Thread: CA Congressional Candidate Touts Immigration Clout

http://nctimes.com/articles/2006/05/..._005_18_06.txt

Brian Bilbray
Bilbray touts stance on immigration

By: WILLIAM FINN BENNETT - Staff Writer

ESCONDIDO ---- Brian Bilbray, 50th Congressional District hopeful, said Thursday that the No. 1 issue in the minds of most voters is illegal immigration. The Republican candidate said he is the one with the track record, determination and understanding of the issue to best achieve reform.

In an editorial board meeting with the North County Times, Bilbray talked at some length about what he believes that needs to be done to solve the problem, from interior enforcement, to drying up the labor market for illegal immigrants through the use of a high-tech Social Security card.

On April 11, a special election was held to temporarily fill the 50th District seat formerly held by Randy "Duke" Cunningham. The decorated war hero resigned from office last year after pleading guilty to taking $2.4 million in bribes in exchange for steering millions in government business to two defense contractors. He is now serving more than eight years in federal prison.


Since no single candidate captured more than half the votes on April 11, it forced the election into a June 6 runoff. Of the four candidates who are vying for the temporary assignment, Democrat Francine Busby is his chief opponent. The winner will serve out the remainder of Cunningham's term through the end of the year.

At Thursday's meeting, Bilbray said he is adamantly opposed to a proposed bill that would give illegal immigrants a pathway to legalization ---- if they entered the country before 2004, went through background checks and medical exams, paid fines, learned English and stayed employed.

Calling the proposal nothing more than amnesty, Bilbray said there are 100 million people living in other countries who have applied for legal residence in the United States.

If you allow illegal immigrants to jump to the front of the line, "you have overlooked the fact that they broke the law and rewarded them for that," said Bilbray, who served as the 49th District congressional representative from 1995 to 2000, before losing his seat to Democrat Susan Davis.

"The only way for an (illegal immigrant) to get citizenship is to leave the country and get into the process," he said.

He said that rather than tracking down illegal immigrants, the government needs to dry up the labor market for them, by creating a high-tech Social Security card they would need to present to prospective employers before getting a job. Then the government could come down hard on employers who have workers without such documentation. Eliminating work opportunities would force illegal immigrants to return to Mexico.

"Everything that works well works slowly ---- it's about evolution, not revolution," he said. "Putting down the screws will slowly reduce the problem."

Such a move would not have a negative impact on the economy because it could be brought on-line over a seven-year period. That way, as people got the message, little by little, they would head back to their own counties, he said.

Asked about President George Bush's plans to put National Guard troops on the border with Mexico, Bilbray said he supports the idea, but he criticized Bush for playing politics with the issue.

"This was a president trying to look like he was doing something tough," Bilbray said.

Besides, he said, National Guard troops have periodically been on the border with Mexico for the last 15 years, and much of the existing heavy fencing that exists today was erected by those troops.

He said it frustrates him that some people are complaining about the proposal for National Guard troops, claiming it will unleash a militarization of the border. Mexico has had its troops on the border for years, he said.

He also accused Bush of focusing public attention on the border itself, when in fact the issue reaches much farther north.

"There is a shell game going on here, with the president saying, 'Let's take all these people and put them on the border,' but he is not talking about allowing Border Patrol agents to come up and check documents at the Home Depot," he said.

Bilbray also discussed the topics of energy, campaign finance and ethics in Washington.

He said that while Busby has criticized him for taking campaign donations from oil companies, there was nothing inappropriate about that since he spent six years in Congress working on energy-related issues.

His work on energy was not driven by helping special interests, he said, but by wanting to help create legislation that would benefit the San Diego area. He touted the fact that he worked on legislation that proposed eliminating gasoline additives such as ethanol and methanol.

Additives such as MTBE and methanol and ethanol actually create more pollution, in terms of total emissions, than the fuel the state was already using, he said.

"There are not too many Republicans who have the kind of environmental background that I do," Bilbray said.

As far as campaign finance reform, Bilbray said he was one of the only Republicans to challenge then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich to bring campaign finance regulation up for debate on the House floor.

"That's a pretty scary thing to do," Bilbray said of standing up to his party's leader.

Bilbray, who has worked as a Washington lobbyist, said that one of the best things Congress could do if it wants to reduce the influence of special interest groups would be to create a two-year budget cycle. The budget would be authorized right after each congressional election, when members are less under the gun to campaign for re-election, he said. That way, he said, members would be more inclined to resist outside pressure from lobbyists and their campaign donations.

