred people came and went during the rally."
How do they know they weren't the same people, coming and going, which would mean that "several" hundred is maybe one or two hundred.
Too bad that Dreier's office discouraged his supporters from showing up and holding a support rally. I bet there would have been more people in that rally.
As I expressed my opinion in yesterday's thread ( see link above), I think it's extremely ill advised for Republicans and conservatives to attack their own and get a Democrat to take the place of a good conservative Republican, like Dreier.
But it seems most people are sensible, we just have a few, who are willing to be the Dems useful idiots.
All the same, Dreier is hardly conservative--but only a complete idiot would fail to realize that this district immediately goes to a left-liberal Dem if he loses. Since redistricting I'm now in the 26th, and my city was the only one NOT to vote for Gore in 2000 by a wide margin (and of course it's the smallest city in that district)
Hahahahahahahaha
I'm sooooo sure.
Now pull the other one.
FIRE DREIER!!!
(and hang Asa Hutchinson for treason)
werent they estimating that tens of thousands would rally against him, I guess this is a blow to that shows hosts massively oversized egos,
This should no longer be a problem with Bush's Social Security Totalization Agreement with Mexico now in place.
An illegal will only have to work illegally in the US for 1-1/2 years, then they'll be able to return home to Mexico and start collecting Social Security retirement benefits for themselves, their wives and their children. The SSA will gladly send their SS checks to them at home, in Mexico, forever.
Man, you are so right about that! The one with the higher voice especially used to be way more liberal, but now he sounds like a clone of the other, the loudmouth jackass. These guys were losing listeners, they were replaced on KFI once with Corel and Andrew for chrissakes, and were getting killed by Tom Leykis so they decided to get edgy. BTW, I went down to the rally yesterday because it was close to work and I was curious. There weren't very many people there, it sounded like more on the radio, though quite a few drivers were honking horns in support. I stayed for about 10 minutes and it didn't get any bigger, but that was fairly early in the proceedings.
I agree that it is a bad tactic to work for the demise of David Dreier, but what's that SOB really done for us lately? He is one of the worst examples of a "country club" Republican that I know. If I wouldn't want that sanctimonious and duplicitous snot bag as my neighbor, then why would I want him for a Congressman? If you reply that his utility is to keep the Democrats at bay, I will counter that he is letting them in at the border. So what's the difference in the long term outcome, if the districts representative is Republican with Dreier, or a Democrat? In the long run, not much.
If Congressman David Dreier is truly as patriotic as he pretends, then he will step aside for a more worthy Republican successor.
Well, the previous article stated that there are 636,000 residents in Dreier's district. I bet the few hundred who showed up weren't even in his district.
I guess J&K's publicity stunt didn't work.
They misunderestimated the intelligence of conservatives. Most of them were smart enough to figure out that replacing a conservative Republican with a Democrat is NOT the way to fight illegal immigration, and didn't fall for this attack on Dreier.
In order to get social security benefits, you have to work for 40 quarters (10 years).
Are you making threats?
You don't know how lucky you are to have such a great defender of the president Like David Dreier in your district.
And the liberal you put in there is going to really stop laraza. RRRRIIIIGGGGHHHHTTTT.
She will crack down on the illegals. She will make the democrat party a "send'em back" party. She will not put up with illegal immigration.
please.
And David Dreier is going to really stop laraza. RRRRIIIIGGGGHHHHTTTT.
exactly my sentiment - Cynthia Matthews is a border line socialist. John & Ken are truly idiots, rarely if ever informed, and on a ratings swing here.
It's a congressional seat. Republicans have a clear majority that will be unaffected by hosing Drier. It's a good opportunity to send a message that the public is serious with minimal adverse consequences.
Why would you think that?
ping
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