Thread: Immigration stance may hurt McCain in S.C.

Posted on Tue, Jan. 15, 2008
Immigration stance may hurt McCain in S.C.
TAYLOR BRIGHT

At last May's S.C. Republican convention, Sen. Lindsey Graham defended John McCain's immigration reform plan. He was booed by his own party.
Graham, R-S.C., is now crisscrossing the state stumping for McCain, who is leading the GOP field despite being at odds with many state Republicans on immigration.

Monday's Rasmussen poll showed McCain ahead by 9 points as Saturday's Republican primary approaches.

No one disputes that illegal immigration has been a hot issue in South Carolina. In several polls, including November's Winthrop University-ETV poll, Republican voters chose immigration as the most important issue.

But political experts say McCain has run well on other issues, emphasizing a strong national defense, anti-terrorism and support for the Iraq war. They also say McCain built allies early, capitalizing on support from his 2000 race against President Bush.

However, most agree that McCain's stance on immigration has cost him support.

"McCain has taken a real beating in South Carolina because of it, as did his ally Lindsey Graham," said Scott Huffmon, professor of political science at Winthrop, who helped conduct the poll.

Some S.C. Republicans derisively called the plan to allow illegal immigrants identification cards "Grahamnesty."

Immigration came to the forefront when the Senate debated a bill last May that would have allowed some previously illegal workers to remain in the country. McCain and Graham, along with President Bush, supported the bipartisan bill. McCain was considered a key architect of the plan.

The bill died. A major opponent was the other U.S. senator from South Carolina, Jim DeMint, of Greenville.

Huffmon said illegal immigration was listed as the top issue in the recent Winthrop poll. Nevertheless, it drew only 20 percent of the GOP respondents.

It still topped the war in Iraq and the economy as the most important subject among the GOP in South Carolina.

"I think folks are looking for more than a one-issue candidate," said McCain spokesman B.J. Boling. "They're looking for the total package."

Other Republican candidates running include former U.S. senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Diane Carr of Lake Wylie, president of the York County Republican Women, supports McCain, but said he may have lost some die-hard conservatives in his support of immigration reform. "There are some people who will never forgive him for that," she said.

Though immigration reform came up occasionally in Iowa, very little was heard about it in New Hampshire. South Carolina may be different in the waning days before the primary.

Blease Graham, politics professor at the University of South Carolina, said South Carolinians have been particularly attuned to it because they haven't had a history of large-scale immigration in the modern era.

"They feel like they're being taxed to pay for social services of people here illegally in this country," he said.

In 2006, about 3.5 percent of South Carolina's 4.3 million people were Hispanics, or about 151,000. One estimate put illegal immigrants in the state at 20,000 to 35,000.

DeMint, who supports Romney, said thousands of concerned people contacted his office during the debate.

But immigration may not hurt McCain, DeMint said, because the "anybody-but-McCain crowd" has fractured across several candidates.

Business groups, who supported the McCain-backed bill, now are careful to stress they are for legal immigration to bring in workers.
http://www.charlotte.com/540/v-print/story/446583.html

"They feel like they're being taxed to pay for social services of people here illegally in this country," he said.

"They Feel." Please Mr. Graham, THEY ARE being taxed.

Matthew 18:20

They connect McLame with Lindsey Graham. And they're right!

Originally Posted by zeezil

Business groups, who supported the McCain-backed bill, now are careful to stress they are for legal immigration to bring in workers.

Since when? I have not head that from any business group. Not that we want increased legal immigration anyway.

Senor Juan's immigration stance will most definitely hurt him in South Carolina and Senor Lindsey also.

I heard McCain tell the unemployed in Detroit that their jobs were not coming back.

Does this man really think it is fair that those AMERICAN WORKERS should compete for new jobs with those who illegally invade our country?

Apparently the answer is yes, except that he will declare all illegal immigrants are suddenly "legal" .