Bilbray said that if he is elected to the temporary job in Congress, he would spend the next six months working behind the scenes to build a compromise solution to the problem of illegal immigration.

"There is nothing you can't accomplish if you don't worry about getting the credit," he said.

Contact staff writer William Finn Bennett at (760) 740-5426, or wbennett@nctimes.com.


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Comments On This Story

Note: Comments reflect the views of readers and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff.
Breezy wrote on May 18, 2006 11:09 PM:"Bilbray's my man.. do doubt."

bilbray ? wrote on May 18, 2006 11:13 PM:"As a republican I support my president. i dont like bilbray saying that the president is playing politics and then he goes ahead and does the same. Our president is being sensible, bilbray should get in line instead of looking for support from radical outlaws like the minuteman."

I think: wrote on May 19, 2006 4:22 AM:"What bb should do is stay home and take care of his mom."

way to go wrote on May 19, 2006 5:38 AM:"I'm so dissappointed with the President's solution to the illegal immigrant problem. I have never wavered in my support for him until now. I agree with Bilbray--putting illegals to the head of the immigration line is disastrous and very unfair to all other prospective citizens now waiting."

This is why we endorse William Griffith for this seat. If you want another talker like Issa, go ahead and vote for Bilbray. They are cut from the same cloth and that cloth has a certain smell to it. Lets really promote Griffith, he is by far the best candidate and will send a strong message to both parties in this election. Rick Roberts just announced he changed his voter registration from Republican to Independent yesterday on the radio. SDMM applauds this move to cut off any support to either PARTY until those parties begin to represent "We the People" and the U.S. Constitution.

More California Fact-Twisting
A new wave of distortions via TV and mail in a "bleak" special House election.

May 18, 2006

Summary

Republicans aimed more distorted attacks at Democrat Francine Busby in the June 6 special House election to fill the seat vacated by convicted GOP congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who resigned after pleading guilty to accepting bribes.

A National Republican Congressional Committee ad misleads viewers by saying Busby "could bring back the death tax," when in fact she has publicly supported permanent repeal of the federal estate tax for years, a fact known to Republican opposition researchers.

The NRCC also sent a glossy mailing comparing Busby to "irresponsible" and "dangerous" teenage drunk drivers. The GOP mailing repeats misrepresentations of her record as a school-board member. It says she praised a teacher accused of involvement in child pornography when in fact – as we have pointed out earlier – she had voted to fire the teacher and said she was "shocked" at his arrest.

A Democratic ad aimed at Republican candidate Brian Bilbray also misses the mark. It faults ex-congressman Bilbray for missing a vote in 1999 "to give California families an average tax cut of $700 dollars a year." The ad fails to mention that 95 per cent of House Democrats voted against the tax cut, and Democratic President Bill Clinton vetoed it.

The nasty tone of this special election was described as "bleak" by a Congressional Quarterly reporter. It may offer a preview of what's to come in dozens of close House elections in the Fall.

Analysis

On May 12 the NRCC released two ads attacking Democrat Francine Busby's position on taxes, accusing her of favoring an increase in gasoline taxes in 2004 and of taking a position that would "bring back the death tax."

NRCC ad "Gas Tax"


Announcer: Why is Francine Busby running a negative Campaign? Becuase she doesn't want to talk about her record on gas taxes. In 2004 Busby said she'd raise gas taxes. Busby's even been against making the tax cuts permanent. That could bring back the death tax on small business and even bring the marriage penalty back. Francine Busby: a taxing liberal who would cost us too much in Congress.
The National Republican Congressional Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising.

Estate Tax Repeal

One of the ads deliberately misleads viewers about Busby's position on the estate tax. As Republican opposition researchers are well aware, Busby has publicly and consistently favored permanent repeal of the federal estate tax for a number of years. The GOP implies the opposite.

The ad says Busby is "against making the (Bush) tax cuts permanent," which is correct. But it adds: "That could bring back the death tax . . . " In fact, Busby answered "yes" both in 2004 and 2006 when asked by Project Vote Smart, "Do you support permanent repeal of the federal estate tax?" The NRCC ad's suggestion that Busby would bring the tax back is a deliberate misrepresentation.

What she said was that she opposed extending all the Bush tax cuts because of the federal deficit. At a candidate debate in early May she said making them permanent "would be irresponsible, until we start talking seriously about trying to balance the budget." She also said, "If we are going to have them, they should go to working families ... and not to the wealthiest."

