Jun 04 2007
McCain On The Realities Of Immigration Reform
Sen John McCain is making the case which will sweep the immigration Bill into law as long as liberal amendments can be beaten back. It is the case which will win the day:
“The politics of Washington have encouraged us to leave solutions to the toughest problems for another unluckier generation of leaders. Problems are left unsolved year after year, because we fear the political consequences of seriously addressing them or value their utility as political attacks in our campaigns. … To do nothing now would be an unconscionable abrogation of our responsibilities to defend the security, prosperity and values of our country. … I welcome any attempt to meet our responsibility to fix our broken borders and immigration system. Our proposal has provoked criticism from some on both the left and right. Compromises usually do. People of good will, who take their responsibilities seriously, argue variously that our ideas are too tough or not tough enough. I do not question the sincerity of their convictions or their purpose in proposing other ways to address the problem. There is one premise most of us agree on: the status quo is unacceptable. …
“It is a hard problem, and I understand that. But the choice is between doing something, imperfect but effective and achievable, and doing nothing. I would hope that any candidate for President would not suggest doing nothing. And I would hope they wouldn’t play politics for their own interests if the cost of their ambition was to make this problem even harder to solve. 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. …
“We have a chance now to secure our borders and place effective controls on immigration that benefit all of us, and enhance our ability to apprehend terrorists before they strike us. It is a common sense, conservative approach to the problem. Is any office worth sacrificing the progress we can make now to solve this crisis? …
“We can’t leave our borders so undefended that people who come here to hurt us can enter it as easily as someone following a dream of living in a great country. But these people are also God’s children, who wanted simply to be Americans, and we cannot forget the humanity God commands of us as we seek a remedy to this problem. … We have a chance this year to prevent such terrible tragedies from occurring in the numbers they have occurred in the past. Let’s do it. For the sake of security, justice, prosperity and humanity, let us do it.â€
It is rapidly becoming apparent there is no appeasing the fringes left or right. The 44% opposed to this Bill include the true liberals wanting real open borders, real amnesty and immediate citizenship, as well as the immigration hypochondriacs on the right. That means the numbers left and right opposing this Bill are somewhere around 22% each side. 22% of the right is less than half of those who voted to elect Bush. Same thing for the left and those who helped put Congress under democrat control. Neither left nor right can afford to repulse the middle of the nation now rallying in conensus around this Bill. The far left and right cannot be appeased. And we will not get another shot at this for a decade at least, if this Bill fails. The stakes are too high to fail. Failure will be a much worse stigma than an imperfect bill which includes a lot of good ideas (hello – that describes anything passed by Congress).
Americans will not allow the far left and right to torpedo another shot at doing something. We do not accept the zero sum game. We do not support more of the same because of wild fears and exaggerations. We will not let extreme partisanship ruin our chance at fixing a decades old problem – again. That is how we got here: by letting the fringes tank our opportunities to fix things. Not an option this time.
If you have been sitting back watching this mess and in the end accept that what is being presented is pretty good, warts and all, compared to another decade of this mess then call your Congressman and Senator and let them know there are those in the country who do not want the zero sum out of this. Speak up and speak out. Clearly I am doing so and I invite you all to do the same.
Ivehadit: WHY do we HAVE to do the whole thing at once? And thus ram thru a bill that is haphazard, slapdash, and at over 300 pages, clearly designed to baffle people with BS, and thus obscure the Kennedyesque portions, clearly desigined to hurt America?
Why can we pass several smaller bills, in sequence, taking a topical issue each:
a) Border Security
b) Guest Worker Program
c) H1-B Visas & Hi-Tech Workers
etc., etc., ????
Smaller, topical bills, open to all to see, comment on, and no hidden Kennedyesque BS, clearly designed to hurt America, somehow!
Is that such a radical, crazy idea?
ivehadit
I think you hit it right on. Also despite the constant references to Kennedy that is used by opposition all one has to do is go the left blogs and to the various immigration groups and see sharp division on this matter.
This is to be honest Governement working. The calm rational middle is tired of this standoff between the two, It is also getting destructive. THe two sides would not meet together in the past and now it is up for responsible public leadership to do it and drag both the far left and the far right kicking and screaming into doing something
Digging in your heels and saying “NO” is not hard and it is not even close to leadership. It is being a stick in the mud who is afraid of change. Shifting the paradigm and finding compromise positions when both sides are saying “no” is very hard and necessary in this case. McCain is in his element here.
