We caught the bloody shirt, and are now waving it wildly.

[SoCalDem]

The republicans cannot get a toehold in our ranks with issues that are ingrained in the party. Things like unions, equality, education and environmental issue, among others, are so much a part of us, that we do not splinter because of those issues....BUT

they have found one that DOES work. RACISM against immigration.

Each one of us has a responsibility to acknowledge their plan, and vow to resist it.

In times of plenty..plenty of jobs..plenty of educational opportunities...plenty of money...plenty of options, immigration goes pretty much unnoticed, and actually welcomed.

After a few years of republican rule, jobs just "magically disappear", and the Darwinist Racism bubbles to the surface:

"MY financial situation is bad because of....."
"I cannot find a job because of...."
"MY kid's classroom is crowded because of...."
"Gasoline costs so much because of....."

The 'fill in the blanks' part of those issues, and many others, has been occupied by many disparate groups. At times it's been the Irish, the Italians, the Blacks, the Mexicans,the Haitians,the Chinese, the Laotians, the Vietnamese, the Cambodians..etc etc etc..

The biggest nastiest ploy they are using now is the one where they seek out 'democrats' willing to go on the record supporting draconian measures against immigration (from Mexico mostly).

The approaches they use are varied in their range of subtlety, and range from the 'in-your-face' Minutemen camped on the border with coolers, sunglasses, beach umbrellas and guns...to the silver-tongued so-called statesmen who blame every community issue on 'illegal immigrants'.

It's called scapegoating, and it's been around for a LONG time.

The Mexican children are NOT causing your schools to suddenly disintegrate....republican oversight of education is what's wrong with it.

The Mexican workers are not driving wages down... the republican bosses, and the lax enforcement of labor laws are doing it.

The Mexicans are not driving the cost of housing up..if ANYTHING, their slave-wages are keeping the costs artificially LOWER than they might be.

The Mexicans are not a Homeland Security threat..in fact they are conned into JOINING our military as a citizenship-for-blood scheme..our recruiting numbers would be even WORSE without their participation.

Perhaps that fantastic $6 an hour job you always wanted, DID go to an undocumented worker, so in the next "immigrant sweep" , that job trimming palm trees or plucking chickens might once again become available..

Immigration is the issue the republicans have chosen to infiltrate our ranks.. Be vigilant and don't fall for it.

They know they cannot divide us on religion, choice, civil rights, job creation issues & unions, environment and others, but they are chipping away with immigration, because down deep, ALL people are scared when they think their livelihoods are challenged.

No one wants to lose their job, their homes or their chance at education.

Republicans are always trotting out real people like "Ann Ecdotal" and her friends to make their point that if only we would 'get tough on illegal immigration', all our problems would be solved..

Think back about ...oh....FORTY YEARS...Remember when the 'war on drugs' would solve all our problems? We all know how well that is going.

Immigrants come here because they CAN. There are jobs here or support systems in place (usually family who preceeded them). They pay into a system, using phony ID. Bosses accept that ID with a wink and a nod, not so they can pay their "legal" workers MORE,or provide better benefits with the money they save.. they accept the ID so THEY can keep the extra money saved.

As long as there is greed in America, there will always be "an immigration problem".

We will never "solve" the problem, because the people who COULD solve it, don't really think it's a problem.. They will NEVER admit it though.

[elehhhhna]

1. Excellent post. Thank you.

[SoCalDem]

2. You're welcome.. I am so tired of Lou Dobbs and his ilk

just focusing on this one narrow issue, and somehow, all our other "problems" are not so bad anymore:grr:

[Karenina]

3. SoCalDem

nails it again!!! :yourock:

[AndyTiedye]

4. Um, Actually Illegal Immigration is Fracturing the REPUBLICAN Ranks

because Boosh** isn't doing anything to stop it. His fundienutbar base
is not happy about that, but his REAL base, the "Have-Mores", aka
CHEAP LABOR REPUBLICANS like it this way.

That is the kind of WEDGE ISSUE that could break this infernal cabal
of robber barons and fundies.

Without any predjudice directed at those who come across the border in search of a better life,
one can still raise the question of why the border is so porous, at
a time when we are told that we under continuous threat from terrorists.

[SoCalDem]

7. That's precisely why they are now trotting out 'democrats' to

'agree' with them.,. We must not fall in with republicans on this issue. I know it's splintering the repubes..and we need to resist joining them on this one.. All the media types are trying to drag dems into this issue too, so they can pull up the soundbytes of dems agreeing with them..

the border is porous because that's the way it's always been, and congress has no real desire to change it.

[theboss]

10. The Republicans don't have a position...that's the point

We can't agree with the Repubs since they don't agree with themselves. Dems can have it both ways. Having some controls on immigration keeps wages high, which makes our union base happy. We can be against exploitation of illegal immigrants, which is morally sound. And we can be in favor of following the law. It's really a perfect issue for us.

[theboss]

5. You have it backwards

Republicans are splintered on this issue, not Democrats....and a smart Democrat will use it to win the next election.

[SoCalDem]

8. IF we STAY smart.. Lou Dobbs (and others)are trying their hardest

to show democrats on tv who agree with the draconian measures that republicans would love to see.

[theboss]

9. Well....that's good in a way

Don't use "Republicans" as a catch-all. The Republican base and Christian Right want closed borders. The actual Republicans in power want cheap labor. The base is realizing that the Party leaders are out of step with them.

The Dems are actually willing to have a discussion on this without blowing smoke. We may not convert Republicans, but we can keep them at home.

Hillary! thinks she can ride this to the White House. She may be correct.

