Noriega blasts Cornyn in UT visit
Noriega blasts Cornyn in UT visit
GOP Senate incumbent waffles on immigration reform, challenger says
By R.G. RATCLIFFE
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau
Oct. 6, 2008, 11:48PM
AUSTIN — Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Rick Noriega on Monday said Republican incumbent John Cornyn is an "obstructionist" on immigration reform who wants to have it "both ways" for political purposes.
Noriega, speaking to students at the University of Texas, also likened the $700 billion economic recovery legislation to the invasion of Iraq. Noriega said federal officials have no real plan for helping Wall Street and the American economy.
"The invasion of Iraq was a similar blunder, where you're making it up as you go along," Noriega said.
Cornyn spokesman Kevin McLaughlin countered that Cornyn has been a leader in the fight for immigration reform. He accused Noriega of "fear-mongering" for votes.
McLaughlin also said it was hypocritical of Noriega to criticize the economic recovery package and then have New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton raise money for him in South Texas a day after she joined Cornyn and 73 other senators in voting for the package.
Though the forum was small, about 20 students participating in a lecture series, Noriega's critiques of Cornyn likely demonstrated the kinds of differences he plans to accentuate with the incumbent when they meet in their first statewide televised debate on Thursday. That debate will be carried on public broadcasting system channels.
Noriega's sharpest criticism of the first-term senator occurred in response to a student's questions on immigration. Noriega said Cornyn has told border officials he opposes a fence to halt illegal immigration, and then voted in favor of some fencing in strategic areas.
He also said Cornyn supported immigration legislation that included "deport and re-port" provisions that would have required illegal immigrants to leave the country and then return before being eligible for work visas or possible citizenship. That plan, Noriega said, is impractical and one that Republican presidential candidate U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona described as obstructionist.
"There are those who, for political purposes, want to have it both ways," said Noriega, adding that these politicians want to look like they are working for immigration reform while blocking it so immigration will remain a hot political issue.
Afterward, he said he believes Cornyn is one of those politicians.
McLaughlin described Noriega's attack as "irresponsible." He noted that 70 border sheriffs, mayors and members of the Border Patrol have endorsed Cornyn's re-election.
"Rick Noriega wants to promote fear-mongering and to scare people into voting for him," McLaughlin said.
On the $700 billion economic recovery package, which focuses on buying bad mortgage debt from Wall Street, Noriega said he read a story in The New York Times over the weekend stating that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is only now putting together a team of economic advisers on how to use the money. Noriega said that means the government is moving forward without a plan.
But McLaughlin said moving without a plan would have been to vote on the bare-bones plan that originally was proposed by Paulson and the White House. McLaughlin said the final plan was more than 400 pages long and passed on bipartisan votes in both the Senate and House.
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