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.
It's time for the Republican party to triangulate between George W. Nixon and the Democrats.
And we take this as gospel, why do we believe Democrat sources?
Privately, Bush Says He Favors Citizenship (for Illegals)
The President is NOT for strong border security, othewise he would have the agencies under his direct control, INS, ICE etc. enforcing the law. He goes out of his way to make sure the laws are not enforced. This is proven by the fact that fewer arrests and deportations have taken place under his stewardship then under other presidents, including Clinton. The facts were posted on FR a few days ago and I don't have the link, but they can be checked if you wish to bother.
The Republicans are following Bush off Illegal Cliff. Listen to da sweet talk:
"Hey Congressman. Listen to me. These illegals work hard. They're good people. They do the jobs that American's won't do....Hey...I wouldn't do'em...would you?...Didn't think so. So...whadda we gonna do? Send'em back?...when we need'em. Geez, Louise...GM workers get paid 85 bucks an hour to do nothing. We need these people. Giv'em a break. Come November, these voters won't remember a thing. Just to help ya out a bit...I'll throw in a bit about beefin' up the wall'n stuff, and my people in the RNC'll be clappin' like trained seals. Give it a go...and I'll see ya post-November..."
Yeah, but first they're intent upon murdering their base (that's us, in case you weren't sure).
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