Thread: Hillary goes conservative on immigration

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20041 ... -6151r.htm



Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is staking out a position on illegal immigration that is more conservative than President Bush, a strategy that supporters and detractors alike see as a way for the New York Democrat to shake the "liberal" label and appeal to traditionally Republican states.
Mrs. Clinton — who is tagged as a liberal because of her plan for nationalized health care and various remarks during her husband's presidency — is taking an increasingly vocal and hard-line stance on an issue that ranks among the highest concerns for voters, particularly Republicans.







"Bush has done everything he can to leave the doors wide open," said Robert Kunst, president of HillaryNow.com, a group dedicated to drafting Mrs. Clinton to run for president. "Hillary is the only one taking a position on immigration. She will win that issue hands down."
In an interview last month on Fox News, Mrs. Clinton said she does not "think that we have protected our borders or our ports or provided our first responders with the resources they need, so we can do more and we can do better."
In an interview on WABC radio, she said: "I am, you know, adamantly against illegal immigrants."
"Clearly, we have to make some tough decisions as a country, and one of them ought to be coming up with a much better entry-and-exit system so that if we're going to let people in for the work that otherwise would not be done, let's have a system that keeps track of them," she said.
Unlike many pro-business Republicans, Mrs. Clinton also has castigated Americans for hiring illegal aliens.
"People have to stop employing illegal immigrants," she said. "I mean, come up to Westchester, go to Suffolk and Nassau counties, stand on the street corners in Brooklyn or the Bronx. You're going to see loads of people waiting to get picked up to go do yard work and construction work and domestic work."
In contrast, Mr. Bush backs a guest-worker program that allows foreign citizens entry into the United States and an eventual path to citizenship. One of the president's first acts after his re-election was to push for it again, before both domestic and foreign audiences.
Mrs. Clinton's position has been noticed by Rep. Tom Tancredo, a Colorado Republican and leading proponent of stricter immigration controls.
"She's not a dumb woman," Tancredo spokesman Carlos Espinoza said. "She's got a great liberal base, and she realizes there's no better way to draw in more conservative voters. She has really come out to the forefront on that."
With the vast majority of Americans in polls viewing illegal immigration as a serious problem, Mrs. Clinton also could make deep inroads in the conservative red states, especially those in the South that the Democrats have largely written off in recent presidential campaigns.
As the immigration issue has entered the debate over national security, the New York senator — representing the state hardest hit by the September 11 attacks — is uniquely positioned to take a firm stance on the issue, to the delight of some conservatives.
"More than any other leader of either political party, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton has been focusing on immigration reform and border security — taking hard-line positions that appeal to frustrated Republicans in a move that could guarantee her enough support in red states to win the White House in 2008," conservative author Carl Limbacher wrote recently on NewsMax.com, which has chronicled many of Mrs. Clinton's statements on immigration.
Mr. Espinoza said the former first lady has become particularly vocal on the issue during and after the November election, in which Democrats performed so poorly.
"I think she's realizing how much this issue has grown since 9/11," he said. "If you talked about it before then, you were just a flat-out racist. Now it's this huge issue."
Moving to the right of even some Republicans, the former first lady told WABC she favors "at least a visa ID, some kind of entry-and-exit ID. And ... perhaps, although I'm not a big fan of it, we might have to move towards an ID system even for citizens."
Jennifer Duffy with the Cook Political Report said a conservative stance on immigration would be wise in the event Mrs. Clinton runs for president in 2008.
"Democrats are asking if it's really smart to nominate another Northeastern Democrat, and she is a Northeastern Democrat," she said. "It's probably smart to blur that perception a little."
But not everyone sees it as a wise a move.
"I think she is trying to move to the right, and immigration is one of the ways she is using to do it," said political strategist Dick Morris, who has a history of working with former President Clinton.
"I think this is a particularly misguided choice on her part, however, since two-thirds of Bush's margin this time was due to his closure of the Democratic margin of victory among Hispanics."
Mr. Bush lost the vote of Hispanics — many of whom are wary of tougher immigration laws — by only 10 percentage points this year, whereas he lost it by 20 percentage points four years ago, Mr. Morris said.
Mr. Kunst, whose Web site supporting Mrs. Clinton got thousands of hits daily right after Mr. Bush's re-election, said Mrs. Clinton is now the strongest Democrat for 2008 in terms of both popularity and financing.
Immigration is a good issue for her even as, he hopes, she holds onto her liberal credentials.
"It's not just about cheap labor anymore," Mr. Kunst said. "It's about security. We have to do something about it."

In an interview on WABC radio, she said: "I am, you know, adamantly against illegal immigrants."

Hillary's solution to illegal immigration.

-shakes his head-


and WE are confused ones ,,, WTF

I haven't read this article in its' entirety. Still, I get the basic and the main basic is that Hillary changes her political stances more often than she probably changes her underwear. Go figure!

Let's have some REAL parties in upcoming months this year that represent USA LEGAL CITIZENS instead of foreign nationals and the corporate elite and wealthy.

