Thread: Whitman: Illegal aliens would have to leave for citizenship

The latest on California politics and government

August 5, 2010

Whitman: Illegal immigrants would have to leave for citizenship

GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman's views on immigration reform were in the spotlight again yesterday, as she told conservative radio hosts John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou that she would not support allowing undocumented immigrants currently in the country to apply for citizenship.

"I don't think we should have blanket amnesty, and I am not for a path to citizenship. I have been very, very clear," she said during a segment on John and Ken show on KFI 640 AM.

The radio hosts have relentlessly criticized Whitman in recent weeks, accusing her of changing her positions on key issues. They took their trademark aggressive tone in the interview, frequently interrupting and challenging Whitman's statements.

"Are you going to answer the question? ... No illegal alien is going to get any sort of citizenship unless they leave the country and apply through the process. Is that true?" Chiampou interjected during the interview.

Whitman responded "yes," adding that she does support a temporary guest worker program.

Whitman has faced criticism from opponents who say she has shifted her position on the issue since the primary. She has said in the past that deporting immigrants currently living in the country illegally is "simply not practical."

"Can we get a fair program where people stand at the back of the line, they pay a fine, they do some things that would ultimately allow a path to legalization?" she was quoted as saying during a 2009 event.

Spokesman Tucker Bounds said Whitman's position has remained consistent: "She does not support a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants that are in the state currently."

Whitman was also asked about her position on Proposition 23, the November ballot measure to suspend California's landmark emissions reductions law indefinitely. When pressed by the hosts, she came closer to taking a stance than she has so far in the campaign, saying "in all likelihood" she would vote no on the initiative. She supports instead ordering as governor a one-year moratorium on the law.

Click here to listen to the interview.

Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this post misspelled the hosts' last names. The Bee regrets the error.

http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlat ... -says.html

Related:
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-208340-whitman.html

Caleeeeefornia Is a lost cause..... White flight continues at a feverish pace.... In 10 years It will be 50% Illegals and swimming In debt that can never be paid because all of the educated AMERICAN CITIZENS will be gone,and there will be NOBODY left to pay taxes..... Adios Caleeeeeeeeeeeeefornia......

If we let Kalifoania go, the rest of the Nation will follow. We need troops on the ground to remove them and their employers ( most likely, people with houses too big for one family to maintain). I've noticed that with small Mansions being built ( Kingdoms) all over Southern Kalifoania, spanish speaking only individuals appear to be working their "Kingdom" plots. I thought Americans were only supposed to speak English in public. At least that is what I was informed of in public school. Our teachers did not teach us in Spanish.

Most illegal aliens don't care about getting US "citizenship", they want legalization for green cards! Why? So they can continue to suck up our resources and stay true to their home countries. Illegal aliens need to be deported back to their beloved countries and demand their rights there.

Be careful of politicians who deliberately confuse the issues between citizenship and legalization. Either way is amnesty and we've already said HELL NO!

Nutmeg continues to put her foot in her mouth ... here is the latest as reported in the San Francisco Chronicle (underlining below is mine):

Whitman's jab at Poizner may cost GOP votes

(08-05) SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Republican Party, already challenged to win key races this year in a blue-leaning state, has a new problem to deal with: The two GOP gubernatorial primary candidates are still tangling two months later.

Meg Whitman's recent attacks on Steve Poizner, who lost the primary, could cost her the support of his backers, some GOP officials say, when she needs every Republican vote and many of the state's independent voters to beat Democrat Jerry Brown in November.

On Wednesday, former eBay CEO Whitman took to the airwaves in Southern California and again jabbed at Poizner, suggesting the state insurance commissioner refused Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's request last year that state officers put their employees on unpaid leave as part of a plan to cut expenses during the budget crisis.

In her interview with KFI radio station hosts John and Ken, Whitman also said Poizner spent more than $30 million to attack her during the primary campaign.

Terse response

Whitman's pointed remarks prompted Poizner, who has maintained silence since the primary, to issue a terse response. He said Whitman "apparently hasn't gotten the memo that the primary is over," adding that she is "still misrepresenting my track record."

In an e-mail to The Chronicle, Poizner said: "I opposed furloughs for the Department of Insurance because my team and I had completed a top-down review years ago - and I successfully cut operating expenses permanently by 15 percent."

Conservative Republicans in California, where Democrats hold a 14 percent voter advantage over GOP voters, are watching the set-to with concern. Some say the continued tensions suggest Whitman hasn't sufficiently reached out to Poizner to get his support - and his supporters.

"Since the John and Ken interview, I have gotten more e-mails and phone calls from people who are just furious about numerous things that were said," said Mike Spence, a conservative activist and state Republican Party official. "They're telling me that they're not going to vote for anyone. Or they'll vote third-party."

Spence said there is no upside for Whitman to be criticizing a former GOP candidate, adding that "we need a consistent message that articulates the common-sense conservative approach."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...#ixzz0vqMkAAtZ