[SoCalDem]

11. I hope our people in DC do stay focused and do not "fall-in"

Remember the mantra about how SS was fine and we didn't NEED to propose changes? After a fair amount of browbeating on TV shows, dems suddenly stared coming up with their own "plans to save SS"..and right away, repubes jumped on it.. "See EVEN the dems agree that there's a 'problem' with SS".

Repube strategists know how to frame an argument, and they have mastered the 'briar patch' conundrum. I see our spokespeople falling for their ploys over and over.:(

[theboss]

13. What do you think the Repub position is?

This is where I think you are off. There is no Republican position on this issue. Bush wants nothing to do with the borders because his donors want it open while his base wants it closed.

Whatever position the Dems take, we win because have of Bush's strength will agree with us and be pissed at him.

[SoCalDem]

15. Bush, himself stays behind the scenes and will not commit

to a firm position. The republican party has 'people' who do the dirty work..That way *² cautiously CAN have it both ways..

The 'base' will grumble, but they will NOT vote dem because of the other issues they have with our party.. I say 'fuggedabout' them. We just have to resist the temptation to be lured into their camp.

I live in SoCal, and I see it all the time here. The same people who vilify 'immigrants' are only too happy to hire them for yard work, daycare, pool maintenance.. and in the next breath, they are complaining about 'illegal immigration'.. Republicans want it both ways....we must resist the temptation to join in that argument.

[theboss]

16. So...we should have NO opinion?

I'm confused.

Tell me what you think the Democratic Party's position should be on Illegal Immigration? Just to ignore it?

[SoCalDem]

17. OUR position should be the APPROACH to 'the problem'

NOT directed at the IMMIGRANTS.. We should be for cracking down on the EMPLOYERS..

CHEAP-ASS slave jobs go bye-bye...illegal immigration withers on the vine..

Would YOU walk across a desert if you knew there would be no way to support yourself?

The employers who 'pretend' to check ID and hire day-laborers with NO ID checks are the REAL problem..

We need to beef up surveillance on the BOSSES..

1st violation.. Company OWNER does 1 year in jail..;no deals
2nd violation... his business is confiscated and sold at auction.(just like the drug dealers)..

Illegal immigration would not be that big of a problem if there were no jobs..

The jobs that are suddenly vacated would automatically be available for non-illegals..and at a fair-labor wage:)

That's MY plan:)

[theboss]

18. I think that's part of a coherent Democratic strategy

But it is a position that we should not have illegal immigration.

I also think that we need to address the issue from the security side as well.

[Cleita]

6. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

:applause:

:yourock:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

12. Great post. Blaming the victims is much easier than solving a problem.

Instead of blaming all the country's problems on desperate people, we should be coming to their aid, organizing them, and fighting the oppressors.

[EFerrari]

14. Exactamente. Well said! n/t

[WillyT]

19. It's The Tried And True 'Divide And Conquer' Tactic...

and it has worked for eons.

Get the bottom of the heap fighting amongst each other, while the top of the heap laughs all the way to the bank.

Will we EVER learn???

:shrug:

Sigh...

[SoCalDem]

20. Can you imagine what might happen if

The 'underclasses' ever really coalesced and took on power?? In a non-violent way , of course.. Can you imagine a revved up group of people with differing ideologies, but common goal of bettering ALL of them instead of all fighting over that one last piece of the pie?? Take the WHOLE PIE:)

[WillyT]

21. Yes... You And I, And Many Others, Work Toward That Goal Every Day !!!

:hi::yourock::hi:

[SoCalDem]

22. We saw a little of it during the Villaraigosa run off,

but I don't think it will last.:(

[Walt Starr]

23. I have no problems whatsoever with LEGAL immigration

It's the ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS I support deporting immediately.

[SoCalDem]

24. Right after we JAIL the creeps that offer the jobs they come here for

(bad sentence structure, but..you get my drift):)

[Walt Starr]

25. That's where interdiction efforts should concentrate

If the illegals can't get jobs here, they won't come here illegally.

[SoCalDem]

26. Exactly.. It;'s much easier to go after the bosses

You have to "follow the money"..

[kimchi]

27. Great explanation.

Way to cut through the rhetoric to the truth.

[CAcyclist]

28. And the corollary to that is:

If we oppose out-sourcing or corporations trying to import professionals here (in my profession, Banfield, formerly VetSmart , is trying to change the rules to make it easier for graduates of foreign veterinary schools that don't have our same standards to practice here - if we oppose those corporate actions, it is not true that we are being racist, which is the first thing we will be charged with.

For my example, I am opposed to Banfield dumbing down our rules to get certified which will allow less prepared people to practice medicine.

I am all for raising the standards at other schools overseas to meet our standards and encouraging well-prepared foreign grads to come here. I am all for aggressive affirmative action programs that will groom minorities and increase minorities in our profession.

But I don't like to see Banfield set up a Mexican school that will just become a mill for vets that will not be able to practice either in Mexico or effectively outside of the Banfield rigid corporate cookbook code. They will be paid far less than what other vets in the community make and Banfield will profit.

[SoCalDem]

29. Those issues are still not the 'fault' of the wannabee vets.

It's Banfield who's tp blame, for trying to undercut their own vets, and pressure them into either taking LESS money, or losing their jobs entirely...Would the 'savings' go to better wages for their current employees? better benefits?.. would the prices that patient's 'parents' pay, decrease?..

Nope it's a stockholder-bottom line-CEO bank account issue.. Banfield's to blame...not the people they coerce.

[peekaloo]

30. kickity

:thumbsup: