Immigration reform

[ProfJohn]

According to exit polls the Republicans lost the Hispanic vote by a HUGE margin.

This is a bad thing for immigration reform. No one will stand up for a fence now; it is a stupid move politically, even though most of the country wants it.

The only way we see a change is if BOTH parties work together to create a plan. It will not make everyone happy, but, we have to create a plan that works for America and spreads the ?blame? out evenly for both parties.

As much as I hate it, it looks like Bush will get his big comprehensive plan passed. It is the only plan that will work politically. I want to stop illegals as much as the next guy, but I am not going to lose every election for the next 20 years by passing a tough plan that alienates the Hispanic vote.

IF the Democrats decide that they would rather have the Hispanic vote than seal the boarders I suggest the Republicans do nothing and run on that platform until they get enough votes to make it work.

Basically, put the Democrat voter in the position on deciding what is more important, their Democrat social plans and programs, or sealing the boarder.

 

[RichardE]

The republicans are already the bad guys. The democrats get a chance to appeal to the middle class man loosing work by agreeing with the repubs. I see them joining together on this one.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally posted by: ProfJohn
According to exit polls the Republicans lost the Hispanic vote by a HUGE margin.

This is a bad thing for immigration reform. No one will stand up for a fence now; it is a stupid move politically, even though most of the country wants it.

It's difficult to reach any conclusions about its political viability without delving into individual campaigns and the issues voters were focussed on, such as Bush's handling of Iraq, which seemed like the primary issue. As you said, most of the Americans want to reduce immigration and the outcry against illegal alien amnesty affected Congress and helped to shoot down Bush's plan.

As much as I hate it, it looks like Bush will get his big comprehensive plan passed. It is the only plan that will work politically. I want to stop illegals as much as the next guy, but I am not going to lose every election for the next 20 years by passing a tough plan that alienates the Hispanic vote.

Hopefully the Congressmen will come to realize that favoring mass immigration is a political loser for them, especially if a large issue such as Iraq doesn't overshadow it. Immigration, as an issue, more or less dropped off the radar in the past couple weeks, as far as I can tell.

As for the Hispanic vote, it isn't necessarily correct to assume that recent immigrants favor mass illegal immigration or further mass immigration, especially if they have any sense of economic interest. Why would you want to increase your competition in the labor market? I'm reminded of a story (reported in a newspaper) about a Hispanic family that fled the economic ravages of California's labor market for one in Kentucy and how they were so happy to move to a better job market with fewer Hispanics to compete with.

IF the Democrats decide that they would rather have the Hispanic vote than seal the boarders I suggest the Republicans do nothing and run on that platform until they get enough votes to make it work.

Perhaps our nation is already lost...

Basically, put the Democrat voter in the position on deciding what is more important, their Democrat social plans and programs, or sealing the boarder.[/quote]

If you're a moderate Democrat or a working class Democrat with a sense of economic self interest, then yes, you'd be in this position. Of course, many Republicans (such as Bush the Decider) also favor mass immigration.

As I see it, there's little hope for this country. By the time Americans understand that having a population of 500 million people might be bad for the environment and that increasing the supply of labor relative to capital decreases wages and standard of living it will be too late. The United States will already be a third world country.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally posted by: RichardE
The republicans are already the bad guys. The democrats get a chance to appeal to the middle class man loosing work by agreeing with the repubs. I see them joining together on this one.

Do you really think the Democrats, who are altruists by nature, are that smart? Are the Democrats really smart enough to understand an issue like foreign outsourcing, job displacement via H-1B and L-1 visas, and immigration? Immigration is a tough one for them because it goes completely against being a good little altruist.

I mean, can you imagine a Democrat saying, "We need to worry about Americans first." Can you imagine a Democrat saying, "We just don't have enough environmental resources to comfortably house all of the world's poor."

I think the Democrats are more likely to say, "Let's have government-funded health coverage for everyone, even illegal aliens."