Immigration is the new affirmative action
Will this split the Dems?
Politico-Immigration is becoming for the 2008 election what affirmative action/racial preferences was 15 years ago — the kind of emotional wedge issue that offers Republicans a way to split rank-and-file Democrats from their leaders.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the battle over programs aimed at helping minorities was a major factor in many political campaigns. The election results often appeared to contradict what seemed to be the public’s opinion on the issue.
Looking back, much of the confusion stemmed from the wording of many poll questions on the subject. They tended to show strong support for “affirmative action,” which was how the programs were described by supporters and, often, the media.
Yeah and who’s getting fooled by these fancy pollsters, the people or the politicians?
It was tried in 2206 and didn’t work. It was tried in 2007 and it didn’t work in VA. When the GOP does this kind of thing, they start to look like a bunch of racists because of the way they handle it. It will probably work with the “I’m owed because I’m white southern conservatives” but it’s been failing everywhere else.
Nice spin John.
(Meant as a compliment)
I am for driver lic for illegal immigrants. I live in a area where they are driving around and hitting our cars with no lic or insurance. It’s really bad. The states have to do this because the federal gov – Democrat or Republican – is not going to do a darn thing, and Granny D will explain why in her speech that follows my last comment. The African American community is held back by Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. They abuse the community to line their own pockets. Until we sue them for violating the Emancipation Proclamation – the federal gov will not be able to do anything about racial plights either. Here is 97 year old Doris Haddocks (Granny D’s) recent speech about immigration:
It is normally expected that, when given an opportunity to speak, I will
talk about campaign finance reform and, more specifically, about how the
public financing of campaigns can cut the threads of the big-money puppet
show.
But today I would like to talk about unauthorized immigration, which has
nothing to do with the big money corruption of our political system,
except for everything.
Unauthorized immigration seems to be a big issue right now with our
Republican candidates, as they are well-known to be the “law and order
party.” That, after all, is why they are insisting that Scooter Libby pay
the full price for his perjuries and obstructions of justice. They are
for law and order, with the normal exceptions of the Geneva Convention
and the U.S. Constitution, especially its Bill of Rights. But we know
what they mean: When they say they are for law and order, they are
talking mostly about keeping down the uppity poor folk. They are
certainly not talking about the big corporations, hotel companies,
agribusiness giants, retailers who employ millions of unauthorized
immigrants but who make up for that sin many times over with their large
campaign donations.
But I do not come here to talk about corrupting campaign donations and
the need for public campaign financing. I come to talk of unauthorized
immigration and a little about corn and something about tortillas. I call
it unauthorized immigration, not illegal, because I don’t want to use
words that confuse my Republican friends.
By the way, in saying that Republicans are very interested in the
immigration issue, I do not mean to imply that it is less important for
any of us.
If you will look around the grocery store check-out lines and notice the
widening measurements of our fellow citizens, we can certainly see for
ourselves the problem of having too much cheap labor around to do all our
yard-work and housework for us. By my calculations, the roughly 3
billion pounds of extra weight now being carried on the hips of
working-age American citizens is roughly equivalent to the combined
weight of the unauthorized immigrants now in our communities. The math is
clear and persuasive. Cheap labor is bad for everybody.
But why are so many people risking their lives to come into our country
now? When did this big rush begin?
It began when Mr. Clinton approved NAFTA – the North American Free Trade
Agreement, and when he militarized our southern border at the same time.
Prior to these combined actions, families crossed the border very
commonly and casually, especially during harvest seasons. After harvest,
they would go home to Mexico or Central America because that’s where they
lived with their families in quite happy communities.
When the border was militarized, it became too risky to go back and
forth. So they stayed.
Why did Mr. Clinton militarize the border? He did so because NAFTA was
about to pull the rug out from under Mexico’s small family farms. We
flooded Mexico with cheap corn–exports that we now subsidize to the tune
of some $25 billion dollars a year. Congress gives that money of ours to
a handful of agribusiness giants. Of course, I am not here to tell you
why Congress does that, and what might be done to stop it, such as with
the public financing of campaigns. But they do it, and Mexican family
farmers cannot compete. In the years since NAFTA was signed, half of
Mexico’s small farms have failed. The only kind of farming that can now
compete in Mexico is big agribusiness, which does not employ as many
people. Tortillas in Mexico now contain two-thirds imported corn, and
they are three times as expensive at retail level than before NAFTA. The
people have less money, and the cost of food is rising. We have done
that. Our precious Senators and Congressmen and their corporate
cronies have enforced that raw and cruel exploitation in our
names.
The result of undermining Mexican farms, as Clinton expected, was a
rising flood of poor people moving from rural areas into Mexico’s big
cities, which have become so poor and overcrowded that all one can do is
dream of going north across the border.
