Thread: McCAIN "AIN'T" GOING TO TAKE IT

Article published Jun 8, 2007

McCain goes full speed ahead for immigration bill

By RUBEN NAVARRETTE
Columnist

SAN DIEGO - True to his reputation as a maverick, Sen. John McCain obviously is fed up with the jabs he's taking from conservatives on the immigration issue. And he's hitting back - hard.
It's about time. Since the beginning of this debate, McCain has been both correct and courageous. But now he has made it clear he's not going to be anyone's punching bag.

McCain is correct about the need for comprehensive immigration reform as opposed to what's behind door No. 2: the "faith-based" enforcement-only approach of building walls, hoping illegal immigrants self-deport and calling it a day. Congress did something similar with immigration reform in 1996, and - as Sen. Sam Brownback noted in last week's presidential debate - all we have to show for it is a population of illegal immigrants nearly twice as large now as it was then.

And McCain is courageous for confronting the nativist fringe of his own party, telling voters what they need to hear instead of what they want to hear, and challenging other candidates to either lead or get out of the way. If they don't like the bipartisan Senate compromise he helped craft, they can suggest something better, McCain tells them - provided it can get through Congress.

McCain zeroed in on one of his most vocal critics, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. On immigration, as on other hot-button issues, Romney has held nearly as many positions as there are days in the week. Recently, McCain told the Miami Chamber of Commerce that voters should come down hard on candidates who find it easier to criticize the solutions of others than to offer solutions of their own. While the Arizonan didn't mention Romney by name, the McCain campaign made clear it was Romney the senator was criticizing.

"To want the office so badly that you would intentionally make our country's problems worse might prove you can read a poll or take a cheap shot, but it hardly demonstrates presidential leadership," McCain told the group.

"Pandering for votes on this issue, while offering no solution to the problem, amounts to doing nothing. And doing nothing is silent amnesty."

Remember that phrase. Silent amnesty. McCain is right again. If Congress gets bogged down by the nitpickers and fails to enact meaningful immigration reform, the world won't end for illegal immigrants. They'll still wake up at 4 the next morning and go to work just like they did the day before. Nothing will change. No one will be fined or brought into the system, or held accountable in any way. That's amnesty.

And that's the danger now that the compromise has hit a major snag. Early Thursday, senators approved -by one vote - a labor-friendly amendment by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. that would put a five-year "sunset" on the plan to bring in 200,000 temporary guest workers annually. That could scare off business groups and unravel the whole deal. If so, let the record show that the deathblow came not from the right as many expected, but from the left.

In addition to Romney, McCain also continues to jab at the incendiary Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., an illegal-immigration foe who has been tagged a nativist and a "know-nothing" by fellow Republicans. Let Tancredo talk, and you can see why.

Let me be clear. There is nothing inherently racist or nativist about opposing illegal immigration. There are plenty of good people who just want secure borders and who could care less about the culture or language of whoever is coming across the border.

Then there is Tancredo, who speaks "code" fluently and loves to hit cultural alarm buttons. Whereas other opponents of illegal immigration stress that they have no problem with legal immigrants, not so Tancredo. The way he sees it, if you come to the United States from somewhere else - legally or illegally, skilled or low-skilled, from Mexico or Madagascar - you're the problem and you're not welcome, at least until we assimilate those who are already here. As Tancredo said during the debate, he wants a moratorium on all immigration "until we no longer have to press 1 for English and 2 for any other language."

Gee, what "other language" do you suppose he's talking about?

McCain blasted Tancredo for that sort of rhetoric, describing it as "beyond my realm of thinking."

Be grateful for that.

More crap out of worthless OBL navarette.
Well ruben, how about you and mclamebrain move to mexico and SHUT THE HELL UP!

I second that Sippy!

Originally Posted by GeorgiaPeach

And McCain is courageous for confronting the nativist fringe of his own party, telling voters what they need to hear instead of what they want to hear, and challenging other candidates to either lead or get out of the way. If they don't like the bipartisan Senate compromise he helped craft, they can suggest something better, McCain tells them - provided it can get through Congress.

So when are they going to quit calling the majority of Americans the "nativist fringe"...

Then there is Tancredo, who speaks "code" fluently and loves to hit cultural alarm buttons. Whereas other opponents of illegal immigration stress that they have no problem with legal immigrants, not so Tancredo. The way he sees it, if you come to the United States from somewhere else - legally or illegally, skilled or low-skilled, from Mexico or Madagascar - you're the problem and you're not welcome, at least until we assimilate those who are already here. As Tancredo said during the debate, he wants a moratorium on all immigration "until we no longer have to press 1 for English and 2 for any other language."

This Navarette fellow seems to be a little confused, eh? Tancredo never expressed animosity for LEGAL immigrants that I am aware of! I noticed he didn't provide any direct quotes of Tancredo to support his OPINION! Twisting the facts by injecting the desire of the American people to require English as the official language is certainly not substantiating evidence of Tancredos "alleged" prejudice towards legal immigrants. The obvious intent of a moritorium on immigration as suggested by Mr. Tancredo would be to TEMPORARILY refocus the resources of USCIS and ICE on enforcement and deportation.

Maybe "Rueben" should spend a little more time doing statistical analysis, and less time expressing his opinion? If anybody bumps into him on the street, how about pulling his head out of John McCain's rectum and share the facts with him (if you can get him to shut up long enough to hear you)!
What puzzles me most is how he can describe "the way he (Tancredo) sees it" by looking up through McCain's backside!

Please, posters, get these points you are bringing up to both CNN and the Sand Diego newspaper as rebuttals on his column. Navarete has been writing his twisted logic for quite a while and needs taken to task.

And McCain is courageous for confronting the nativist fringe of his own party, telling voters what they need to hear instead of what they want to hear, and challenging other candidates to either lead or get out of the way.

If we're the "nativist fringe", why were we able to shut down the amnesty bill?

Zeezil, I give you full legal authority to reproduce my post in it's entirety for the purpose you suggested. I would send it myself but I have to get to my 12 hour job now in order to continue my forced support through taxation of the illegal masses. You have my blessing to forward it as described...See you guys tomorrow!

Originally Posted by zeezil

Please, posters, get these points you are bringing up to both CNN and the Sand Diego newspaper as rebuttals on his column. Navarete has been writing his twisted logic for quite a while and needs taken to task.

Yes he has.

Navarrette calls McCain courageous and correct!

They're both such lying scumbags. Their hatred for this country is obvious.