Immigrants. The GOP's Piñata.

[johncoby2]

(Please feel free to copy, paste, cross post, and distribute.)



Make no mistake about why the Republican Party is raising the immigration issue after being silent for 6 years: They have absolutely nothing else to campaign on and are afraid of losing control of Congress in November. Bashing the piñata of immigration for a shower of votes is an easy distraction from the failures of the Republican Party, and will unite and rally the worst of their base. Unfortunately for the GOP, this piñata intends to fight back, and fight back hard.

The Republican Party has lost the trust of the voters across the country with their continued failures at home and abroad. In 2000, they inherited a country with a growing economy, a $250B surplus, low gasoline prices, and prosperity for all. Our country was respected throughout the world. Yet in just 6 short years, the GOP has managed to foul up everything they have touched.

Our country is at war on multiple fronts, gasoline is at $3.00/gallon, our insurance rates have doubled, college education costs have soared by over 30%, our public schools have not been adequately funded, our teachers are underpaid, health insurance is sky rocketing, the Republican controlled Congress is laden with scandals and corruption, we have a $300B deficit, our debt is at $9 trillion, and the list can go on and on. The bottom line is clear, the GOP has absolutely nothing positive to campaign on in November, and therefore they must resort to a distraction.

The immigration issue is important especially after the September 11th attacks on our country, but the reason for raising this issue by the Republican Party is not security, or saving American jobs, or providing cheap labor for the homebuilders, or the cost of illegal immigrants on our Government services. This issue is nothing more than a distraction from the real issues that concerns most Americans.

The Republican Party has been successful using distractions to pull attention from their inability to lead our nation, provide homeland security, and to protect our tax dollars. In 2002 the attack on Iraq was their diversion and in 2004 they successfully used the ban on gay marriage to their advantage. This year, with absolutely nothing else left to justified the continued leadership by the Republican Party, they are attempting to turn our attention to illegal immigration.

In Houston, a meeting on the immigration issue held by Houston City Council Women Carol Alvarado, was filled with leaders from all walks of life. Muslims, Christians, Jews, Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, Independents, and Democrats. Even leaders of the Hispanic caucus of the Republican Party not only attended, but volunteered time and money to denounced their party's stance on immigration bashing, which was very appreciated by those in the audience. It was very clear that the majority is against the bashing of the immigration piñata .

The immigration issue is complicated and should not be reduced to simple minded, short sighted, mean spirited, hateful election distractions attacking those looking for the American dream while our country is mired in debt and the world is in chaos. The tactics by the Republican Party and it's leaders of promoting fence building, goon squads, and billboards instilling hate, are just a few examples of these distraction tactics. Instead this issue must be resolved with common sense, business sense, and most of all compassion for those affected.

The leaders of the Republican Party have invited the worst of their base, and those ignorant of the state of the country, to put on the blindfold of distraction and swing irresponsibly at the immigration piñata. Unfortunately for them, in November this piñata will swing back.

John R. Cobarruvias
Houston, TX 77062
[e-mail]

[Monkeyman]

1. This is a wedge issue put out by Rove

No vote will come this year its just to get their base out to vote

[mtnester]

17. And when they are not using immigrants, they will of course

fall back on gays - this from Sunday...

Equality Ohio Condemns Blackwell for Comparing Lesbian and Gay Ohioans to Criminals; Demands Retraction

“Secretary of State Blackwell’s comments are offensive and out of step with the majority of Ohioans.”
-Lynne Bowman, Executive Director

Columbus, OH - In the Sunday edition of The Columbus Dispatch on July 23rd, Secretary of State Ken Blackwell compared lesbian and gay Ohioans to “arsonists and kleptomaniacs” and described their lives as a “transgression against God’s law.” Equality Ohio calls on Blackwell to retract his comments and apologize to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Ohioans. “This kind of speech is unacceptable for a public official and is divisive and offensive to hard working Ohioans across this state,” said Lynne Bowman, Executive Director. “We call on Blackwell to retract his statement and apologize for his remarks comparing LGBT people to common criminals.”

Secretary Blackwell’s assertion that individuals can “change” sexual orientation ignores medical evidence and the reality of the lives of LGBT Ohioans. Many thousands of LGBT Ohioans are in long-term, committed relationships, practice their faith, and are raising children and contributing to their communities.

<snip>
http://www.equalityohio.org/PR07242006.htm

My note - this idiot is making this reference about many people who are loved, MY SON included. I am sick.

[lonestarnot]

2. Certainly a distraction in that they have no real interest in solving

the problem.

[RagingInMiami]

3. But this Pinata is a Trojan Horse

Un caballo de Troya filled with Hispanic voters.

Young Hispanic voters who have never voted before.
Young Hispanic voters who were born in this country.
Young Hispanic voters who are going to shove that immigration issue up the ass of los republicanos.

[Higans]

14. Die Bold will steel it again.

It's nice to think that the Latin voters will make a difference, but I don't think any voter or group of voters can make a difference. I think the GOP brings up these distractions as camouflage because the truth is that no one in this country will vote for them. the reason for the distractions is to fool the people into thinking that there are actually enough mean spirited, bigoted or just plain ignorant people in this country that they (the GOP) might actually be able to get enough votes to win an election. I believe that the majority of the population can, and has seen right through this stupid gay marriage, immigration, flag burning subterfuge, and the only reason that the GOP does it is so that people won't catch on to the fact that no one voted for the republic cons and that the GOP simply Die Bolded another one.

In short none of these issues make any difference, cause the cons are going to steel it any way, and any one who cries foul will be scorned, laughed at, or thrown into a prison camp. voters will be disenfranchised again by these simple machines that the GOP programs to say what ever they want.

Any other issue they bring up is just a poor smoke screen that is covering up the shell game that has become our election process.

