I still haven't done the work necessary to determine if I think that we're better off with the proposed legislation or no legislation
You don't have to! Just read Mickey Kaus, a thoughtful paleoliberal who has taken this up as a hobby horse. Think of it as reading a summary. <g>
Keeping Up With .... the Bush Immigration Debacle!
1)"What's their alternative?" House Republicans are planning to push improvements in border security, including in the "system that verifies the identities of those applying for employment. But (as predicted!) some House Democrats are still talking about taking on the whole comprehensive furball (i.e. inclusing semi-amnesty for illegals already here). It's not over. [See also Influence Peddler] ...
2) The NYT cites the following quote as an example of the "heated rhetoric" that alienates Latino voters from Republicans:
Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, a leading opponent of the measure, at one point in the debate, said, "The bill would provide amnesty and a path to citizenship for people who broke into our country by running past the National Guard."
Vicious! They're going to have to do better than that if they're going to paint opponents as anti-Hispanic bigots. (Heck, I can do better than that.) ... P.S.: It seems to me that the people proclaiming most loudly that the Republicans were anti-Hispanic were named Linda Chavez, John McCain, George Bush and Mel Martinez, playing the "nativist" card in a desperate attempt to save their bill. Did they do their party any favors? ...
3) During the immigration debate, the number of self-identified Republicans increased for the first time in 2007, reports Rasmussen:
The immigration debate appears to have helped the Republican Party while hurting the President and other supporters of the "comprehensive" reform legislation. Prior to the debate, 47% of voters trusted Democrats more on the immigration issue. Following the failure of the Senate bill, just 39% trust the Democrats more on the issue. In fact, among unaffiliated voters, Republicans are now trusted more than the Democrats on immigration. The only other issue where the GOP can make that claim is national security.
slate.com |
