REPUBLICANS CLASH OVER IMMIGRATION IN CNN/YOUTUBE DEBATE

Immigration was, not surprisingly, the hot topic in last night's Republican debate. Forget about the fact that we're in a war, a banking crisis could potentially push the country in to recession, health care costs are soaring and we're facing a climate crisis that threatens all of our futures (though I'm sure the antis will figure out a way to blame immigrants for all of these problems). Immigration is obviously the issue that needs to be front and center because, after all, this is a problem that just started yesterday </sarcasm off>.

Putting aside the snarkiness, there were a couple of interesting things said. First, if Americans didn't yet know it, Mayor Guiliani and Governor Romney both have secret pro-immigration pasts. They're happy to tell you all about it (as long as you're asking them about their opponent's past). Senator Fred Thompson gets the hypocrisy award for the evening by accusing Mayor Guiliani of flip-flopping on immigration. If this is not an open invitation for the media to be reporting on Thompson's own pro-immigration, I'm not sure what is. If you want to know more about this, read my post from a few months back on the subject.

Kudos to Governor Huckabee of Arkansas for fighting back when he was attacked for supporting college scholarships for the children of unauthorized immigrants. Said Huckabee:

In all due respect, we are a better country than to punish children for what their parents did.

Does that mean, Governor Huckabee, that you would also support the DREAM Act which is based on the same logic?

John McCain had the guts to defend his pro-immigration record and also to challenge his opponents to stop using immigration as a wedge issue. According to the Washington Post:

McCain, whose campaign was damaged by his support for comprehensive immigration legislation, promised along with others that, as president, he would secure the borders, but he called on his rivals to tone down their rhetoric on the hot-button issue. If he becomes president, he said, "We won't have all this other rhetoric that unfortunately contributes nothing to the national dialogue."

One candidate said something on immigration that was hard to dispute. Anti-immigration candidate Tom Tancredo noted ""All I've heard is people trying to out-Tancredo Tancredo." And that's a shame.

Comments

[uk visa]

Apologies, Greg for reiterating your argument but...
The US dollar is at the lowest level it's been in living memory and the thread that it's hanging on is owned by the Chinese and Japanese.
There's a messy war that looks like being messy for decades - it's maiming and killing thousands of young Americans and Iraqis.
Vets are not receiving the proper level of support when they get home and are killing themselves at alarming levels.
And the finest politicians your great country has to offer want to talk about immigration - shame on them.

[Jack]

I'm not sure that's fair to Greg. I don't know much of his views, but from what I do he is like virtually everyone in that they want to get immigration and hiring matters on the up-and-up. Everyone just has different methods. Klein is the only person I've read who thinks the status quo is wonderful and apparently is oblivious to the downsides of a black market economy.

[A]

"Joe Klein and Greg Siskind have so much in common. The love both illegal and legal immigration in all forms. Warm foreign bodies, no matter the consequence or implications, is what they desire."

Dont tell me you are native american Dumb A.

It's about votes and cheap labor.

Democrats have figured out by now that they will lose the independent and moderate Democrat vote if they capitulate to the Siskindites. No amount of Bush stupidity will save them if they take on most of the positions supported by Greg Siskind.

Republicans will be outright crucified if they keep up their cheap labor initiatives, by their base.

Joe Klein and Greg Siskind have so much in common. The love both illegal and legal immigration in all forms. Warm foreign bodies, no matter the consequence or implications, is what they desire.

[Legal and waiting]

Dumbfest.

[Jack]

'a climate crisis that threatens all of our futures (though I'm sure the antis will figure out a way to blame immigrants for all of these problems)'

If you're concerned about the environment, population growth is a core environmental issue. High immigration is a primary cause of U.S. population growth. The government should take environmental impact into account when immigration policy is considered. It's absurd that they don't.

It's hard to take seriously anything on immigration by Joe Klein considering he recently wrote:

'I tend to be an extremist on this issue. I am wildly in favor of immigration, legal and illegal.'

At the time, I thought perhaps that bizarre sentence was out of context and he really meant he likes illegal immigrants themselves, not illegal immigration, and wants to make them legal. It had to be a mistake. But no, it turns out he actually likes illegal immigration and the corrupt practice of illegal hiring. Incredible.

I am an immigrant by myself, it is surprising to see the way some guy react here. Anyone who says these people(illegal/undocumented) are here against the law here is considered a racist. And these guys think issuing a green card to 20 million people overnight somehow solves the problem automatically.

"Another apologist for out of control immigration and illegal immigrants. Why don't we just abolish our laws and let anybody who wants come in? Why don't we just do away with our safety net and public education systems? Why not require cash or insurance up front for all medical treatment?

If huge numbers of uninvited people are so great, why not abolish zoning laws and environmental regulations. What's wrong with twenty people living in one apartment or small house and renting sleeping time on a floor by the square foot? If those things would be wrong, so is this columnist's premise and arguments which seem to be emotionally and not rationally based. Sorry if he does not like readers reading between the lines, but he should be in the unemployment line if these are professional opinions he expresses.
"

Get ready for attacks that accuses of you being racist :).

[JohnW]

Another apologist for out of control immigration and illegal immigrants. Why don't we just abolish our laws and let anybody who wants come in? Why don't we just do away with our safety net and public education systems? Why not require cash or insurance up front for all medical treatment?

If huge numbers of uninvited people are so great, why not abolish zoning laws and environmental regulations. What's wrong with twenty people living in one apartment or small house and renting sleeping time on a floor by the square foot? If those things would be wrong, so is this columnist's premise and arguments which seem to be emotionally and not rationally based. Sorry if he does not like readers reading between the lines, but he should be in the unemployment line if these are professional opinions he expresses.

Where did my money go???? Where did the millions of $$$ go that we all paid when we filed our various types of immigration-related applications? And even more millions the more recent filers are paying after the huge fee hike this summer? Whatever happened to the 1,500 people that USCIS promised to hire and improve the efficiency of our applications processing???? This is outrageous! http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-paycut29nov29,1,6368542.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

"Good article on this topic:

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1688794,00.html?xid=rss-politics-cnn
"

I think people are pissed with anything goes kind of immigration system.

[Another voice]

Good article on this topic:

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1688794,00.html?xid=rss-politics-cnn

[Waiting in Line]

"Does that mean, Governor Huckabee, that you would also support the DREAM Act which is based on the same logic?"

With all due respect, should these kids be rewarded with dream act based on the logic that its their parents who made the mistake? I am all for providing releif to all of these kids and reward to deserving ones.

[drew from immigrants list]

like the HTML joke by the way... though isn't "" something of a double negative?

[drew from immigrants list]

That articles on a Center for Immigration Studies report...

[Another voice]

Interesting article in a related subject WP:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/28/AR2007112802340.html