something truly alarming. As we all know, the GOP-controlled House, which passed on enforcement-only bill, has refused to deal with the Senate’s “comprehensive” amnesty-and-open-borders bill. I and others have been urging for months that the House needed not just to let the Senate bill die, but to make their refusal to compromise with it an explicit matter of principle, announcing to the country that the Senate bill was so bad the House wouldn’t even go into conference committee on it. This would not only give heart to the immigration restrictionist side, but would give the GOP its best shot at retaining control of the House this November, the alternative being a Democratic House in the next Congress and certain passage of a nation-busting open-borders bill.
Sadly, instead of following this sound advice, the House GOP has allowed its staunch opposition to the terrible Senate bill to be cast as an irresponsible abandonment of “good” immigration reform. Even worse, lots of pro-borders-control conservatives believe this line and as a result are turning against the GOP and saying that they don’t care if the GOP retains its House majority. In other words, many conservatives are blaming the GOP for not fighting for an enforcement-only bill, when in reality the best the GOP could hope for was to stop dead the “comprehensive” open-borders bill—which in fact is exactly what they have done, though they haven’t taken credit for it.
The GOP leadership must realize that they are being slaughtered on one of their most admirable achievements, that they stood like a stone wall against the worst bill in American history. They need to declare, “We didn’t just let this bill die; we deliberately killed it, and we will kill it again in the next Congress, if you vote for us.” I urge readers to contact their representatives and tell them how their brave stand against open borders is being mischaracterized as a failure, which increases the likelihood of the GOP loss of the House, which would make certain the passage of the amnesty-and-open-borders bill next year.
To convey the appalling scale of this misunderstanding, here is the headline and lead from yesterday’s New York Times story as posted at Lucianne.com, followed by the first 31 comments by the L-dotters. Note how the majority of these conservatives are buying the Times’ spin on the issue and saying, “The GOP is useless, I’m staying home on election day.”
G.O.P. Sets Aside Work on Immigration
The New York Times, by Carl Hulse and Rachel L. Swarns
Original Article
WASHINGTON—As they prepare for a critical pre-election legislative stretch, Congressional Republican leaders have all but abandoned a broad overhaul of immigration laws and instead will concentrate on national security issues they believe play to their political strength. With Congress reconvening Tuesday after an August break, Republicans in the House and Senate say they will focus on Pentagon and domestic security spending bills…
Comments:
Reply 1—Posted by: yeahsuredad, 9/4/2006 10:01:12 PM
It was along hot summer for immigration, but it’s cooled down now. Safe for these low down dirty cowards to play outside again.
Makes ya’ want to throw in the towel.
And don’t tell me this “other” stuff is more important…
Reply 2—Posted by: dmeyler, 9/4/2006 10:05:20 PM
Those fools deserve to lose.
Reply 3—Posted by: Condolady, 9/4/2006 10:14:10 PM
Well, well, well. They just sealed their fate.
Reply 4—Posted by: Halfgenius, 9/4/2006 10:24:01 PM
It’s gonna’ be hard to not send these cretins packing…very hard indeed. The aren’t representing Americans…why are they called Representatives? Nevermind…I have a better name in mind!
Reply 5—Posted by: jasmine, 9/4/2006 10:34:30 PM
Why replace perfectly good immigration laws, when the problem is pro-illegal politicians who simply don’t want them enforced?
Reply 6—Posted by: bill, 9/4/2006 10:36:20 PM
Demrats, the party of liars, cheats and adulters.
Repubbicans, the party of stuck on stupid.
How many “fingers” can the American People be given before ALL the rascals are throw out… bodily if necessary!! Mad as a hornet. GOP get money from me??? You have got to be kidding.
Reply 7—Posted by: jhp, 9/4/2006 10:40:28 PM
“A final decision on what do about immigration policy awaits a meeting this week of senior Republicans.”
Another “decision” comes November 7.
Reply 8—Posted by: PJSam, 9/4/2006 10:50:31 PM
“But Republicans do hope to advance some nonsecurity measures. The major legislation on the floor in the House this week is a bill that would ban trading in horses to be slaughtered for human consumption.”
This is why we need new Conservatives in the Senate.
Reply 9—Posted by: kahuna, 9/4/2006 11:39:07 PM
The Republicans deserve to Loose this election.
No guts at all.
The biggest problem will be that they are dumping on to the Conservatives that have supported them.
Here we go—history repeating itself.
Down the tube!
Reply 10—Posted by: wilarrbie, 9/4/2006 11:56:53 PM
Republicans are not likely to peel away many votes from the left, but they darn sure are alienating their own base. They need to listen. We are NOT against immigration! We are against lawbreaking ILLEGAL, unchecked immigrants, who, once in this country DEMAND special rights not afforded to most natural born, taxpaying citizens. Yes we need immigrants, we need the talents and family values of hardworking people who want to come here to add to this country, and be a part of it. Don’t confuse this with the illegal leaches who’ve been sneaking in and sucking up our limited resources.
