>>>I don't support immigration reform and I think we need to more aggressively secure our borders until we get this mess straightened out
>
>Keep saying that Kevin!
>Not only is that bad policy, but it's terrible politics and if the Tea Party keeps saying it long enough it will go the way of the Temperance Party in a hurry.
>
>Off all the misguided, whacky ideas that have come from the Fox/Rush Limbaugh/ Lou Dobbs crowd few can compare with the crazy notion that granting legal status to people who have lived her for decades and are a key part of our economy and culture is somehow threatening to the rest of us.
>
>Since the cold war ended and that crowd lost its favorite "enemy" they have been desperately seeking "the other guy" and have landed on this issue.
>
>Securing our borders against whom? Those vicious Canadians and Mexicans?
>Yeah! Let's get that wall higher!
>(OH.. but don't mess with NAFTA - we have to keep our borders open!!)
Hear, hear.
One thing I truly don't get is that this is such bad politics for the Republicans. Hispanic-Americans are the fastest growing group in the U.S. and the Repubs are actively driving them away. It makes no sense. In many ways they are a natural constituency -- conservative, religious, family values.
We are a nation of immigrants. It is the entire history of this country. And the same pattern is repeated over and over, with only the demographic changing -- "they'll never assimilate." This was said of Irish, Germans, Polish, on and on. The fact is they do assimilate, even if they retain pride in the country of their heritage. A very high percentage of second generation Hispanic-Americans speak English as a first language in the home.
Previous
Next
Reply
View the map of this thread
View the map of this thread starting from this message only
View all messages of this thread
View all messages of this thread starting from this message only