Now, if any Democratic candidates for President would like to show a
little courage and intelligence, let them address the real cause of our
flood of unauthorized immigrants. Will Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Obama or Mr.
Edwards or any of the other candidates face down the agri-gangsters that
are behind this problem? Probably they will not, so long as Iowa has a
major primary.
Let me say that I am not ranting and raving in the least about these new
Americans. When Mexico owned Texas and everything west of Texas, and
when Mexico cut off migration across their borders into Texas, our people
kept coming anyway –crossing illegally in search of opportunities for
their families. When Mexico got upset by this, we trumped-up false
reasons for a war, and we illegally took those lands. If that wasn’t
enough law and order for you, we also conducted unfettered genocide
against the region’s native people. So let’s not stand on any moral high
ground regarding that southern border.
The people coming across the border today, with the usual exceptions, are
family people with an incredible work ethic. Personally, I welcome them.
I congratulate them for their courage and their dedication to their
families. I want them to stay and become citizens, or, if some prefer, to
return to their homeland at a time when there is international justice
and a decent chance for their prosperity at home.
I regret what the political corruption of our system has done to their
farms and their communities back home. It is not the peoples’ fault –it
is the fault of corrupt leaders of both parties and both nations. We must
speak this truth to these powerful people, even to those presidential
candidates whom we otherwise admire.
So, candidates Clinton, Edwards, Obama and the rest: Do you understand
the reasons why immigration numbers are growing? Are you smart enough to
understand the situation? Are you brave enough to do something–to even
say something–about it? Or is the truth too big for you?
All of us in this room have a duty to be good citizens and good
Democrats. And that means we must ask the toughest questions so that the
interests of the people –the people of our nation and of the world –will
be served. Isn’t that what we’re here for?
And do you see why I do not need to harp on campaign finance reform, to
cut the puppet strings that allow these cruelties to continue? I didn’t
have to say a word about that, because you understand it. You understand
what must be done in regard to the public financing of federal and state
campaigns. And that only begins the reforms we require in this
challenging new age. Thank you.
Erin
I’m all for ending the “revolving doors” and the “corporate welfare” because it all just stinks out loud. And why don’t more people take an honest look at Ron Paul who doesn’t need laws to do the right thing? He doesn’t take money from corporate interests. And he’s for ending agricultural subsidies which only benefit agribusiness more than the small farmer in this country too. And he’s pretty popular in Iowa. But the idea of giving drivers licenses to illegal aliens? The next thing you know driving on American roads may become “a job Americans won’t do”.
I have no idea who Granny D is, but if she thinks that the “good Democrats” will save the day, she is as nutty as those who believe that if only we put the GOP back in charge will the world be righted.
Neither party is doing anything other than seeking power for itself, and if you still haven’ understood that, it must mean you haven’t been to my website yet.
As for the public financing of elections, I’m so glad Granny thinks that the politiicans should hold the purse strings! What a great idea!
What we should do dear Granny, is limit contributions to $500, and that can ONLY BE FROM AMERICA CITIZENS OF VOTING AGE!!!
NO PACs, no unions, no corporations, no lobbyists, no professional “bundlers” as they are called, no foreigners, no 527’s, no groups of any kind.
American citizens of voting age period. Then the elites will be beholden to us only. If it were that simple and direct, the corruption would end. How could anyone buy influence for a mere $500?
Erin Platt in his post #4 stated:
“I am for driver lic for illegal immigrants.”
Erin, certainly appreciate you being honest in this regard. Many, many lie.
And of course you might know by now that, with your statement, we are on very different teams. I will be defending the U.S., as established by our founders.
Erin,
I forgot to add in my last post that here in the U.S., the informed citizens believe in the rule of law. You do not, clearly by your statement re supporting drivers licenses for illegal aliens. Hence we are not on the same team! It will be very interesting how this resolves! The survival of the greatest nation on earth depends on repelling this “immigration invasion”. I see polar opposites in our views and we both have our supporters! And I will not give one inch. In fact, I see the need to regain much “turf” to reclaim our nation!
Hugh
In private conversations with all types of people including “liberal loonies” I’ve noticed people are compromising on certain issues and finding consensus (Benjamin Franklin style) in order to build support for Ron Paul. And so many people have conceded the immigration issue in favor of the strong border crowd. And of course “average Joes” don’t actually ask much from the government but it’s a good thing that Patriotic Americans on both sides of the isle are holding tight to this issue.
I just love people who demand that they be allowed to pay higher prices for everything.
And, I mean everything.
.
Why not just go ahead and leave a $20 tip for the grocery store cashier, and another $20 at the department store?
That way, you get to pay more for your purchases without having to go to the UNCHRISTIAN trouble to screwing the poor who can’t afford to pay higher prices for what they HAVE to buy!
.
By all means, protectionists and xenophobes, pay more if it makes you feel better.
Just don’t force everyone else to, OK?