The hard right has had there chance to enforce the existing laws and there are plenty of them. You all fell short. It is an understandably tough job in need of some help.
DaleinAtlanta
What is so hidden? The bill and and the amendments are all out in the open. The HOUSE will go into this in great detail
THe problem is that to get all that passed you need a coaltiton of people. The reson why it has to be together is sort of alluded to in your post. People that have an interest in somehow regualarizing the people here are not sure after they invest the money in the fence, expand high tech visas, and do guest workers if in the end their situation shall be taken care of
Don’t they have reason to worry from seeing how they are all categorized?
SO all sides are wary of each other. Then you got the John Tanton groups that wish to stop immigration almost altogther and are against high Tech visa, guest worker etc. All people are wary of them.
That is the reason this has to be comprehensive
DaleinAtlanta
What is so hidden? The bill and and the amendments are all out in the open. The HOUSE will go into this in great detail
THe problem is that to get all that passed you need a coaltiton of people. The reson why it has to be together is sort of alluded to in your post. People that have an interest in somehow regualarizing the people here are not sure after they invest the money in the fence, expand high tech visas, and do guest workers if in the end their situation shall be taken care of
Don’t they have reason to worry from seeing how they are all categorized?
SO all sides are wary of each other. Then you got the John Tanton groups that wish to stop immigration almost altogther and are against high Tech visa, guest worker etc. All people are wary of them.
That is the reason this has to be comprehensive
TomAnon: NOT even CLOSE to the truth!
Besides, as someone who spent 12 years in the Corps, I DO know a little about Leadership!
So don’t, in any way, presume to lecture me on the subject!
When the bill is OBVIOUSLY the wrong thing to do, and will make the situation WORSE, it is DEFINITELY “leadership” to say NO!, this is wrong!
Categorically, 100% CORRECT to do so; there is no discussion on this issue, none!
What is WRONG, is to be a “go along to get along” “PC” type; we need to pass the bill because our ILLEGALS might “riot” like over in France, we don’t want to piss off the Hispanics, it’s our duty to do it, because we stole Texas from them 200 years ago, and all that other CRAP!
Now, to be “obstructionist”, just for the same of being an “obstructionist”, is also WRONG; and that is NOT what me, nor any of the other “naysayers” have EVER said!
We’ve been quite clear on this point, from the begining; everyone here, opposed to this bill, IS for a “guest worker” program; everyone here, opposed to this bill IS for “border enforcement”, etc.
We’re just not for, running the damn bill thru Congress, to get it passed, with all the neat “open borders” crap hidden in there by Kennedy et. al., so that no one is aware of it, until it’s in place, and Law!
Just like Murtha stuck his $36M earmark for his pet-worthless project, the NDIC in Johnstown PA, into a secret portion of an Appropriations bill, so no one could find it, question him on it, and stop it!
I personally don’t want this thing passed, until we see all the “poison pill” crap Kennedy has managed to stick in there.
Of course, it’s going to do no good anyhow, with supporters of the bill like you, who don’t care what it contains, you just want to pass it for passing’s sake, they’ll get their way anyhow; so why do you care?
And you’ll be the first one complaining, when things in your own community, deteriorate to the point of ludicrousness because of the ILLEGALS, and you’ll be blaming everybody but youself, at that point!
That’s how these things usually work!
Blu:
Then you got the John Tanton groups that wish to stop immigration almost altogther and are against high Tech visa, guest worker etc. All people are wary of them.
Well these people, are just plain foolish; but that’s a different issue!
To answer your question, first they did try to ram this thru, as quickly as possible, without all this debate, and the fact they didn’t pass it last week, was only because of the intense opposition!
Also, serioulsy, how MANY “Americans” do you think, actually READ an entire 350+ page bill, on the Internet, and educate themselves, BEFORE IT IS PASSED?
If you say more than 1/100th of 1%, I think you are being a bit naive!
Hell, most of the Congressmen and Senators don’t even know what’s in it!
Just read the story I wrote earlier, where John McCain, was NOT EVEN AWARE that the “back taxes” provision, had been taken out of his OWN BILL!
AJ,
You say that “more of the same” is not an option. But it appears that the supporters of this bill are pushing exactly that, “more of the same”. How is this amnesty before border enforcement different from, more of the same, that we got in ’86? It isn’t except for the fact that we are talking about 12 million instead of only 3 million. This bill actually codifies “more of the same” into Law.
