Has the Tea Party Set a Trap for Rick Perry in South Carolina? (Amnesty)

The New Republic ^ | September 1, 2011 | Ed Kilgore

[2ndDivisionVet]

At first glance, Labor Day weekend looks like it could be a lot of fun for Rick Perry and his fans. The odds of a Sarah Palin candidacy continue to shrink to irrelevance as she wrestles with incompetent local Tea Party organizers in Iowa over a long-planned appearance just outside Des Moines. Mitt Romney’s temporary triumph in securing top billing at a Tea Party Express event in New Hampshire, meanwhile, is being spoiled by protests from Dick Armey’s FreedomWorks organization. And Mitt is also looking a bit humiliated by his last-minute decision to change plans and appear at a candidate inquisition in South Carolina organized by Jim DeMint. But Team Perry would be well advised to stay very alert this weekend. The same South Carolina event that is being widely billed as a spectacle of Mitt Romney bending his knee to kiss the ring of Jim DeMint could produce a nasty ambush for Perry on the subject of his immigration record.

It’s well known that Perry’s record and positions on immigration represent the one glaring area where he’s significantly out of step with conservative orthodoxy. He has, after all, consistently supported a guest-worker program and a path to citizenship for undocumented workers, both positions contemptuously dismissed as code for “amnesty” by many conservative activists. Worse yet, from their point of view, he signed and still defends a state version of the DREAM Act, which provides in-state tuition rates at state universities for illegal immigrants brought to this country as children. He opposes any modification of birthright citizenship. And he kept Texas off the bandwagon of states emulating Arizona’s SB 1070 law. Yes, he’s thundered a bit lately at the feds for their alleged failures in border enforcement. But by any measure, this is his Achilles heel when it comes to conservative ideological litmus tests, even if it is also a potential ace-in-the-hole in a general election, where the ability to avoid a calamitous loss among Hispanic voters could be the key to a GOP victory. Indeed, anti-immigrant demagogue Tom Tancredo published an op-ed on the eve of Perry’s announcement of his candidacy denouncing the governor’s record in terms normally reserved for Barack Obama.

So it’s well worth noting that the co-inquisitor who will be sitting next to Jim DeMint (along with right-wing Princeton professor Robert George) at the Palmetto Freedom Forum event on Labor Day will be none other than Tancredo’s successor as Congress’ preeminent anti-immigration agitator, Representative Steve King of Iowa. King, whose views on the subject are so extreme that he was denied the chairmanship of a House subcommittee on immigration despite being its senior member, can hardly be expected to pass up an opportunity to bash Perry’s record in the forum’s one-on-one questioning format. And he may have an additional motive to highlight Perry’s heresies: His closest friend in Congress, now that Tancredo is gone, is Michele Bachmann. In fact, King has not made an endorsement in the presidential race up until now because he wanted to be able to participate in this weekend’s event.

If Rick Perry does walk into a beatdown by King in Columbia, and doesn’t handle it well, the political consequences could be pretty serious. South Carolina is not a state where Republicans are particularly enamored of undocumented workers or sensitive about the Hispanic vote. If the extremely powerful Jim DeMint is looking for an excuse to support someone else or simply withhold his imprimatur, watching Perry squirm while his buddy King taunts him with a hot poker could provide an excellent excuse. And even more obviously, King is a major powerbroker back home in Iowa, and is likely capable of stopping Perry’s recent momentum in the state.

In other words, it’s not so clear Rick Perry is going to have an enjoyable Labor Day weekend. It could turn out to involve a barbecue where the Texan is himself on the grill.

[Scotsman will be Free]

Oh bullshite!!! I’m sick of people like you whining that anyone opposing Perry is supporting obama. That’s a load of crap.
If it gets down to Perry vs Obama I’ll vote Perry, but right now I’d like to see someone else as I am not enamored with Perry as you are.

[cripplecreek]

I’d like to ask him if Bi National health insurance would be for Canadian “border dwellers” as well.

[octex]

Perry does not favor amnesty for illegal aliens.

He has expressed support for what was formerly termed a Bracero program. That program granted the privilege to aliens to legally and temporarily enter the US to work in seasonal agricultural jobs. When the season was over the Braceros had to return to their own countries.

Pisses me off that Perry’s detractors want to constantly brand him as being in favor of amnesty for illegal aliens. He has not said or done anything in support of making them legal US citizens.

[algernonpj]

Guest worker programs have been around for decades. Nobody has a problem with that

In technical fields on shore 'guest workers' enable off-shoring the bulk of the work to place where one can live quite well on less than the taxes paid by most Americans.

Approximately 40% of the 40 million+ illegals are visa overstays.

FYI long before the alphabet soup of 'guest worker' visas began under 'free trade' agreements the US had no problem bringing in the 'brightest and the best'.

[algernonpj]

You’re promoting nothing of the sort; you’re promoting a second term for Barack Obama.

