February 21, 2008

STAND OUTS:

Republicans Stand Out on Immigration, Bloomberg Says (RUSSELL BERMAN, February 21, 2008, NY Sun)

Mayor Bloomberg today singled out for praise three Republicans — Senator McCain, Michael Huckabee, and President Bush — for their positions on immigration, suggesting they have been more "pro-immigration" than the Democratic presidential candidates.

"In terms of immigration policy, the ones who have stood out, interestingly enough, are the three Republicans. Huckabee and McCain and President Bush have all been much more pro-immigration than the other candidates," Mr. Bloomberg told reporters here in response to a question from The New York Sun on the immigration stances of Mr. McCain and Senators Clinton and Obama. "Now hopefully the other candidates are starting to understand the value of immigration and changing. And I don't know what their policies necessarily are. I haven't seen them stand up and talk about immigration."


It's no coincidence that if you add the equally pro-immigration Ronald Reagan, George HW Bush, Jeb Bush, and Rick Perry and you've got every past and potential Republican president of the past thirty years. Meanwhile, given that the immigrants are generally Christian social conservatives and a threat to the power of feminists, gays, Big Labor, blacks, etc., it's hardly surprising that the GOP leaders are better on the issue. The Democrats are the natural nativist party.

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 21, 2008 3:27 PM
Comments

...and yet, they are not the nativist party.

Posted by: Brandon at February 21, 2008 5:16 PM

But they weren't (or Bush isn't) "pro-immigrant". They are pro-Mexican immigrant. That is the reality on the ground. And to my mind (and I'll just go ahead and admit to my obviously virulent and murderous racism here to save OJ the trouble of accusing me of it) that is markedly inferior to a genuine wide open pro-immigrant stance.

Why prefer Mexicans to Poles or Ghanans or Uighurs?

And the conclusion that Bush does prefer Mexicans is inescapable...

Posted by: Benny at February 21, 2008 5:45 PM

Do you see him rounding up the millions of Poles & Indians to deport them? Mexicans happen to have the easiest time so we get more of them.

Posted by: oj at February 21, 2008 7:48 PM

Yet.

Posted by: oj at February 21, 2008 7:54 PM

Well, it would be instructive to see Tom Buffenbarger or any other big industrial union leader get in front of a microphone and talk about "immigration". Or Jon Tester. Or Jim Webb. Even Andrew Stein (head of the Services Union) would show us something, and I suspect his position is 180 degrees different.

Obama will have his problems defending his position. Hillary can't defend hers.

The paleo right doesn't like it, but McCain can defend his.

Posted by: ratbert at February 21, 2008 11:44 PM
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