NRCC ad
“Clear Difference”


Announcer: For Congress, the difference on taxes is clear. Brian Bilbray: a proven tax cutter. He’s against raising the gas tax. And Bilbray is against the marriage penalty tax. And Francine Busby? Busby doesn’t think married couples should pay the same taxes as single people. And in 2004 Busby said she’d raise the gas tax. That’s wrong. On taxes it’s clear. Brian Bilbray is on our side.

The National Republican Congressional Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising.

Increase the Gas Tax?

Both NRCC ads say Busby favored an increase in gasoline taxes. It is true that she once signed a Project Vote Smart questionnaire saying she would "slightly increase" the gasoline tax. That was in 2004, when the average price for regular in California was bouncing between $2.40 and $1.63 per gallon. Now that the price has reached $3.33 she has backed off, giving no answer to the gasoline tax question in the 2006 Vote Smart questionnaire.

Distorted Claims

The NRCC also hit the district with a mailing comparing Busby to "dangerous" and "irresponsible" drunken teen drivers. It recycled some grossly misleading claims made in a TV ad we de-bunked earlier. Congressional Quarterly’s Rachel Kapochunas was the first to report the mailing, saying it "further soured" a political campaign that "has been pretty bleak from the get-go."

The latest NRCC distortion features photos of two young men, a glass of beer and a wrecked auto, with the words "teenagers can be irresponsible, even dangerous . . . Politicians are even more irresponsible than teenagers." It again mischaracterizes Busby’s actions as a member of the school board in the San Diego suburb of Cardiff. They are the same claims made in a television ad the NRCC released late last month – an ad we analyzed in a May 1 article. We summarize here:

Praise for Porn Suspect: The mailing says Busby showed "bad judgement" by praising a teacher arrested on suspicion of child pornography. In fact she said she was shocked by the investigation, and had voted earlier to remove him from the school and strip him of his teaching license.
Teacher Layoffs: The mailing accuses her of "poor management" for sending layoff notices to 23 teachers. In fact only five teachers were laid off, and the student-to-teacher ratio in Cardiff changed imperceptibly.
Pay for "Bureaucrats": The mailing says she voted to give a 3 per cent pay raise to school "bureacrats" but not to teachers. In fact, teachers and staff got the same 3 per cent pay raises.
“Irresponsible Spending:" The mailing accuses her of "irresponsible spending" because the annual deficit increased under her tenure. Not mentioned is that the affluent school district ended each year with a comfortable cash balance.
When Democrats Attack

The Democratic response is not so much misleading as it is hypocritical. A Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ad released May 14 criticizes Republican candidate Brian Bilbray for missing a "key" vote on a tax cut that Democrats almost unanimously opposed at the time.

DCCC ad
“Australia”


Announcer: In 1999 Congressman Bilbray took a special interest paid trip to .
Kangaroo: “G’day Mr. Bilbray.”
Announcer: Bilbray skipped a whole week of work, missing 34 votes.
Kangaroo: “Surf is great this time of year mate!”
Announcer: Bilbray even missed a key vote to give California families an average tax cut of $700 dollars a year.
Kangaroo: “Pretty spiffy you can skip work to hang out with special interests ey?”
Announcer: Brian Bilbray, such a good friend to lobbyists he became one himself. Isn’t it time for a change?
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising.

Specifically, the ad says Bilbray "missed a key vote to give California families an average tax cut of $700 a year." In fact Bilbray's vote on final passage of the Financial Freedom Act of 1999 was not all that "key," since the measure passed the House quite comfortably, without his participation, by 221-206. But more importantly, the Republican-sponsored cut this Democratic ad now praises was opposed by 95 per cent of all House Democrats, and failed to become law only because of a veto by Democratic President Bill Clinton.

Furthermore, Bilbray did vote for the bill when it first passed the House, before being sent to a Senate-House conference to work out the final version.

Special Interests

The ad, featuring an animated kangaroo with an Aussie accent, faults Bilbray for a "special-interest paid trip" to Australia. It is true that Bilbray and his wife took a four-day trip to Australia in August 1999 for a trade conference, missing a week of votes in Congress. Bilbray said the trip was paid for by the Australian American Business Leaders Forum, which Bilbray told the San Diego Union-Tribune is "a business group pushing for U.S.-Australian trade enhancement."