Republicans Hearing Static From Conservative Radio Hosts

It was a casual shot across the bow, a shrugged comment last week from Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-Miss.): Advocates of an immigration overhaul would have to "deal" with talk-radio hosts who he said don't know what is in the legislation but want to kill it nonetheless.

The return fire to that passing comment has been withering, as some of the nation's most prominent conservative talkers turn on a man they once defended adamantly.

"When I hear a United States senator say that what I do for a living is a 'problem' that the government has to 'deal with,' you can interpret it any number of ways," Rush Limbaugh said on the air. "He's either saying, 'Well, we're going to have to come up with our own ways to overcome them' or 'We're going to just have to wipe them out.' "

But the conservative response to Lott may be symptomatic of a broader disenchantment with the Republican Party, said Michael Harrison, editor and publisher of Talkers magazine, which chronicles talk radio. The immigration debate is a bellwether, he said, but conservative criticism is brewing on issues from education to spending to Iraq. Last week the magazine granted its annual Freedom of Speech Award to Savage for his criticism of President Bush, the first time Harrison can remember honoring a talk show host for speaking out against someone of his own political persuasion.

Republican politicians "assumed they owned conservative talk radio," Harrison said. "But support of conservatives by talk radio was only being borrowed as long as conservatives felt that Republicans served the conservative movement."

You wrote, referring to the President, “why in Gods name he would conspire with socialists to grant amnesty to illegal Mexicans at this time...”

Just guessing, but I think the President has a number of reasons for supporting this legislation, even at the risk of alienating the Republican Party base:

1. President Bush genuinely believes what he says publicly; i.e., that the country is strengthened by a nonrestrictive immigration policy—no doubt his more historically minded advisors pointed out the longterm gains accrued by the various waves of Irish, German, Italian, and Eastern European immigrants. Problem: a solid core of Mexican immigrants are (and will not be) readily assimilated, partly because idiotic multicultural ideas such as bilingual education discourage assimilation and partly because a very substantial bloc of Mexican immigrants have reconquista on their minds. People in the US are generally blissfully and foolishly unaware of the animosity and resentment many Mexicans feel toward America and Americans. Picture the resentment felt by hardcore neo-confederates about the outcome of ‘The War of Northern Aggression’ otherwise known as the American Civil War. Now imagine a whole country feeling pretty much the same way regarding the Mexican-American War. It’s a curious thing that history books cite the British interception and disclosure of the Zimmermann Telegram as a causus belli for American involvement in WWI—the message from the Imperial German foreign ministry offering Mexico return of California, Texas, and New Mexico if it (Mexico) allied itself with the Central Powers—yet never mention Mexico’s response to that offer.

2. President Bush believes a substantial portion of those 30 million new voters will view the Republican Party with a certain amount of gratitude if the party engineers this massive boondoggle of an amnesty plan, thus offsetting some of the Democratic Party’s electoral gains within this minority. This is, of course, nonsense. Any gratitude felt by our suddenly amnestied fellow citizens toward the Republican Party will be washed away by the entitlements the Democrats are sure to dangle in front of them. History tells: it was the Republican Party that emancipated the slaves and then—a century later—pushed through the Civil Rights Act, yet African-American Republicans are still so rare as to be worthy of remark whenever they assume any kind of public office.

3. The President is simply following the standard policy of his predecessors. The US government is incapable of dealing with the Mexican government in any meaningful way on this issue because it is in our longterm interest to ensure the stability of the Mexican government. The corrupt, moribund, oligarchical Mexican government is stable only because (a) potential troublemakers and risk-takers—usually the voices of dissent and revolution—are heading north to seek their fortunes, and (b) billions of dollars go south once they get here. It’s win-win for Mexico. Both they and we know that the US cannot afford another string of bloody, disruptive Mexican revolutions. Or at least that’s the logic. Personally, I think Mexico should be coerced into adopting a quid pro quo regarding its own immigration and foreign investment policies. Imagine the effect of an army of unhindered American entrepreneurs crossing their border.

4. The President is worried about his damnable legacy, as Clinton was. How this disaster of an immigration policy enhances his legacy is beyond me. Truly, the thinking behind all of this eludes just about every conservative I know.

I’ve supported this President through thick and thin, staunchly, sometimes vociferously, but he’s lost me on this one. An amnesty-based immigration plan is a huge self-inflicted wound at the worst of all possible times, hurtful to the country in general and the Republican Party in particular. Why would he willfully alienate people like me? It makes no sense.

There was a reason to defend Lott then. He was just saying something to bring a smile to the old guy on his 100th birthday. Remember the uproar? Remember how many times he apologized? Over and over and over again? Yes, he was defended by many (not just talk radio) over that, yet the dems still demanded his head on a platter and they GOT IT.

The problem that Lott had is that by then he had already alienated conservatives. Lott was the major factor in not getting a conviction against Bubba Clinton in the Senate during the impeachment trial. Lott caved and the movement fell apart.

Then Lott made a series of mistakes that disenchanted conservatives such as "dividing power" in the Senate committees in 2000 when Republicans held the slight majority. He failed to convince "Jumping Jeffords" to stay on board and regularly displayed in incompetence and weakness as a leader. I won't say "conservative" leader, he never displayed any true evidence that he was one.

We were calling for him to be ousted from his leadership position long before the comment.

So when the opportunity came, the Democrats were pretty much doing us a favor.

I heartily supported this mealymouthed wimp's ousting.

Just as I support his immediate recall/retirement now.

To "home" with all RINOs. They don't belong in a position of power.

Judging by Lott's recent comments on talk radio, he's completely lost his faculties and should probably check into a health care facility ASAP.

We should help convince him to do so.

It’s not even about illegal aliens anymore. It’s about the relationship between the government and the people.

It’s about who wears the pants in the family.

And right now, the president and a whole bunch of others are confused about that. See, they think they’re in charge. They think it’s their country.

They think they’re going to tell us what to do.

Well, they’ve got another think coming. This time they’ve got a fight on their hands.

The background is illegal immigration and the years of treasonously incompetent government which have allowed it to turn into the biggest threat to our country and its future. It takes some doing for an issue to rival militant Islam as a danger to the United States, but illegal immigration does.

And that is completely the fault of the federal government. Stretching back to the late 1980s, and accelerating to light speed under George W. Bush and the Republican Congress, government negligence turned a blind eye to border security and the flood of illegal aliens into the country. Instead of dealing with the problem, the government facilitated it. Instead of being rounded up and deported, illegal aliens were guaranteed an ever-larger pool of government services.

The United States became Mexico’s welfare and medical system and the federal government did absolutely nothing to protect the interests or territorial integrity of the nation. As cultural dilution and antagonism became rampant, the government was uncaring and impotent. It was national suicide by governmental neglect.

American wages were suppressed, American taxes were raided, American communities were endangered, American values were suppressed, American culture was spat upon. Entire communities were lost to illegal newcomers who were invaders, not immigrants. A centuries-old American model of immigration was thrown out for a divisive new pattern which has already effectively lost the United States sovereignty over portions of its own territory.

We face cultural and financial bankruptcy because the president and Congress failed to uphold their oaths of office. They have ignored the rule of law by refusing to enforce the written law. We have a border, we have immigration laws, and the federal government has ignored them both.

And only after years of complaint and rising public upset did the government begin to do anything. But even then it was mostly manipulation for political gain. It has been a scripted dance in which the people have demanded and the politicians have manipulated and in the end they get our dollars and our votes and we get the back of their hand. And the illegal immigration problem festers into malignancy while they twiddle their thumbs.

Now there is a bill.

Now, they tell us, is the time to act. And their bill is the only thing that can be acted upon. Negotiated in secret, amended in secret, demanded in public. Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up. It’s time to pull the wool over our eyes and they’re impatient, afraid that delay will lead to scrutiny and defeat.

In the name of helping us, they are about to kill us.

And a tiny group of senators, in league with the president, have agreed to ramrod this through. And to defuse the nation’s roaring disapproval they are taking a tone of authority and power their offices do not provide them.

The president who is sure one more of his stammering speeches will convince the nation to change its mind. The Democrat senator who is essentially calling the American people racists. The Republican senator who is going to “do something” about talk radio, the only place political correctness and government intimidation have not yet completely choked out the voice of the people. All are miffed that the people have not rolled over and obediently accepted the superior enlightenment of the Washington fat cats.

And that’s what brings us to today’s fight. Not just to stop an immigration bill that is poison to our national interests, but to knock down the politicians whose arrogance has presumed they could cram down the throats of average Americans a piece of legislation that every measurement of public sentiment shows they don’t want.

They said “Yes,” we said “No,” now they have raised their voices and furrowed their brows and pointed their fingers and said “Yes” again. It’s as if they are the masters and we are the servants and they have reminded us to know our place.

Well, the fact is we do know our place.

We are at the top of the political food chain. We are the people the Preamble is talking about. We are the United States of America – they aren’t. It is supposed to be government for, of and by the people, not imposed on the people.

The job of every member of Congress is to represent the wishes of the people of his state or district. Period. It is not to impose a will, or coerce an opinion, it is to do what the people want.

And the people don’t want this immigration bill.

Not by a damn sight.

And the president and Congress who do not honor that wish have don’t need a lesson just in immigration policy, they need a lesson in American democracy.

And they are about to get it.

Secure the border. Make it impenetrable. Shut off the influx of illegal aliens. Begin cleaning up the mess in our schools, jails, hospitals and streets caused by illegal aliens. Actively seek and deport illegal aliens and their families, particularly those involved with welfare and crime. Change the 14th Amendment to get rid of anchor babies. Passionately promote a national program of culture and language education and assimilation.

Then, after a couple of years, talk about legalization and pathways.

But secure the border first and foremost.

And actively take down every candidate and party that pushes forward this asinine immigration bill.

Bob Lonsberry

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