Enforcement isn’t an option?! Why not? Because the supporters of this “compromise” don’t care about it? To H*ll with the Rule of Law, this one is just too much trouble?
Maybe we do “need” a brazillian uneducated, non-english speaking people to “immigrate” to this country. Why do the supporters of this bill not state that as their position? Why not say “wade the Rio Grande and become a “citizen” is our motto”? Rather than pretending we can’t do something we have not even tried, border enforcement and employer punishment? When my 5 year old son says to me “I can’t” without trying I punish him for lying, because inevitably he can. Can you point to a time where we even moderately tried enforcement? I do not think that you can.
I would not necessarily hold McCain up as example given his track record sponsoring and passing well intentioned compromise bills, that ended up causing more problems they they solved.
“Enforcement isn’t an option?! Why not? Because the supporters of this “compromise†don’t care about it? To H*ll with the Rule of Law, this one is just too much trouble? ”
THe law is impossible to enforce because it so difficult to prove in Court. That is why we are trying to get a ID card, that is why we have this verification system we are trying to get, that is why we are increasing fines to such a level. ALL THAT REQUIRES A NEW LAW.
For all those that said it can’t be done because the Govt will not do it or get around it. Then I hope you don’t propose ambitious and great ideas like the FAIR TAX, Socal Security REFORM that saves it or innovative plans for health care.
I mean what is the point if the GOVT will get around it
I was not raised with this defeatism. The party I joined did not have this defeatism. I was 15 in 1986. Most of the politicians we have were not even there. I am not going to take ownership of past failures when I couldnt even vote.
IF people wish to live in 86 fine. Lots of great things in 86. Have fun listening to the latest hit of Madonna and re living your days going to see Poison in concert. But for those of us that feel it is important to help govern and do our civic duty we will not live in the past.
The fact that you were not paying attention does change what happened in 1986. Since you are apparently ignorant of the events of the ’86 amnesty I will attempt to educate you.
What happened is that we were told that once we gave blanket amnesty to the current group of illegal immigrants we would then control the borders. They got amnesty and not even a lame attempt at border control was made. Now we have 12 million illegals and the open borders lobby are saying the exact same thing. But hey, you were listening to Madonna or Poison at the time so how could you be bothered? “Talk to the hand about the past cause I am not familiar with it”?
By ignoring current law and giving lawbreakers a pass you “feel it is important to help govern and do our civic duty we will not live in the past” Why isn’t the support for CURRENT LAWS one of your “civic duties”?
I do not ask you to “live in the past” only to have some, brief, minor cursory brush with it. Our government gave us a promise of border control with amnesty 19 years ago and they still have yet to implement the border control part. Now they want another amnesty, assuring us that we will control the border, and this time they really, really , really mean it.
Why is the opposition to this crappy piece of “compromise” legislation “defeatist”? It seems that your position “we can’t enforce, we can’t deport, we must compromise the Law” is the one that is defeatist.
I am not the one who originally said “history repeats itself”.
Impossible to prove in court?? LOL. Wow..that’s a good one.
ROTFL….Yes….Uhemmm…”Your Honor”….the defendant doesn’t understand the question because he can’t speak english and has no passport” Hmmm…must be from Texas then.
Ok..err…Mr Texas….what is your SS number? Como?? Do you have any pay stubs or record of address or ??? NO se??
Hmm…must have lost it in a flood I guess. Ok..Mr Texas who’s been in a flood….that explains why you were loitering outside the Home Depot (re-building supplies).
McCain is blowing me away with his statesmanship and guts on this issue!
AJ – right on — failure is NOT an option.
Also, I have to say Mitt Romney is fast losing my respect. I have avoided saying this before, but his latest remarks on immigration are starting to convince me that the guy is a First Class Panderer. The truth is, I can’t quite figure out WHAT Romney is saying about the Imm Bill since he seems uninformed and unsure of himself, depending on who he’s addressing. But he started using the Amnesty word — which indicates to me a shallow and manipulative attempt to capitalize on high emotions — which his advisers may be confusing with high numbers of hardliners.
Here’s an odd item I found this morning at Am Spectator… if this is true about Romney meeting with Pitchfork Pat, I want to heave buckets:
MITT and PAT
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=11527
(see second item down)