The Illegal Elephant In The Room
EJ Dionne brushes aside all the fun and games over Hillary Clinton's debate gaffe and all the subsequent foofraw to get to the real, underlying issue. It is one that the Democrats are trying to avoid at all costs. I suspect he's quite right about this.
More significant than Hillary Clinton's supposed gaffe at the end of Tuesday's Democratic presidential debate is the subject around which she tiptoed so delicately: immigration. Democrats fear the issue because it could leave them with a set of no-win political choices……..
………The issue is especially problematic because efforts to appease voters upset about immigration — including a share of the African American community — threaten to undercut the Democrats' large and growing advantage among Latino voters. For Republicans, the issue is both a way of changing the political subject from Iraq, the economy and the failures of the Bush presidency and a means of sowing discord in the Democratic coalition.
One poll finding this week that shook Democrats came in a survey conducted by Democracy Corps, a consortium organized by party consultants Stan Greenberg, Al Quinlan and James Carville. It asked voters to pick two from a list of seven problems that explain "why the country is going in the wrong direction."
The survey found that among independent voters, 40 percent — by far the largest group — picked this option: "Our borders have been left unprotected and illegal immigration is growing."
By contrast, a lack of action on health care was named by only 24 percent of independents as a core problem, and Iraq by 23 percent.
I have said - since before the 2006 elections - that there is no reason this country cannot have secure borders and a welcoming immigration policy. This is not, as Dionne portrays it, a desperation theme the Republicans can use. It is a common sense idea that will gain enormous traction with the voters. A high fence, a wide gate and a hearty welcome for people who play by the rules is a winning campaign slogan. The Democrats are dancing around that, the Republicans are fools not to embrace it. Look at the way the people rose up and torpedoed the "immigration reforms" from the Senate. Look at the way the people rose up and hammered the DREAM act. Look at the way the polls read in New York where a vast majority oppose Eliot Spitzer's "Licenses for Lawbreakers™" scheme.
Pay attention here, folks. This is an issue that can be solved and is a winner at the polls.
Immigration Reform, Politics | Gaius Saturday, 3 November , 2007
Other Links to this Post
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justbarkingmad.com » Blog Archive » The Enemy of My Enemy is Not My Friend — Saturday, 3 November , 2007 @ 2:52 pm
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Blue Crab Boulevard » The Big Democrat Mystery — Monday, 5 November , 2007 @ 4:14 pm
By Quilly Mammoth, Saturday, 3 November , 2007 @ 9:54 am
Well said.
I’m working on a post about the dangers of racists becoming involved in the legitimate struggle against Islamofacism and illegal immigration. Often one in the same in Europe where, unfortunately, the leaders in that struggle are often neo-Nazis.
By daveinboca, Saturday, 3 November , 2007 @ 11:02 am
This issue is a no-brainer for Republicans, but unfortunately, except for Fred Thompson, they have all displayed a plentiful lack of wit. The Democrats will predictably get their “racism” card ready as they display a complete lack of ethical and moral understanding of the immigration/national security issues involved.
I am afraid the Republicans are fearful of the hammering they will take from an irresponsible media. And, sadly, McCain can never walk back the cats he let loose in the past in a gruesome tango with Fat Teddy.