“There is nothing so bad that politics cannot make it worse.”
–Thomas Sowell
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid recently declared that Democrats would take up immigration reform “this year,” defying the conventional wisdom that the issue is too perilous for the party to push during an election year. But maybe it’s Republicans who should be nervous—because a high-octane immigration fight could drive a wedge between the Republican Party and the Tea Party right.
“It becomes a very explosive argument when you talk about legitimizing immigrants,” says retired GOP Rep. Tom Davis, the former chair of the National Republican Campaign Committee. “From a Republican point of view, there is a dilemma.”
The Republican Party got badly burned when Congress last considered immigration reform in 2006 and 2007. Some GOP legislators, including Sen. John McCain, championed a bipartisan bill that would have provided a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants. But this proposition outraged the conservative base, who decried it as an “amnesty” for law-breakers.
[...]
The emergence of the Tea Party has only widened this rift within the conservative movement. [...] Recently, these two factions have started to clash out in the open. Last month, Armey called anti-immigrant crusader and former Republican representative Tom Tancredo a “destructive” force in the GOP, adding that “the Republican Party is the most naturally talented party at losing its natural constituents in the history of the world.” His comments prompted a vehement backlash from conservatives like Michelle Malkin, who slammed Armey as an “amnesty stooge.”
[...]
WIth the rise of the Tea Party, even the elements of immigration reform that most Republicans agree on—namely tougher border security—may create “difficulty for some conservatives, as an imposition on business, a government mandate,” says Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former top adviser to McCain’s presidential campaign. “A lot of immigration reform is very interventionist.”
Many of the Republicans I know ABSOLUTELY LOVE illegal immigration because it’s a source of cheap, easily exploitable labor.
>> Rick Cain said, on April 19th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
>> I think its time to wrap up the American Military Empire. Even the Soviets realized it was unsustainable.
This is how you can tell a REAL fiscal conservative from these crackpot teabaggers.
REAL fiscal conservatives know that the military must be _seriously_ downsized if we ever are going to fix our budget mess.
Not just some slowing of the grown but HUGE cuts.
Tea Parties: the scant remains of whatever ideas the Republican party has to offer at this time.
Funny that the Republican party doesn’t understand that it held the presidency and both houses of Congress for several years.
And during that time, instead of those politicians enacting an agenda they chose to be part of the Washington culture.
Now these people at these Tea Parties are mad at Obama and company, instead of upset with their own political party.
This is part of the failure of two party system and the extremism it promotes in thinking and the lack of accepting responsibility.
Obama running up debts is bad for sure, but the previous administration was running up debts big time too.
Where were these people when the last administration jacked up federal spending to new heights?
>> Hmeyers said, on April 19th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
>> Tea Parties: the scant remains of whatever ideas the Republican party has to offer at this time.
The Tea Party movement is simply re-branding of thoroughly tried and thoroughly failed conservatism.
@Greg Allen
I couldn’t begin to tell you how disgusting I think the Tea Parties are. And I’m no fan of either party but would like to believe in the hope of political system.
1. They have no clear definition of what they are protesting.
2. They propose absolutely no solutions to the nation’s problems.
3. They use incredibly dumbed-down and vacuous rhethoric.
“Rage and fury signifying nothing”.
Ok, so they hate Obama’s health care plan and the ridiculous government spending. The debt and government spending levels were signed by Republican presidents many of these last 30 years.
This two party systems allow idiots in both parties to deny their own responsibility in creating this mess.
And the dumbed-down rhetoric isn’t going to solve any problems, the dumbed-down rhetoric IS the problem.
The USA is on the verge of proving that democracy doesn’t work because the voters will eventually dumb themselves down to a point where the political system itself will take power.
Which is what we have today: two parties that have no intention of acting on behalf of the citizens of this country.
If the Republicans keep voting “NO” to everything the Democrats propose. Even stuff that makes sense to do, and is long overdue. They’re eventually going to screw themselves, royally. They can’t keep telling everyone that “black is white”, “white is black”, and whatever was once bad for them, is now good for them. And hope the public will remain dumb enough to believe their lies.
While the focus currently is on illegal immigration, here are some interesting facts for all of you to consider.
The US is currently importing thru various work visa’s 125,000 legal workers each month, every month and has been for over a year. That amounts to 1.5 million new workers each year. During the past year job creation has been at most 95,000 a month. A 30,000 job shortfall every month.
In 1950 the population of the US and Canada was about 170 million. In 1950 the population of Latin America was also about 170 million.
Today the population of US/Canada is about 340 million (mostly driven by immigration legal and otherwise). The current population of Latin America is around 577 million (with virtually no immigration). During the past 60 years, the U.S. and Canada doubled, while Latin America more than tripled its population.
It is predicted that the US/Canada population will grow to 400 million by 2050.Latin America’s estimated population will grow to 809 million people.
If the countries and peoples of Latin America cannot sustain themselves today at 577 million, what will happen when they get to 809 million?
Needless to say, the US cannot sustain it’s current immigration levels and hope to provide anything close to today’s level of a free and productive society.
Population growth is the single largest problem this country faces. It affects every facet of our country and society.
Saying no to immigration is like saying no to pot smoking. If they’re going to do it anyways, document them properly and get them paying taxes ASAP. Many illegal aliens spend their life savings and risk life an limb to get to the USA. While some of them are criminals and some would put a drain on the social welfare system, this is also true of people being born in the states. I know there are plenty of xenophobes out there, that have no idea, spouting fear and hate, but that’s what they always do. Don’t give me none of that ‘they’re taking our jobs’ bullshit either. I’ve seen the jobs immigrants do and know from first hand experience that there’s never been a shortage of crappy low paying jobs.
The USA is a nation of immigrants, all of you (native americans excepted) descended from immigrants. So wise up!
OTOH, there is the alternative, bigger fences, more border patrols, more customs agents, use of deadly force, etc.
Once security’s tight enough you can lock the door and throw away the key if that’s the kind of nation you want to live in. Never mind about replenishing your tax base, true patriots are against taxes. Finally, when you’re up to your neck in your own feces, you could go into the fertilizer export business.
First of all, we have the technology to feed everyone on earth.
Second, man is inventive, and if not oppressed and suppressed, will create solutions to problems such as increases in population.
Third, no need for walls, stop the welfare state, and only people looking for jobs will come.
Fourth, no need to worry about jobs. Get rid of the minimum wage and regulation of the free market and prices will normalize. Minimum wage laws only increase the price of goods because business owners have to pass off increase in cost to the consumer. So you make more, but you also have to spend more for goods.
I could go on, but to make a long explanation short, government IS the problem.
Deport Murdock!!! .. Let common sense return to the republican party..
Undocumented immigrants usually end as lowly construction employees, caregivers, gardeners, lawnmowers, carpenters and the like. These are jobs that Americans don’t want to do. Cast out them all and what would happen to America? A state of filthy grannies staying on grassy old houses?
I believe that this so-called “reform” issue is just another Red Herring, from the Party of NO. Another hot button idea, they’re exploiting, as they have Abortion and others. Covering up for far more important concerns, like Identity Theft, and citizen’s privacy, that they choose not do deal with. So they smoke screen issues, take their place in the news. And spur voters to get back to electing their puppet candidates.
I think what they fear the most is voting numbers falling so low, that general elections get called off. And major reforms get put into place, to restore the eroded representation of the citizenry, over corporate interests. They don’t want a second American Revolution, to mess up their sweet deal. So they pretend to care about these lesser issues. That they make more of a deal about, than they’re worth.
So what if we’ve got illegals invading America, when Big Oil gets away with destroying our economy and environment. And hardly any of the politicos say squat. In fact they’ve been blaming Obama, for suggesting new drilling. When it was actually the GOP, and Sarah Palin, that first pushed the idea. Remember, “Drill Baby Drill”? But now they’re NOT OWNING UP TO ANY OF IT. It’s only Obama’s fault, as usual. His fault for going alone with THEIR environmentally reckless ideas.
Many republicans are trying to block immigration reform. It doesn’t only affect Mexicans, but many legal immigrant residents too. I hope after the midterm elections the republican party becomes an even smaller minority!