Republicans Warn Bush On Immigration Policy

[CShine]

Twenty-three congressmen warned President Bush in a letter yesterday that he risks an election-year backlash from Republican voters if he continues to press his guest-worker proposal.

The Republican lawmakers said their congressional offices have received a flood of angry letters, e-mails and phone calls from Republican constituents vowing that they will refuse to vote for the president if his program is approved.

"Since the President's speech, our offices have been inundated with calls from dismayed constituents expressing vehement opposition to the Administration's proposal," said the letter signed by several members of the House Immigration Reform Caucus.

"It is a matter of great concern to us that these constituents politically active American citizens are so disillusioned by the proposal that many of them will become disenchanted with not only the Administration, but with Congress as well," said the letter, which also was sent to House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, Illinois Republican. "If we do not listen to our constituents on this matter, our influence and effectiveness in Congress could be jeopardized."

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040128-124755-2167r.htm

[rooboy]

1. Memo to Dennis Hastert...

if Bush is going to lose the election, he doesn't give a flying f*%# if you keep your seat in Congress or not. That's what happens in parties whose motto is "I'm looking out for no. 1".

[Gman]

9. Another memo to Hastert

"Who cares what you think?"

[Zhade]

16. Yet another memo...

"Shut up, you dadburn fool! These here immigants are fer our new, improved draft! But don't tell anyone - it's a secret until the election done come and gone!"

[fizzana]

2. Cool - Bring It On

n/t

[Djinn]

3. this must be causing

a fair amount of conflict within the republican party - the people that vote for them don't want "illegal immigrants" yet the people who pay them need them.

can't wait for the spinjob on this

[Valjean]

6. Not a need

They don't "need" illegal aliens. They WANT illegal aliens to drive costs down and make more profit.

[Djinn]

13. true

in the real sense of the word they don't "need" they could just pay people a decent living wage - but that aint gonna happen so from their view they need

[kysrsoze]

25. I'm really enjoying watching it all fall apart - through their own idiocy

Even the Repub party is fed up with it all - the economy, Patriot Act, immigration, etc. Wasn't there some kind of big meeting in the Northeast about potentially pushing * out of office? They know the amount of stupidity spewing from the White House is going to signal the end of their run in power. Not a day goes by where there isn't some huge potential scandal they're fighting off.

At least there isn't any sex in the oval office - who would want to?

[Beetwasher]

4. Ahhh, Nothing Like a Total Implosion

Yeah, Rove, what genious...:eyes:

[fizzana]

5. Andrew Sullivan smells trouble

BUSH IS IN DEEP TROUBLE: I'd say something else. The huge turn-out in New Hampshire; the electability factor for Kerry; the passion of the Dean people: all this shows how thoroughly energized the Democrats are to win back the White House. Bush is in the Rove-Cheney cocoon right now. From the SOTU, it looks like he's going to run on 9/11. Bad, backward-looking idea. His coalition is fracturing; his reach out to Hispanics seems to have hurt him more with the base than won him new votes; his spending has independents deeply concerned; Iraq is still a wild card; prescription drugs pandering hasn't swayed any seniors; the religious right wants him to attack gay couples in the Constitution - which will lose him the center. More worrying: I'm not sure he even knows he's in trouble.

http://www.andrewsullivan.com/

Bush is still in cuckoo land, believing what his "good news" filters are telling him.

[iam]

7. You oughta be in politics dood!

That's exactly the scenario that will play out. One concern, conservatives are so evil and destructive that when realizing the end is near, and that democrats will exact revenge for the last 10 years of abuse, they will attempt to destroy this Democracy.

[MisterC2003]

8. My fear is that the passion of the Dean people isn't transferable

even if their votes ARE. So if Dean is shoved aside, the Democratic Party will return to the Party of Limp Vegetables it was before Dean came along, and Cowardice and Cluelessness will rein again.

[fizzana]

11. Dean or not, the Dems are on a roll and they smell blood.

Whether Dean goes any further or not he has done the Party and incredible favor. He's ignited passion and shown everyone that Bush can and should be taken head on.

[patricia92243]

15. #8 - You need to post this all over DU - often. Any other places on net

[calimary]

17. YAHOO!!! And I don't mean the email!

All I'd say is "SHHHHHH, Andrew!" I don't want bush to realize he's in trouble. I want him nice and comfy in his ivory tower with his servants peeling grapes for him and telling him what he wants to hear and filtering his news for him. I hope he stays there. Meanwhile, we will be at the gate, breaking through, while he dozes in hunky-dory land.

[Buns_of_Fire]

21. Boosh* HAS to run on 9/11. It's his only card.

I foresee a campaign (from the Chimp-in-Chief) based on fear fear terra terra got Saddam tourists-under-your-bed stock-up-on-duct-tape fear fear be afraid be very afraid but all will be well if you let me protect you for another four years...

[kysrsoze]

26. Maybe he out to try reading the papers for a change

or at least have someone else read it to him.

[Valjean]

10. By the Way

A whole hell of a LOT of Democrats don't want "guest workers" either.

There is certainly room for bringing in foreign folks with VERY, VERY specialized skills. But they should have to pay more WAAAYY more $$$ for the Visas. I would put a price tag of $10,000 per year on such Visas with VERY close supervision.

Additionally, I would put a one year waiting period after the time the person is identified. This will avoid the "fake job postings" scams that companies have used to justify many H-1B applications.

There should always be room for LEGAL immigration. But accepting illegal immigration is NOT humanitarian in nature. Immigrants don't flood over the border to help the US economy. They don't break our laws in order to mow your lawn or babysit your children. They do it to MAKE MONEY!!!!!!!