"touch this computer screen and your vote will be counted." What a heap of crap. HAVAnother election on me. Sorry folks, the terrorist have won, and they have taken the white house.

[RagingInMiami]

15. I have no doubt they are planning on stealing it again

And I have no doubt that they are devising new ways of stealing it so they won't be solely dependent on Diebold and the other computer machines.

I just wonder how many more elections are they going to steal before the country wakes up and takes to the streets in demonstrations throughout the country over a period of several months.

Like the Hispanics did earlier this year.

[Maestro]

4. Cutting and pasting!

Strawmen everywhere.

[Auggie]

6. Of course it's b.s.,

but it does underscore (once again) the lack of creative politics coming from the Democrats. Rove and Company continue to out think them at every turn. W.M.D.s, terrorism, gay marriage, and now immigration.

[Quantess]

11. you forgot flag burning as a distraction.

Illegal immigration, gay mariage, flag burning, are all big fat distractions, some are more non-issues than others, of course. They are distractions thrown in our faces to get our minds off Iraq, the deficit, GOP corruption, gas prices, Katrina, and the all-around bungling incompetence of the B*sh administration. They want to distract us from their complete, miserable, Executive failure.

[NoAmericanTaliban]

5. Not only is the GOP using this issue they created it to begin with

stats from Lou Dobbs:

The Bush administration in its first four years was responsible for 318 fines against employers who hired illegal workers, an average of fewer than 80 each year. That's down from 5,587 fines against illegal employers during the eight years of the Clinton administration, according to the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus, an average of 698 each year. And the problem is getting worse; in 2004 only three employers received fines for illegal hiring.

Work site arrests have fallen even more drastically under this president. From 1995 to 1998, there were between 10,000 and 18,000 work site arrests of illegal aliens each year. But during the Bush administration, work site arrests fell to just 159 in 2004.

Apprehensions along the border averaged 1.05 million from fiscal year 2001 to 2004, according to the independent, progressive group Third Way, down from 1.52 million from 1996 to 2000. Border apprehensions have plummeted more than 30 percent, despite a doubling in the number of Border Patrol agents over the past decade and the rising number of attempted crossings.
-----------------------
This is going to backfire on the GOP. Hispanics have usually had a low voter turn out and Bush actually gained votes from them. The success of the Fundies is that they vote. Not only do the Hispanics need to not vote GOP, but they need to come out in numbers.

[Deep13]

7. Let's not be duplicitous with our words.

This is not about immigration, it is about illegally present aliens. The Rs never objected before because they want cheap labor to control corporate costs and to undermine organized domestic labor. Now they pull the issue out of their ass hoping we will take the bait. Let's not oblige them.

[w4rma]

10. Agreed. This is about *illegal* immigration. DUers shouldn't use Bush's

terms of "they're against all immigration".

[DinahMoeHum]

8. Here's a more sensible approach to the immigration issue. . .

from the Dem candidate for Idaho's 1st District, Larry Grant:

http://larrygrant.typepad.com/blog/immigration/index.html

(snip)
"Making felons of people here to work and the churches and others that help them is not the answer.

"Illegal immigration has two sides: The people crossing the border and the people hiring them. When I worked for Micron we always needed engineers. But we could not hire a foreign national until we certified that we were paying a fair wage and that no qualified American wanted the job. What works in the laboratory ought to work in the lettuce field.

"A company wanting to hire a foreign national should sponsor the employee by vouching that they are paying a fair wage, that no qualified U.S. worker is available, that they will not go on welfare while here, and that they will go home when the job is over. Once we ensure a legal work force for employers, then we can go after those who break the law.

"As for those already here, amnesty is not the answer. If they are law-abiding, working persons, their employer should sponsor them and ensure they and their family are not a burden on the United States. They they get in the immigration line like anybody else."
(snip)

Official campaign site
http://www.grantforcongress.com/

Grassroots for Grant:
http://larrygrant.typepad.com/blog/

:kick:

[Greyhound]

19. The problem with that is that it still leaves open the M-1 Tank sized hole

for them to get through. The definition of fair wage is always determined by the employer, therefore all they have to do is lay off the high wage earners, advertise the job at 1/3 salary, and lo-and-behold they "can't find any qualified US workers to fill the job".

Hmm, this sounds vaguely familiar... :think:

[txwhitedove]

9. Outstanding presentation of just one of the big Repub distractions...

like kids stirring up ant hills all over the world.

Wow, John! K&R

[KamaAina]

12. That would imply the repukes are stumbling around the room blindfolded

no argument here. :rofl:

[NEOBuckeye]

13. The Republican Party must be Routed and Abolished

And then every one of its members, with the possible exception of Rep. Ron Paul of TX should be investigated for corruption and tried for treason against the US.

[DallasNE]

16. I Hadn't Thought Of It In Quite This Way

But it fits.

All discussions on immigration have left out one very important requirement for a good piece of legislation, making them all fatally flawed.

What are the chances the illegal immigrants will comply with the law. When I look at the legislation and try a put myself in the shoes of an illegal immigrant I have to say it is a no-brainer; there is no way I would comply. Lastly, I have heard no talk on what the next step will be if they fail to comply in large numbers (as I am sure will be the case).

American's were suckered into believing that we would be greeted as liberators in Iraq. It looks as no lessons were learned because the Republican immigration bill is as ill-conceived as the plan for peace in Iraq, i.e., there is no plan.

Some Democrat needs to start asking the question, what happens if the illegal immigrants fail to step forward in large numbers, then what. Is there an exit strategy for indeed one will be necessary.

[porphyrian]

18. Well, they did gays last week... - n/t

[AlphaCentauri]

20. have they acomplish any task , yet? nt