Thread: ALIPAC: Access Washington: Immigration and Money in 2008 Pol

Access Washington: Immigration and Money in 2008 Politics

New America Media, News Report, Wendy Sefsaf, Posted: Jul 12, 2008 Share/Save/Bookmark

Traducción al español

Editor’s Note: NAM’s Access Washington Weekly Immigration Update is a column summarizing key developments in the immigration debate. This column is produced by New America Media’s Washington, D.C. office and is available in Spanish, Chinese and Korean.

WASHINGTON -- A wide variety of pro- and anti-immigrant groups are inserting their influence in this year’s election cycle—some through traditional activities like marches and voter registration efforts, while others are taking what some might consider a more effective approach: injecting cash directly into political campaigns.

The We Are America Alliance, an immigrant rights group, is taking the "good old-fashioned" approach of planning a march during the Democratic National Convention in Denver. The group says they expect anywhere from 5,000 to 50,000 people at the march on Aug. 26. They hope to garner attention for their cause. However, after the massive marches and rallies that attended the debate over comprehensive immigration reform last year, some might wonder if marches are indeed the most effective tactic.

Anti-immigrant groups have been putting their money where their ideals are for some time. They are attempting and arguably succeeding in directly influencing Congressional elections and legislation through the use of Political Action Committees (PACs).

According to the Federal Election Campaign Act, PACs are political committees that receive contributions or make expenditures in excess of $1,000 for the purpose of influencing a federal election. Contributions by individuals to federal PACs are limited to $5,000 per year. PACs are not charities and giving money to them carries no tax benefits.

One of the most active anti-immigration PACs is Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC). This North Carolina-based PAC has announced the launch of a campaign to "throw out all incumbents this fall unless that candidate is against comprehensive immigration reform/amnesty/guest worker." According to Federal Election Commission reports, ALIPAC has raised $164,000 so far this year and some of their past funds were spent not on candidates alone, but according to filings, on a "phone bank…where calls were made into targeted states asking people to call Washington to oppose the amnesty bill."

Another group, Americans Against Illegal Immigration PAC (AAIIPAC), based out of California, has raised nearly $700,000 this year. Their executive director, Allen Brandstater, is a veteran of more than 150 political campaigns, including four of amnesty advocate Ronald Reagan's. His organization’s goal is to support candidates who are "defending the borders of the United States of America, enforcing existing laws to stop illegal aliens from occupying our nation, building an effective barrier on the U.S.-Mexico border," and who agree to "no government aid, welfare or benefits to illegal aliens (with one exception: emergency medical necessity)."

Also, the Minutemen Project has a PAC, which in 2008 filed a report with the FEC that it has raised just over a million dollars. This PAC has supported candidates like Tom Tancredo in the past, and their Web page lists the specific candidates who will benefit from existing funds, including Sam Graves, a candidate for Congress from Missouri; incumbent Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia; David Reichert from Washington state; Jon Porter of Nevada; Steve Chabot of Ohio; Chris Shays of Connecticut; Vern Buchanan of Florida; Robin Hayes of North Carolina; Tom Feeney of Florida; Randy Kuhl of New York; and Tim Walberg of Michigan.

On the other side of the issue, Immigrants' List, a pro-immigration reform PAC, is also currently working to influence Congressional races. According to their Web site, "Immigrants' List is the first political action committee of its kind…Immigrants' List will support candidates regardless of political party, who will work for meaningful immigration reform and oppose those who use immigration as a political tool to divide the American people."

According to Josh Gray, Executive Director of Immigrant's List, "we want to spend over $100,000 this election cycle." When asked how exactly the money will be spent, he said, "we try to find where we think our money will have the most impact." The funds normally go directly to candidates who share the PAC’s view on immigration issues, such as their stated goals of "relief to families separated by unfair immigration laws, restoration of due process, judicial review and habeas corpus, earned legalization for qualified unauthorized workers and visa numbers that limit outsourcing and keep America competitive."

Another pro-immigration PAC called ImmigrationPAC chaired by Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez, has raised $5,000 so far in the 2007-2008 election cycle.

However, Immigrants' List and ImmigrationPAC are far outnumbered by the anti-immigrant PACs and they are being out-fundraised by a margin of 20 to 1.

In 2008, will a million people taking to the streets be as effective as a million dollars in your PAC? We'll see come November.

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/vi ... 934566fa51

Go PACs!!! Let the anarchist illegal alien invaders march in the streets with their arrogant demanding disruptive confrontational attitudes. Help wake up Americans as to what is going on. Keep on marching for your illegal cause, because it only helps us.

Do any of the clowns in our opposition even realize that the US is now the 3rd most populous country on the planet and that we have a net growth rate of about 1%-1.5% (eg. over 3million new people added per year?)

Do they really think that is a GOOD thing???

Originally Posted by PhredE

Do any of the clowns in our opposition even realize that the US is now the 3rd most populous country on the planet and that we have a net growth rate of about 1%-1.5% (eg. over 3million new people added per year?)

Do they really think that is a GOOD thing???

Overpopulation, congestion, urban sprawl, vanishing farm land and green space, diminishing resources, crumbling infrastructure, overcrowded schools and emergency rooms, lack of affordable housing, crime, pollution, depressed wages, increased tax burdens, the balkanization of our communities, the overall decline in quality of life, are all the result of unconstrained immigration. Too many people competing for limited resources!

There is no problem confronting America's Citizens that would not be measurably improved by securing our borders and enforcing our immigration laws.

Assertions that there are jobs that Americans' won't do, or that there will be a worker shortage defy all logic. American Citizens did every job before the crushing influx of immigration changed the rules. Plain and simple businesses and employers don't like having to compete for the workers they need.

Suggestions that there won't be enough workers are dangerously misguided, particularly in our overpopulated nation. America has been considered population stable for decades. Births to American Citizens are equal to the number of deaths of American Citizens. Births to immigrants, hispanics in particluar, far outdistance Caucasian and Afro-Americans.
Even if all immigration were stopped tomorrow, our nation would never be any less overpopulated than it is right now! There would never be any fewer working age adults in our population.

Too many people competing for diminishing resources and overloaded infrastructure is not sound economic, environmental, social or cultural policy!

Arguments that there will be a shortage of workers are merely the histrionics of businesses trying to drive wages and benefits even lower. These assertions are based on outdated and unsustainable social security and social services models and are intended to justify even more population and further increase tax burdens on America's taxpayers.

Virtually every industrialized nation, including China, Mexico, and most recently the entire European Union has taken steps to end illegal immigration, and to curtail legal immigration to only that which is prudent, demonstrably necessary, and above all other considerations, in the best interests of their native populations. It's dangerous to suggest that the United States should not do likewise!

Originally Posted by PhredE

Do any of the clowns in our opposition even realize that the US is now the 3rd most populous country on the planet and that we have a net growth rate of about 1%-1.5% (eg. over 3million new people added per year?)

Do they really think that is a GOOD thing???

The U.S. is the only developed country still experiencing third world-like population growth, most of which is due to immigration. It's absolutely imperative that our population be stabilized, and that's impossible without dramatically reining in immigration, both legal and illegal.

Virtually every industrialized nation, including China, Mexico, and most recently the entire European Union has taken steps to end illegal immigration, and to curtail legal immigration to only that which is prudent, demonstrably necessary, and above all other considerations, in the best interests of their native populations. It's dangerous to suggest that the United States should not do likewise!

The truth is that immigration is the main factor which will cause our nation's population to grow to 430 million by the year 2050. This is equivalent to a near 50% increase in our population in just the next 50 years, according to the Census Bureau.

Today, California alone has a higher growth rate than India. The U.S. as a whole has a higher growth rate than China.

The U.S. is by far the most welcoming country in the world to LEGAL immigrants, with over one million brought in under 9 different visa programs. But immigration spins totally out of control with the additional factor of well over another million ILLEGAL immigrants crashing the border each and every year. That number jumps considerably when you add to that million another 300,000 plus anchor babies born annually. An October 2007 study by CAPS states that there are now as many as 38 million ILLEGAL immigrants residing within the U.S. and that number is rapidly rising every day.

Originally Posted by PhredE

Do any of the clowns in our opposition even realize that the US is now the 3rd most populous country on the planet and that we have a net growth rate of about 1%-1.5% (eg. over 3million new people added per year?)

Do they really think that is a GOOD thing???

Their idiots what can you say "Phred" Looks like Luis is not getting alot of backing.

GOOOO PAC"S, this is going to be the most important election of our life time IMHO.

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http://www.alipac.us/article3388.html


ALIPC does a Great Deal with the lowest amount of funding.