Reply 11—Posted by: bighambone, 9/5/2006 12:02:03 AM
The Republicans would have to be crazy to pass the liberal Democrat crafted amnesty bill that came out of the US Senate. The reason Kennedy constructed that bill is that he knows that once granted amnesty and put on a direct path to dual citizenship, it will only be a matter of time until the liberal Democrats sign up most of the legalized aliens, and enough of their foreign born family members that they will then be able to bring here, as liberal Democrat voters, and we are talking tens of millions of potential new voters here, once the liberal Democrst do that, it will amount to long-term political suicide for the Republicans and the conservative paradigm. Why to you think that the Democrats and the very liberal ethnic and immigrant activist groups are pushing what they call a direct path to citizenship? It’s to change the voter demographics and politics in this country for ever!
Reply 12—Posted by: olddemocrat, 9/5/2006 12:04:07 AM
When you have a hole in the boat, the first thing you do is plug the leak, not try to decide what stain or finish to use on the repair. BUILD THE FENCE!
Reply 13—Posted by: MsCharlotteVale, 9/5/2006 1:47:48 AM
Our electeds have no intention of fixing the problem because they don’t want to upset foreign nationals, dems, leftists and assorted money groups. We passed the point of no return some time ago. Our country will never be the same and that seems to be the plan. We can’t stop the current invasion, much less process 20+million foreigners. Heck, our govt does a poor job of processing legal immigrants who jump through various hoops.
Reply 19—Posted by: antigummint, 9/5/2006 6:21:41 AM
It’s THE litmus test for me. I’m not voting for anybody that has not publicly and repeatedly condemned what’s going on with immigration. I think that means that I won’t be voting for many incumbants.
Reply 20—Posted by: M2, 9/5/2006 6:38:01 AM
National Security IS our most important issue right now. Without it, immigration won’t matter much.
Having said that, can this Administration not solve TWO problems at once? Can it not walk and chew gum?
How incompetent is this Administration, or is it just full of fatcats who don’t want to dirty their hands and who would rather just go play a few rounds of golf instead of protecting our borders?
Reply 21—Posted by: M2, 9/5/2006 6:47:02 AM
Send this link to the White House and tell them how YOU feel about it.
I did.
Reply 22—Posted by: starbaby, 9/5/2006 6:53:37 AM
I don’t believe Republicans should be thrown overboard on the issue, especially since we know the democrats will be much worse. No bill is better than a bad bill.
And if it had not been for the Republicans in the house we would have the Senate bill which was terrible in more ways than one. BTW the majority of Rebublicans in the Senate voted against it too.
Reply 23—Posted by: Maybeth, 9/5/2006 6:54:24 AM
Take note that this story appears in the New York Times, where it has no doubt been doctored to anger Republicans. I will wait to hear the story from ‘trustworthy’ source before forming an opinion.
Reply 24—Posted by: acidkibitzer, 9/5/2006 7:28:25 AM
It appears that House Republicans know that the Senate’s plan “to accomodate” over 10 million invaders (illegal immigrants) won’t work. (“Accomodate” is the astounding word used by Arlen Specter of PA last Sunday morning on Fox News.) Specter used the word intentionally, and Chris Wallace let him get away with it.
Reply 25—Posted by: mrduc, 9/5/2006 7:47:47 AM
Ah, the spineless Republicans. But what is our alternative? In addition to voting at the polls, we can also vote with our wallets. Everytime you receive those fundraising letters from the RNC and your local Republican group, write over the donation area ‘’Not one penny from us until you grow a spine and make a stand on illegal immigration!’’ I do and I stick it right in their postage paid envelope.
Reply 26—Posted by: Tulsa, 9/5/2006 7:50:57 AM
No bill ‘is’ better than a bad one and the senate bill is terrible.
Replace weak RNC with better ones, but vote RNC. If you vote anything else, you ‘are’ voting dnc. remember perot?
Reply 27—Posted by: Daisymay, 9/5/2006 8:00:08 AM
I agree with #21, send this link..but not to the White House, to your Representatives in the House and Senate. Wait until the end of the day when the Thread is huge. We should be writing and calling every day from not until Election Day DEMANDING they bring up Immigration BEFORE Election day. We deserve to know where they stand…on the Record…before we vote on them!
Reply 28—Posted by: billw., 9/5/2006 8:07:17 AM
The Reps are bad, but the Drats would be just as bad or worse.
Reply 29—Posted by: caprine, 9/5/2006 8:14:55 AM
12 million illegal latinos and 6 million muslims.
Both represent a clear and present danger to this country.
Why should I care about what happens in Iraq when our enemies have already brought the fight here?
Reply 30—Posted by: sixtiesdude, 9/5/2006 8:21:52 AM
The 9/11 planes took off from American soil with ‘immigrants’ aboard who wanted us dead. So the war on terrorism is 100% linked to preventing ‘immigrants’ from killing us. This feckless behavior guarantees a one-issue third party in ‘08. Perot II lies ahead!
Reply 31—Posted by: Cor-vet, 9/5/2006 8:21:58 AM
I guess our spineless representatives in DC believe the ‘Today we march, Tomorrow we vote’ signs the illegals are parading around with. If you deport the whole pack of them, they can’t vote!