The reason the country is in the sad state it is currently is because of people 'holding their noses' and voting for whatever trash the republican elite support on the ballot. This has allowed to republican party to sidle further and further left. Had McCain won we would be in no better shape - just better window dressing! McCain would have done behind your back what Obama does in your face!

[Caipirabob]

If it gets down to Perry vs Obama I’ll vote Perry, but right now I’d like to see someone else as I am not enamored with Perry as you are.

I don't care much for Perry either. He seems like a lefty GW who's a better actor and can pronounce "nuclear".

[Texas Eagle]

I agree. Just to be safe,though, we should elect more Tea Partiers. A little insurance never hurt anyone.

[dforest]

I will keep saying it. The Tea Party is ruining itself. They need to back away from all the politicians, in or still out of the race.

Now we have Orin Hatch, John McCain, all using the Tea party.

Who next? Olympia Snowe? Susan Collins? Linseed?

Geesh, no wonder Tea Party is losing steam. That according to latest Rasmussen polling. The independent, grass roots spontaneity is almost gone. Now we have events showcasing politicians.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Perry for President!!!!!!

....of Mexico !

[stephenjohnbanker]

” The reason the country is in the sad state it is currently is because of people ‘holding their noses’ and voting for whatever trash the republican elite support on the ballot. This has allowed to republican party to sidle further and further left. Had McCain won we would be in no better shape - just better window dressing! McCain would have done behind your back what Obama does in your face! “

Post of the day!

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

He has, after all, consistently supported a guest-worker program

True, but so have Palin and Romney. And I think that in itself is bad enough. A guest worker program during a time of painful unemployment?

and a path to citizenship for undocumented workers

That is not so clear. Some may agree with the author without examining the evidence, but listen.

What Perry claims is that he is for some kind of guest worker program without a path to citizenship. 2006: That’s why I support a guest worker program that takes undocumented workers off the black market and legitimizes their economic contributions without providing them citizenship status.

If that statement is true, I believe that it would be very difficult for him to keep "a path to citizenship" from following his "guest worker" program. If he really wanted to make sure that no "path to citizenship" would result, he would need a very carefully crafted immigration bill, with the good will of congress, and we have all seen enough immigration sausage making to guess how that would turn out.

Even if Perry had no intention of allowing a "path to citizenship," we would probably be lucky if a Perry immigration bill failed in congress.

Plus, there is Perry's 2001 statement President Fox’s vision for an open border is a vision I embrace, as long as we demonstrate the will to address the obstacles to it. An open border means poverty has given way to opportunity, and Mexico’s citizens do not feel compelled to cross the border to find that opportunity. With an open border, illegals don't feel compelled to cross it. At a minimum, this is naive. It is a disturbing example of pandering, and it's still on his website.

How about making e-verify mandatory, making sanctuary cities and rogue governors like Duval feel the heat, and trying some good faith enforcement for a change?

[stephenjohnbanker]

B T T T

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

Just like we have kept the won in line, like he hasn’t issued executive orders that all but nullify the current immigration law. I have heard crickets chirp louder than the Republican leadership, on this complete usurpation of the authority of Congress.

I called Cornyn and his office said we wants to do something about it, but the problem is we have a rogue POTUS and not enough votes to impeach.

[algernonpj]

Thanks for the list of links.

[bert]

My view is the that Tea Party is amorphous and cannot act.

Individuals might but they are not the “Tea Party”

[algernonpj]

Perry does not favor amnesty for illegal aliens.

He has expressed support for what was formerly termed a Bracero program. That program granted the privilege to aliens to legally and temporarily enter the US to work in seasonal agricultural jobs. When the season was over the Braceros had to return to their own countries.

Pisses me off that Perry’s detractors want to constantly brand him as being in favor of amnesty for illegal aliens. He has not said or done anything in support of making them legal US citizens.

Well pisses me off that neither you nor Perry acknowledge that such a program already exists - H-2 visa for temporary and seasonal workers - number unlimited! Of course there are some nasty encumbrances - minimum wage and working conditions, full taxes, the the horror of filling out an application/sarc

[algernonpj]

Perry for President!!!!!!

....of Mexico !

I second that! LOL

[algernonpj]

See post # 56

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

I looked at the link to the FR thread saying that Perry was for "comprehensive immigration reform" in 2006. The article there shows a link to a letter that Perry and 3 other govs supposedly wrote to Hastert, but the link does not work. Do you have a good link to that actual letter?

According to this link, the letter wanted them to do something, but not specifically amnesty. All I can find are comments about the letter.

[sickoflibs]

RE :"He has, after all, consistently supported a guest-worker program. True, but so have Palin and Romney. And I think that in itself is bad enough. A guest worker program during a time of painful unemployment? "

You have to wonder about anyone that says we need a guest worker program with so many displaced low skilled workers on different forms of public handouts and with very little hope in sight of any real employment for them anytime in the future. No I dont believe that Republicans have a magic solution to our lack of employment no matter what they claim. And Democrats just care about the next election which is why their proposals are all just more handouts.

Maybe the poor unemployed need to take the jobs that RINOs want to give to guest illegal workers.