Hillary Clinton, you suck and please just go away. You do not represent the average USA citizen (just the corrupt and wealthy elite and illegal aliens). You are a fraud who pretends to represent the poor and downtrodden Americans yet you are two-faced. Get a life! AND, GET A REAL JOB that isn't financed by your big buddy rich snobs. AND, put a tight leash on that hubby Billy Boy or else dump his butt!

In an interview on WABC radio, she said: "I am, you know, adamantly against illegal immigrants."

Oh so that's why you want to give them Katrina relief money down in New Orleans. Here's some other things this windbag voted for:

Cosponsoring bill to increase foreign-worker importation in 2005-2006
Sen. Clinton is a cosponsor of S. 2109, the National Innovation Act of 2005. S. 2109 would continue the H-1B program that every year imports additional high-tech workers as part of "comprehensive immigration reform." The H-1B program has been shown to harm American workers by depressing wages and displacing workers. As well, S. 2109 suggests that comprehensive reform must include provisions to "eliminate delays in processing immigration proceedings, including employment-based visa applications." This provision would do nothing but encourage the rubberstamping of applications, which is already happening because of the existing "backlog elimination" program and would promote and encourage fraud and corruption.

Voted against amendment to strip foreign-worker increase in 2005
Sen. Clinton voted against the Byrd Amendment to S. 1932, the Budget Reconciliation bill. The amendment, introduced by Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV), would have stripped ALL immigration increases from the Budget Reconciliation bill and replaced the increase with a provision to impose a $1,500 fee on employers who hire certain non-immigrants. The immigration increase was added to the Budget Reconciliation bill by the Senate Judiciary Committee as a result of an 14-2 vote in favor of an amendment introduced by Senator Arlen Specter. The Specter plan would increase permanent, employment-based immigration by nearly tripling the number of foreign workers who can enter the U.S. each year. As well, it exempts workers’ families from the 140,000-visa cap on employment-based immigration. It also raises the cap on employment-based permanent immigration by adding each year the lesser of 90,000 visas or any “unused” employment-based visas from any prior year. Altogether, these provisions could generate a net increase in permanent immigration of 366,000 aliens, or about one-third of current, annual legal immigration. Senator Byrd’s amendment was cosponsored by Sens. Sessions (R-AL) and Durbin (D-IL). It was also supported by the AFL-CIO. The Byrd Amendment failed by a vote of 14 to 85.

Voted in favor of amendment to increase foreign-worker importation in 2005
Sen. Clinton voted in favor of S. Amdt. 387, an amendment offered by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), to H.R. 1268, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005. The Mikulski amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act increased the number of H-2Bs who can enter and take jobs in the United States in the next two years and apportioned the H-2B visa cap so that visas will be available throughout the year. Specifically, the Mikulski Amendment would split the H-2B visa cap so no more than 33,000 visas are made available for the first six months the fiscal year, and another 33,000 visas would be available in the second half of the year. HOWEVER, the Mikulski Amendment exempts from the annual cap aliens granted an H-2B visa within three years prior to approval of an H-2B petition, thus potentially TRIPLING the number of H-2B workers in the United States at any one time. Although apportioning H-2B visas is a common-sense approach that will help prevent the situation that occurred in FY 2004 and FY2005 when the 66,000 annual cap on H-2B (low-skill) nonimmigrant visas was hit within the first quarter of the year, the Mikulski Amendment would ultimately harm American workers by creating exemptions which potentially could triple the number of H-2B workers in the U.S. at any given time. Fortunately, however, the increase is limited to two years, and the additional visas can go only to foreign workers who worked in this country legally during the last three years. The Amendment passed by a vote of 94 to 6.

Cosponsoring bill to reward illegal aliens with in-state tuition and amnesty in 2005-2006
Sen. Clinton is a cosponsor of S. 2075, the DREAM Act of 2005. S. 2075 would grant in-state tuition and amnesty to illegal aliens under the age of 21 who had been physically present in the country for five years and are in 7th grade or above. Such a reward for illegal immigration serves as an incentive for more illegal immigration.

Voted against amendment to provide funding for additional Border Patrol agents in 2005
Sen. Clinton voted against the Ensign Amendment (SA 1219) to H.R. 2360, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill. The Ensign Amendment transfers appropriated funds from the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection for the purpose of hiring 1,000 additional Border Patrol agents. The amendment failed by a vote of 38 to 60.

Voted in favor of amnesty for agricultural workers in 2005
Sen. Clinton voted in favor of a procedural move requiring 60 votes to limit debate and ensure a vote on the AgJOBS amnesty amendment introduced by Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID). The Senate voted 53 to 45 not to invoke cloture, effectively keeping the amnesty off the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief. AgJOBS is an amnesty for agricultural workers. Of the 1.2 million illegal aliens currently working in agriculture, an estimated 860,000 plus their spouses and children could qualify for this amnesty, so the total could reach three million or more. The potential recipients of the amnesty would be required to prove 100 days of agricultural employment in the 18-month period that ended Aug. 31, 2004. Then, prior to receiving amnesty, workers would have to show 360 days of additional farm work over the next six years.

