Republicans won't stop obsessing on illegal immigration

[Reaganfan]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MZ4qUEXbxmk

It's true.

[The Duke]

Fred Barnes is a sycophant for George Bush.  He is carrying Bush's water on immigration as he carries Bush's water on every other issue.  Why should we listen to somebody when one of their main motivations is hero worship?

Fred Barnes is politically tone deaf.  He was a full throated backer of the doomed and wildly unpopular immigration bill.  Despite poll after poll that shows Republicans actually are seen as better on immigration than almopst any other issue, despite poll after poll that shows the conservative position to be poplar and Barne's and Bush's position to be unpopular, Barnes continues to defend his nonsensical view that it is a political liability to oppose illegal immigration.  Why should we listen to soemone who clearly has no understanding of public opinion?

Fred Barnes is evidence-proof.  Evidence has no effect on him at all.  Despite the fact that in six years of Bush pushing for amnesty, he has failed to even move the needle on latino public opinion  Barnes keeps pushing for the Bush-Rove vision that has left the GOP in ruins.  The grand Rovian strategy has not produced any material results, the Rove strategy has failed miserably.  Barnes ignores the evidence, and continues to push the fantasy that favoring amnesty will turn latinos towards Republicans.  The Reagan amnesty did not swing latino opinion and neither did Bush's push for amnesty.  When you show a rational person evidence that what they are doing is not working, they will change their strategy.  Not Fred Barnes.  Why should we listen to someone who is in no way influenced by facts or evidence?

Fred Barnes won't change the subject.  Despite being rebuffed by the American people, the US Senate, and their own party, Rove, Bush, and Barnes refuse to stop trying to shove amnesty down everyone's throats.  They just won't take a hint.  The reason that Romney and Rudy have to constantly attack illegal immigration is that Bush won't stop defending illegal immigration.  In fact, rumor is that Alberto Gonzalez may be replaced by Michael Chertoff, which means that the US Attorney General will be a man who openly says he is not obligated to enforce laws he doesn't feel like enforcing.  Why should we listen to someone who has such a one-track mind?

[??????????]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MZ4qUEXbxmk

It's true.

We need to do something about it and soon. Turning a blind eye and a deaf ear is definitely not helping the US.

[Jaggerjack]

I almost thought this was CARLHAYDEN...

[Ebowed]

John Ford, the reason many opposed that bill was because it wasn't liberal enough.

[The Duke]

John Ford, the reason many opposed that bill was because it wasn't liberal enough.

Not exactly.  It is true that there was substantial opposition to the bill from Democratic Senators because the guest worker provision would certainly have led to wroker exploitation.  However, I would not chacterize their objection as only a liberal one.  I see nothing in conservative philosophy that should prevent one from wanting to ensure that workers are not abused, and I'm sure that many Republican members were concerned about these very provisions.

I'd also suggest that, while the Senate bill could be attacked from both right and left, public opinion on immigration leans strongly to the right.

The most recent NBC poll (from June) shows how strongly to the right the public's mood is.  65% favor a border fence.  73% favor making immigrants learn English before becoming citizens.  57% favor employers sanctions for hiring an illegal immigrant.  55% oppose allowing illegals to apply for permanent residency.  64% oppose allowing illegals to be given temporary work visas.  And on and on and on.

[Reaganfan]

Here's my solution:

Build a wall against Canada and Mexico. HOWEVER, we are still the world's beacon of freedom by letting people in. All we ask is that they do it, legally. My great-grandparents immigrated to the United States from Sicily, Italy...but they did it legally. We close the borders to stop illegal immigration, but welcome legal immigrants to our country.

[MODU]

Build a wall against Canada and Mexico.

You don't need a wall to enforce the border.  We have enough technology on hand in order to spot the people crossing.  We just need people and the political will to send the people we stop back home in a rapid fashion without letting them go and asking them to return for a court hearing 6 months later.

[Kevin]

Here's my solution:

Build a wall against Canada and Mexico. HOWEVER, we are still the world's beacon of freedom by letting people in. All we ask is that they do it, legally. My great-grandparents immigrated to the United States from Sicily, Italy...but they did it legally. We close the borders to stop illegal immigration, but welcome legal immigrants to our country.

Legal is one thing the amesty fanatics don't seem to understand.

[Stranger in a strange land]

guys the fact is that whether you like it or not we DO need immigration. We do need people coming here to do jobs that Americans are unwilling or unable to do. The reason that so many come illegally is that our government has made it ridiculously difficult for good, hard-working people to get visas. As a result, some bad people are able to sneak in among the many mostly good ones. The solution to the problem of illegal immigration is better visa policy and better labor laws, but unfortunately there is currently no compromise possible because the two sides are so incredibly far apart and so diametrically opposed in their thinking.

[Ebowed]

Here's my solution:

Build a wall against Canada and Mexico. HOWEVER, we are still the world's beacon of freedom by letting people in. All we ask is that they do it, legally. My great-grandparents immigrated to the United States from Sicily, Italy...but they did it legally. We close the borders to stop illegal immigration, but welcome legal immigrants to our country.

1. Would you be opposed to making the "LEGAL" process easier?
2. What do you plan on doing with the 12 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the country?

[Kevin]

guys the fact is that whether you like it or not we DO need immigration. We do need people coming here to do jobs that Americans are unwilling or unable to do. The reason that so many come illegally is that our government has made it ridiculously difficult for good, hard-working people to get visas. As a result, some bad people are able to sneak in among the many mostly good ones. The solution to the problem of illegal immigration is better visa policy and better labor laws, but unfortunately there is currently no compromise possible because the two sides are so incredibly far apart and so diametrically opposed in their thinking.

What we need is a immigration policy geared towards more skilled and better educated immigrants. For example a teacher from India is going to contribute more to this nation's future and economy then a illiterate peasent from Tamaulipas. 

[Colin]

My great-grandparents immigrated to the United States from Sicily, Italy...but they did it legally.

Your great-grandparents were able to come to this country because we had a nearly complete open door policy when it came to immigration. As long as you did not have a disease or a criminal record you were usually allowed in the country. Only 1 in 50 immigrants were turned down for some reason, usually medical, and not allowed to enter the country as a legal resident. Under today's immigration system your illiterate, uneducated, working-class great-grandparents would not be allowed into the United States or, if they wanted to come legally, they would have to fight with millions of other immigrants for the 4,000 visas given out every year to unskilled workers. I'm pretty sure if America had its current immigration system in place back in the 1880s or 1890s or whenever your family came to this nation they almost certain would have come here illegally.

[Friz]

1. Would you be opposed to making the "LEGAL" process easier?
2. What do you plan on doing with the 12 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the country?

I feel the citizenship process should be easier and they be required to do it.  They should live the American dream like everyone else and pay taxes.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

I get the impression that your average heartland GOPer could care less about the economic aspects of illegal immigration but as soon as there's a chance, no matter how remote that any white women start liking latin men they go up in arms.