Posted on 04/26/2006 7:15:13 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
By emphasizing enforcement of the law, Democrats have leaped ahead of Republicans in the latest poll asking Americans which party they trust more on the issue of illegal immigration.
As the immigration debate rose to the top of the national agenda this year, the GOP was favored by 37 percent to 31 percent over Democrats, said pollster Rasmussen Reports.
But the newest survey shows round two going to the Democrats as Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean declares enforcement of the border his party's top priority.
Now 42 percent trust Democrats more on this issue while 35 percent trust the GOP.
Rasmussen comments: "While the short-term benefit may accrue to those who favor a tougher enforcement policy, the long-term implications of the issue are less clear. At the moment, neither political party enjoys unity within its own ranks on the issue. Politicians from both sides are struggling with the nuances of the issue."
Prior to the debate's emergence this year Americans were evenly divided on which party they trusted.
Democrats have gained ground primarily by solidifying their base, Rasmussen says, as 77 percent of Democrats now trust their party more on the issue than Republicans, up from 60 percent earlier.
Democrats also have made gains among unaffiliated Americans.
Republicans still trust their own party more on the issue by a 70 percent to 12 percent margin.
Although Democrats have gained ground, they still are behind among the 53 percent of Americans who say immigration will be a very significant factor in terms of how they vote in November.
Among this group, 43 percent trust Republicans more and 33 percent trust Democrats.
Rasmussen also found 57 percent of Americans still favor building a barrier along the Mexican border. Among those who consider immigration very important, 73 percent want a barrier.
The poll indicated only 26 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of the protesters who engaged in massive rallies for illegal immigrants. Fifty-four percent have an unfavorable view.
In an earlier survey, Rasmussen found that in a hypothetical race for Congress, a plurality of Americans would vote for the candidate who favors more enforcement of immigration laws.
Another poll found two-thirds of Americans think it doesn't make sense to debate new immigration laws until we can first control our borders and enforce existing laws.
The same survey found 40 percent of Americans favor "forcibly" requiring all an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants to leave the U.S.
Sure the Republicans are alienating their base voters, but on the bright side, they picked up 10 illegal alien voters to replace their millions of former base voters.
/S
where is his support for that? I don't see a comprehensive proposal from the white house that included strong new enforcement - border, employer sanctions, etc. its easy to say you are "for it" as a generality, show me Bush saying he will veto any bill that does not include X,Y,Z regarding security and enforcement. so far, all I see is a basic embrace of the senate bill.
Horse manure.
The reason that the public is losing confidence in the GOP is because the GOP looks like the gang that couldn't shoot straight. They are all over the place with no resolution in sight. The Republicans look utterly confused.
It has nothing to do with the scumbag Democrats. Heck, nobody even knows what the "Democrat plan" is because they don't have one. But they are playing it pretty smart by keeping a low profile. You know - - the old cannard about "if your opponent is destroying himself, stay out of the way." Or something like that.
Just in case you are still lurking my friend. I really have to struggle with this issue, unlike on some others, where I think I "know" the answer (at least I think I do, in perhaps my blissful ignorance).
Yeah that's the ticket! Total bs! Where would they get the idea that the republican party is soft on illegals!
The part I am really not understanding is the perception that democrats have emphasized "enforcing the law". Is it just me?? I would swear the democrats are NOT in favor of enforcing the immigration laws.
It is from the WND
Without knowing that I don't get much from this poll.
indeed, you are correct. Hillary et al speaking at these street rallies, its patently obvious.
but where is the rebuttal message on that from our side, telling americans that? its non-existent for the most part.
The GOP and GOP voters are set on winning elections, at any cost.
What we're now seeing are the fruits of all those "lesser of two evils" candidates we voted for in the interest of pragmatism.
RINOs have stolen this party, and they're handing the power right back to their ideological soul mates: the Democrats.
The GOP never learns. Moving to the left is suicide.
Establishment Republicans think conservatives have no place to go. So if they move to the left on (for example) immigration, they'll pick up support. How? Because conservatives will stick with them to keep the even more radical open borders Democrats from being elected, while Latino voters happy about GOP amnesty support will move into the GOP.
But that's not what happens. What happens is this:
1) Some conservatives become disheartened and stay home on election day, which hurts the GOP.
2) The Democrats' even more radical immigration policy guarantees no Latino defections to the GOP. No matter how much amnesty or benefits the GOP offers, the Democrats will offer more. If President Bush promised to let half of Mexico move here tomorrow, the Democrats would promise two-thirds, call Bush's proposal racist, and get the La Raza endorsement. So pandering to immigrants gets no new votes for the GOP.
3) Even as the Democrats move ever further leftward, they successfully hide it from your average lethargic voter who gets his news from the MSM. There are millions of these voters, and all they know is that President Bush and the "Republicans" want to let the illegals stay here. The Democrats' policy is even more radical, but these voters don't know that. All they know is that the Democrats are opposed to the GOP proposal. So the GOP loses votes to the Democrats. Millions of people will vote Democrat because they don't like President Bush's mushy position, and because the 'Rat candidate for congress in their district has said he's "against" the President's proposal. They don't know he's against it because he wants something far more radical. They mistakenly assume he's for a hardline on immigration.
This is how we got into this insane position where polls now show the public trusts the Democrats more on immigration. The public knows what President Bush has proposed, and they don't like it. They know the Democrats are opposed to the President's proposal. But millions of people don't know that the Democrats oppose the President on this because they want an even more liberal policy. The Democrats aren't going to broadcast this fact. Instead, they quietly assure La Raza and other such groups of this, and those groups then get out the Democrat vote in immigrant precincts.
This same thing happened on the Dubai ports deal. It allowed the 'Rats to improve their standing on national security without moving to the right in the least.
I think it is a whatever works point of view to get a handle on the flow, and let in who it is legal to let in, or allow to stay in, and keep out whom it is illegal to let in. Whether that is a wall, employer sanctions, with teeth, an ID that it is very difficult to forge, fraudulent social security numbers being shared between agencies, mix and match or whatever, I don't voters care much about. What matters is results. Results per existing law have been the null set, because the law is ignored, and not enforced.
Yeah, apparently.
These polls are default polls. People know that the GOP has its head up its tailpipe on immigration. Not that they empirically trust the Dims more, but they know they're getting typical dim leadership from the GOP on this issue. So...
who will put them on TV?
Yes, talk is cheap. The dems are not afraid to come out publically with their stance on this issue where as...
Privately, Bush Says He Favors Citizenship (for Illegals)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1622159/posts
Couldn't agree more. The Democrats will be preaching border security in English, and amnesty en espanol. The GOP will never beat the Democrats at their own game (Clintonian double-talk.)
But the GOP will lose its core voters if it doesn't stay true to its conservative principles.
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