Illegal immigrants should be identified and sent home. Employers who fail to validate personnel should be fined heavily and sent to prison for multiple offenses. Border security should be beefed up HEAVILY for preventing the flow of WHATEVER type of contraband over our borders. This has the side affect of a lot more jobs.

The true nature of natural born citizen needs to be defined. It applies to persons under US jurisdiction. An ambassador's child is NOT considered a US citizen when born in the US. Likewise, an illegal isn't here by sanction of US law. Those anchor babies ARE NOT US Citizens, nor are the children born to tourists or visitors on legal Visas.

Immigration levels need to be tailored to appropriate levels based on US population fluctuations and current levels of employment. When employment is high, quotas should go up. When unemployment is high, quotas should go down as it creates more wage pressure and tends to expatriate wealth in remittances.

It is NOT the right of a foreigner to demand changes in US immigration law. Nor is it the business of the US to tell other countries like Mexico what THEIR immigration policies should be. Regardless of their situation, illegal immigrants are just plain breaking the law. They have as much right to swim North on the Rio Grande as I do to swim South.

It's time for the US to fess up. We CANNOT solve all the worlds problems. We cannot make the world rich by making ourselves poor.

[Djinn]

14. not going to happen

unless US citizens are prepared to work for even lower wages than some already do then business needs immigrant labor - no-one else will do it. I can't see a Democratic President insuring living wages either. Personally I have a big problem with the concept that money should be global and borderless but people shouldn't be.

Whatever the answer is the problem isn't the Mexican workers coming across the border - after all if US citizens wanted to they could cross and work in the maquiladores set up when corp up and left the US and all their employees - it's the wages that are the problem.

If you refuse to pay decent wages the very very desperate will turn up ready to work - force the bastards to pay living wages in EVERY country

[Valjean]

18. You're wrong

Econ 101, an excess supply of labor drives DOWN labor prices.

Mexican illegals don't take jobs that Americans don't want. They take jobs that pay like shit largely because they are low-skilled, seasonal and populated with illegal immigrants. If you take away the excess labor, the wages will go up and conditions will improve.

I do support the concept of a foreign minimum wage. We would enforce it through preferential trading agreements with countries that cooperate.

The United States is NOT responsible for the excess population of the rest of the world. It is an individual countries responsibility to set policies that encourage sustainable population levels.

[Djinn]

22. i think you missed my point

The big business' that employ migrant labor do so because they want to keep paying shit wages, so until you get the corps on board there will always be a large number of "illegals" - REALITY 101 supply and demand, there is a demand for cheap and exploityable labor so there a steady supply.

[Valjean]

23. DEPORT, DEPORT, DEPORT

The fact of the matter is that immigration law IS NOT being enforced right now. It hasn't been enforced for quite some time. We don't track down Visa skippers and we don't seriously look for illegals anymore. It's VERY easy to spot illegals. They live in plain sight now.

So we need to plow more money into INS and get more deportation. We need to put bounties out for identifying illegals (INS picks them up). We need to fine the shit or imprison businesses that exploit illegal labor. We need to ADVERTISE abroad that you WILL be deported from the US. We need to SHOOT people who run from the INS at the border under the assumption that they are terrorists or drug smugglers.

The idea that these are just "law abiding people" is crap. There first action was to break US law. They have no leave to be in the United States. To me, they have the same status as a home intruder.

[Djinn]

27. and again missing the point

the powers that be DONT WANT THEM deported they WANT cheap exploitable labor, the Bushies (and the Clinton's!) are NOT going to crack down on this until Americans agree to work for the sort of wages the illegals will, which obviously isn't going to happen unless the cost of living in the US drops dramatically, there's already plenty working poor in the states.

We are working slowly towards entire nations becoming "servant" nations to the rich - the "illegals" are not your enemy the people who happily allow them in, allow them work illegaly and not mention allow them to suffer horrible workplace accidents and injuries, THEY are the enemy and they pay your politicians.

[drewb]

20. Great post!

:thumbsup:

:loveya:

[patricia92243]

12. This will do Bush in - where everything else has failed.

[fortyfeetunder]

19. * is not going to back off on this one

Massive wet dreaming going on in Congress.

As long as * has a war chest funded by all those companies who rely on "guest workers" he has a personal mandate to press on. Why should he give a rip about Congress and back off?

[Tansy_Gold]

24. From today's West Valley View. . . .

. . . .the weekly newspaper serving the far western suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona, this letter to the editor:

<snip>

Bush is just too liberal
To the editor:
The old saying goes, “You can fool most of the people most of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.” This applies to our dictator of a president, “King George Jr.” I admit I was fooled by his “phony conservative” image. He is no conservative.
Like father like son, a leftist socialist through and through. This person will not uphold or defend the Constitution of America. His plans to legalize 12 million felons, granting them untold taxpayer monies, are beyond belief, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
His phony war, his goofy men on Mars, men on the moon dream is just plain stupid, not to mention his secret executive orders to monitor millions of unsuspecting Americans, just leaves me wondering why this person isn’t thrown in jail for treason.
George Bush, go to hell, along with your Republican and Democratic Party idiots. Just like “Red Davis” of California, you’ll be booted out of office by voters.
Carlos Arredondo
Avondale

<snip>

Mr. Arredondo is a frequent letter-writer to the View. This is, believe it or not, one of his more coherent works.

[MisterC2003]

28. Puzzling

I see that Bush is opening the door to Hispanics in response to his corporate masters. But I'm very puzzled about his having the political courage to do it. He is going to get the approval of a group that by and large does not vote and in exchange he's going to lose a LOT of support from his core constituency.

The only context in which that makes sense is if Bush knows the numbers on the voting in the Presidential election don't matter ...

Can you say, "Diebold"?

[CShine]

29. bump