Cosponsoring bill to create an amnesty for illegal agricultural workers in 2005-2006
Sen. Clinton is a cosponsor of S. 359, an amnesty for agricultural workers. Of the 1.2 million illegal aliens currently working in agriculture, an estimated 860,000 plus their spouses and children could qualify for this amnesty, so the total could reach three million or more. The potential recipients of the amnesty would be required to prove 100 days of agricultural employment in the 18-month period that ended Aug. 31, 2004. Then, prior to receiving amnesty, workers would have to show 360 days of additional farm work over the next six years.

Cosponsored S. 2381, a major amnesty for illegal aliens in 2004
Sen. Clinton was a cosponsor of S. 2381, the Safe, Orderly, Legal Visas and Enforcement Act of 2004. Introduced by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), S. 2381 included an amnesty that would have granted Legal Permanent Resident status to certain illegal aliens (and their spouses and minor children) who have lived in the U.S. for at least 5 years and worked for an aggregate of 2 years. Virtually all of the 10.3 million illegal aliens estimated to have been living in the U.S. in March 2004 could have qualified for this amnesty, along with their spouses and children. As well, S. 2381 would have significantly increased overall immigration numbers by increasing the number of family visas and exempting from the family-based visa ceiling all immediate relatives. See analysis of S. 2381 provisions.

Cosponsored bill to repeal the federal ban
against granting illegal aliens in-state tuition
and reward illegal aliens amnesty in 2003-2004
Sen. Clinton is a cosponsor of S. 8, the Educational Excellence for All Learners Act of 2003. Although S. 8 dealt primarily with education resources, hidden within it is a provision that would repeal the federal bar against in-state tuition for illegal aliens, as well as one that gives amnesty to certain illegal aliens who have gone to school in the United States.

Cosponsored bill to reward illegal aliens with in-state tuition and amnesty in 2003-2004
Sen. Clinton cosponsored S. 1545, the DREAM Act of 2003. S. 1545 would have granted in-state tuition and amnesty to illegal aliens under the age of 21 who had been physically present in the country for five years and are in 7th grade or above. Such a reward for illegal immigration serves as an incentive for more illegal immigration.

Cosponsored legislation in 2002 that would assist illegal immigration by compromising immigration laws
Sen. Clinton cosponsored S. 2444, the Kennedy INS restructuring bill. This legislation contained both structural and policy problems that would encourage illegal immigration and potentially increase legal immigration. The most far reaching provision proposed in S. 2444 was the change in the definition of immigration law. S. 2444 would have redefined immigration law to include not only the Immigration and Nationality Act but also Executive Orders and international agreements. In so doing, the bill would have opened up massive possibilities for increased legal and illegal immigration. For example, the President could have agreed to amnesty all illegal aliens in a trade agreement or in an Executive Order. The President also could have created new categories of legal immigrants, increase refugee numbers, triple H-1B visas, etc. In addition, S. 2444 would have faciliated asylum fraud and add thousands of illegal aliens to the population each year by greatly reducing the detention of asylum applicants while their cases are pending, allowing them to disappear into the public. While the numeric impact of the Kennedy restructuring bill is almost impossible to determine, the policy changes outlined in S. 2444 would certainly have increased illegal immigration and very likely increased legal immigration, thus adding to the 8-9 million illegal migrants already residing in the U.S. as well as increasing legal immigration levels.

Cosponsored bill to create an amnesty for illegal agricultural workers in 2003-2004
Sen. Clinton cosponsored S. 1645, the Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of 2003, an amnesty for agricultural workers. Of the 1.2 million illegal aliens currently working in agriculture, an estimated 860,000 plus their spouses and children could have qualified for this amnesty, so the total could have reached three million or more. The potential recipients of the amnesty would have been required to prove 100 days of agricultural employment in the 18-month period that ended Aug. 31, 2003. Then, prior to receiving amnesty, workers would have had to show 360 days of additional farm work over the next six years.

Co-sponsored legislation in 2001 to extend
Section 245(i) for one-year.
Sen. Clinton co-sponsored S. 778 a one-year extension of Section 245(i), an immigration provision that allows certain illegal aliens to pay a fine and adjust their status to legal status. In addition, Section 245(i) removes the all-important security step that is performed by our embassies on potential immigrants in their home countries. Section 245(i) rewards illegal immigration, contributes significantly to the INS processing backlog, and poses a national security threat.

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Yeah Hitlery your so adamently against illegal immigration. Yeah it shows alright. It's going to take more than lip service to fool us. I might hate what the Republicans are doing, but I sure as hell aint gonna cast a vote for Hitlery.

Unfortunately Senator Mikulski is in Maryland and has a BAD IMMIGRATION REPORT CARD. She loves illegal crab pickers so much that she wrote up an amendment to lift the number of H-2Bs.
Hillary favored the guest-worker program at one time. She reminds me of Kerry the way she flip-flops. I dont trust her at all.

Originally Posted by dman1200

Yeah Hitlery your so adamently against illegal immigration. Yeah it shows alright. It's going to take more than lip service to fool us. I might hate what the Republicans are doing, but I sure as hell aint gonna cast a vote for Hitlery.

Hitlery! I like, I like, I like!

This is even better than Hillbilly.

The great part of Hillary's charm is her ability to take any position that she thinks will further her ambitions.