Republicans Hiding from Real Issues
President Bush is to speak later today on issues surrounding illegal immigration. GOP members of the House have been proposing new legislation on illegal immigration over the past two years. You wanna know what the new Republican hot button is? I will give you one guess. Of course, it's illegal immigration.
Now, I'll give you one guess why. The Republicans want the 2006 elections to be about anything other than the war in Iraq, Libby, DeLay, Doolittle and Ney. They don't want it to be about security leaks or ethics. It needs to be about something that has the potential to distract critics from everything the White House and Congress are currently doing wrong. Hell, forget distracting critics. They need to distract their own base from everything they are doing wrong in Washington.
Is illegal immigration enough of a hot issue? It appears to be in North Carolina where illegals have had an easy time getting drivers licenses. Having an official I.D. makes it easier for illegals to get jobs, open bank accounts and apply for Federal benefits. They have flocked to NC for that reason.
Most people I know in my community(NC) have something to say about illegal immigrants and much of it is negative. Of course, I live in a red state, so they might just be parroting the leaders of their party. To be fair, though, I've heard the topic discussed long before it became a party issue. The funny thing is, my friends who are Democrats have been discussing it too.
Is this something the GOP will be able to claim as its own issue? I know that it's a very hot topic among the border states and a few others, but is it pressing enough throughout the rest of the country to get Republicans from other states behind the issue and make them feel the urgency? If past experience holds true it won't matter. Most Republicans adopt the GOP talking points and pencil them into their bibles. They become Gospel. If George Bush wants to make illegal immigration the hot issue for the GOP in 2006 then the GOP drones will be certain to follow suit.
I personally don't think illegal immigration can overshadow the war in Iraq, Traitorgate and the scandals surrounding Ney, Doolittle, DeLay, Abramoff and Cunningham. Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) tried to create some urgency in North Carolina by lying about Al Qaeda members being caught and arrested crossing the border from Mexico. She was called on her lie and claims it was an "honest mistake". Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) also lied in the same press conference claiming that at least one of the hijackers from 9/11 had a North Carolina drivers license. That simply wasn't true and when caught in that lie Pat McHenry continued to spin tales in an attempt to cover up.
It will be interesting to see if the President has better luck making this the hot button for the GOP in 2006. With the web of lies spun to create the need for war in Iraq you can bet fact checkers will be busy making sure the President and his faithful in Washington aren't as creative with illegal immigration.
Now, I'll give you one guess why. The Republicans want the 2006 elections to be about anything other than the war in Iraq, Libby, DeLay, Doolittle and Ney. They don't want it to be about security leaks or ethics. It needs to be about something that has the potential to distract critics from everything the White House and Congress are currently doing wrong. Hell, forget distracting critics. They need to distract their own base from everything they are doing wrong in Washington.
Is illegal immigration enough of a hot issue? It appears to be in North Carolina where illegals have had an easy time getting drivers licenses. Having an official I.D. makes it easier for illegals to get jobs, open bank accounts and apply for Federal benefits. They have flocked to NC for that reason.
Most people I know in my community(NC) have something to say about illegal immigrants and much of it is negative. Of course, I live in a red state, so they might just be parroting the leaders of their party. To be fair, though, I've heard the topic discussed long before it became a party issue. The funny thing is, my friends who are Democrats have been discussing it too.
Is this something the GOP will be able to claim as its own issue? I know that it's a very hot topic among the border states and a few others, but is it pressing enough throughout the rest of the country to get Republicans from other states behind the issue and make them feel the urgency? If past experience holds true it won't matter. Most Republicans adopt the GOP talking points and pencil them into their bibles. They become Gospel. If George Bush wants to make illegal immigration the hot issue for the GOP in 2006 then the GOP drones will be certain to follow suit.
I personally don't think illegal immigration can overshadow the war in Iraq, Traitorgate and the scandals surrounding Ney, Doolittle, DeLay, Abramoff and Cunningham. Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) tried to create some urgency in North Carolina by lying about Al Qaeda members being caught and arrested crossing the border from Mexico. She was called on her lie and claims it was an "honest mistake". Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) also lied in the same press conference claiming that at least one of the hijackers from 9/11 had a North Carolina drivers license. That simply wasn't true and when caught in that lie Pat McHenry continued to spin tales in an attempt to cover up.
It will be interesting to see if the President has better luck making this the hot button for the GOP in 2006. With the web of lies spun to create the need for war in Iraq you can bet fact checkers will be busy making sure the President and his faithful in Washington aren't as creative with illegal immigration.
posted by B. Muse at 1:10 PM
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