76% of Dems want tighter immigration
Craig Nelsen (archive)
December 5, 2003 | Print | Send
Advocates for reducing immigration to traditional levels are often characterized as "right wing." However, a recent survey shows there are "only modest partisan differences in opinion on tighter immigration controls.”
According to the study, released this month by the Pew Research Center for The People & The Press, “About eight-in-ten Republicans (82%) and somewhat fewer independents and Democrats (76% each) agree with the statement ‘We should restrict and control people coming into our country to live more than we do now.’” (p. 36 of .pdf file)
In other words, rank-and-file Democrats, like their Republican counterparts, overwhelmingly support a more moderate and realistic immigration policy.
Nevertheless, not one of the nine Democratic candidates for president has taken a stand on immigration that reflects the wishes of those on the American left. In fact, the Democrats seem to be falling all over each other to see who can offer the most out of touch proposal (though, for sheer empty-headedness, it would be hard to top President Bush’s 2000 campaign slogan, “Family values don’t stop at the Rio Grande”).
Looking over the candidates' positions on immigration, you'd think there is a conspiracy among party leadership to lose elections deliberately:
Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean has endorsed amnesty for millions of foreign nationals illegally in the country, and, while governor, signed a resolution opposing an automated border “entry/exit” system because it would have “disrupted the flow of goods, services, and people.”
Senator John Kerry, too, has said he supports amnesty for illegal aliens. In addition, Senator Kerry’s overall voting record exposes his commitment to massive immigration. The non-partisan Washington, DC watchdog group, Americans for Better Immigration (ABI), gives Senator Kerry a grade of D-minus on his immigration voting report card.
ABI also gives Congressman Dick Gephardt a D. In 2002, Rep. Gephardt introduced legislation (which he says he wrote with his “friends in the Hispanic Caucus in the House”) to grant a blanket amnesty to illegal aliens. “We're all immigrants unless we're Native Americans,” explained Rep. Gephardt.
Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich gets a grade of D, too. And no wonder, if the following quote represents the sum total of his understanding of the complex issue of mass immigration: “We've forgotten about the optimism and hope that led so many people to sail under that light of Lady Liberty. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free... Yes, I'm for amnesty...and making sure that those workers who come from Mexico [um...illegal aliens?] have all of the protections of federal law and including universal health care.”
Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, who says "immigration is mi familia,” blames America for the hundreds of deaths that occur every year along our southern border. To solve the problem, he has offered "the most comprehensive, aggressive immigration reform plan. Yes, earned legalization. Yes, temporary worker visas for workers from other countries. Yes, let's lift the cap on people coming here for family reunification or to seek refuge.” ABI gives Senator Lieberman a D for his voting record.
Former Senator Carol Mosely Braun, who also earned a D from ABI while serving in the Senate, supports giving driver’s licenses to those who entered the country illegally. She reasons, “It doesn't matter if you came to this country on the Mayflower or a slave ship, across the Rio Grande or through Ellis Island.”
Senator John Edwards, after noting with approval that half the residents of his small hometown in North Carolina now speak Spanish, has said that hard-working Hispanic immigrants have earned the right to be American citizens [um, yes, but what about illegal aliens?]. Senator Edwards’ voting record earns him an F from ABI.
Reverend Al Sharpton is back to his old race-baiting tactics, saying on CNN, “Immigration laws have been used against Hispanics in the Mexican border.” We are disappointed to hear Reverend Sharpton talk like this, since he was almost the only public figure in New York City to defend ProjectUSA several years ago when the City forced down our billboards advertising Census Bureau statistics about immigration.
Finally, General Wesley Clark, after noting that “we're a nation of immigrants,” said, “We should be encouraging every person from the Indian Institute of Technology that comes to this country to stay in this country.”
Given that nearly eight out of ten Democratic voters want tighter immigration policies, it is perplexing, to say the least, that nine out of nine Democratic candidates advocate looser policies.
Meanwhile, in the crowded field of Democratic hopefuls, all the candidates are trying desperately to break out of the pack.
So why not use the immigration issue?
A strong and common sense position on immigration could be the winning ticket for any Democratic candidate looking to distinguish himself from the rest of the pack. He (or she) would tap into an enormous reserve of latent Democratic popular support, (not to mention the overwhelming support of Americans in general) while simultaneously setting the stage to exploit one of George W. Bush’s greatest political weaknesses.
This article was written by Craig Nelsen, and originally appeared online at ProjectUSA, a non-profit Washington, DC watchdog group that encourages stronger enforcement of U.S. immigration law.
©2003 Craig Nelsen
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