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Did we get it right or wrong on McCain immigration badminton?

May 28, 2008 |  3:15 am

Media Matters reports that the L.A. Times was among many news outlets that have given readers only a partial view of John McCain's immigration views. Here's the gist from the self-described corrector of conservative misinformation in the U.S. media:

In reporting on Sen. John McCain's efforts to woo Hispanic voters, the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, the Politico, and Reuters mentioned McCain's previous support for comprehensive immigration reform but did not note that he has since said he would no longer support a comprehensive reform measure he co-sponsored.

Now McCain's flip-flopping on immigration is a topic we report on with borderline obsessiveness at Opinion L.A., and in particular we watch for shifting definitions of "comprehensive" in the McCain vocabulary. I'd also note that McCain got a special grilling over the whole not-voting-for-his-own-bill topic at the Times-sponsored Republican debate this year. Nevertheless, Media Matters is correct that in the specific story it cites, Times reporters Maeve Reston, Noam N. Levey and Scott Martelle noted only that McCain "has a record of pushing immigration overhaul" in the context of describing his possible advantages in the Western states.

Does that even count as an oversight? As Swati Pandey notes in a blog post a few hyperlinks back, McCain has begun working the comprehensive angle back into the campaign, and the rightwing Republicans who make a point of publicly breaking with McCain have noticed that. In fact, McCain's effort to be seen as Latino-friendly is so critical to his Western strategy that to characterize him simply as somebody who has backed away from immigration reform seems to me to get the story especially wrong. He comes across as weirdly circumlocutory in that clip from the Reagan Library debate, but McCain has always described his decision to abandon comp reform with a sighing, world-weary, they-know-not-what-they-do tone. He's been fairly consistent in not claiming either that he's changed his mind or that he was always for tougher border enforcement; instead, he characterizes his shift as an acknowledgment of the expressed will of the American People, without ever specifying whether he agrees with that will.

You might say (OK, I might say) McCain has pretty deftly positioned himself to be seen as a pro-immigration candidate even though (or because) he pays conditional and grudging lip service to the restrictionists' concerns. Whatever your feelings on immigration, that would seem to be the more interesting story here than some imagined conservative misinformation campaign.


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Comments
1.

As a white, educated foreigner who overstayed a visa (now facing a 10 year bar), I am trapped in the USA. When the tech industry melted down, so did my employer. I naively remained here complacent in the hope that another company would grab me and put me to work. Before I knew better, I had “crossed the line” and was subject to a border ban, and would not be able to leave, apply for a new visa, and return to be with my friends and business contacts. Not even to visit. Oh, to change the past… "Steve Smith", opinion.latimes.com 8 May 2007,

Why am I not surprised that an open border advocate would cut and paste a comment?
And "Steve" or "Larry" or "Mr. Smith" -- you are not 'trapped' here. You can level any time you like and go back to your native land. From there, you should lobby for the US to change its immigration laws from the ridiculous 'family unification ' (i.e. nepotistic) system we have to a point based system that would allow for education, ability to speak English, cultural similarity etc.

2.

As a white, educated foreigner who overstayed a visa (now facing a 10 year bar), I am trapped in the USA. When the tech industry melted down, so did my employer. I naively remained here complacent in the hope that another company would grab me and put me to work. Before I knew better, I had “crossed the line” and was subject to a border ban, and would not be able to leave, apply for a new visa, and return to be with my friends and business contacts. Not even to visit. Oh, to change the past…

But here I am! And I’m trying to make the best of it. Believe me, it really stinks to be in this situation. And I really feel for the millions of others that face the same circumstances.

I pay close attention to the immigration debate. Since I became "illegal," I have heard lots of frightening language used to describe my violation and that of millions of other foreigners. But as a “lawbreaker,” am I really that much of a threat to Americans? Since I became “illegal,” I started a successful multimillion dollar company that now employs a lot of US citizens. I’m working on my second right now, and it needs me, as do the people who are working alongside me to make the fledgling business successful.

Tancredo, Dobbs and other “anti-illegals” declare a state of emergency and proclaim I should just get out of the country. Yet, most of my friends (American) will be choked to see me go, and I can’t bear the thought of losing their presence in my life. And my company and colleagues need me here.

I have often suspected that the “anti-illegals” aren’t REALLY talking about me. But they typically defend the dignity of their position by saying that it is NOT about race, or language, or educational background. THAT would pit them against many US citizens or legal immigrants! No, they say it’s about THE LAW. But if is the case, why aren’t these same people out scouring parties and bars for lawbreakers who drink an extra glass of wine before driving, or if even totally sober, callously break the speed limit, putting law-abiding drivers in mortal danger. This failure in vigilance costs thousands of lives on US freeways each year!

My point - I smell a deception, and sure hope that voters and legislators get very honest about what’s behind all this “anti-illegal-immigrant” alarmism – it only hurts the children.

3.

Amnesty for slaves, abused,exploited,discriminated humans beings is way too far from Americans, a nation built by immigrants. Is terrible, embarrassing hard to believe. God save us

4.

Registered Republican
- pro 2nd ammendment
- pro-life
- PRO AMNESTY.

Reagan would do it. Jesus would do it. I would vote for it. Solve it NOW.

5.

I think McCain is being intentionally vague because he knows to win he must be pro-reform, but he doesn't want his anti-reform/pro-deportation GOP base to split. Tough tightrope to walk when many of the most reliable voters in your party have an unelectable policy or ideological position. So I think it is more complicated than Media Matters lets on.

However, Media Matters' devasting analysis of the content of Leprosy Lou Dobbs, Glen Beck, and Poppa Bear O'Reilly was spot on. Kudos.

6.

Amnesty = Appeasement.

7.

MMFA's goal - and the goal of other groups - is to try to come up with some difference on this issue between McCain and the Dems. The fact that it involves intentionally not understanding what he supports or playing word games matters little. He's always supported amnesty, and he will continue to do so even if he tries to sugarcoat it a bit.

As for the LAT, I'm more worried about things like this:

http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/007656.html

Here's a hint: if you're going to quote an ImmigrationLawyer on the TopicOfImmigration and he has at least four links to the MexicanGovernment, the fact that he has at least four links to the MexicanGovernment is highly material information that your readers should be informed of. Needless to say, the LAT keeps having problems in that area, such as referring to ANSWERLA as an "anti-war and anti-racism" group instead of pointing out there communist links.

8.

I believe that if McCain is mouthing fences and saying he wasn't for amnesty, he's calling the American public liars. Why was it the Kennedy/McCain Amnesty Bill took so many of us by surprise. Millions of Americans were writing and calling our own Senators and Representative to get rid of the Amnesty Bill. Americans will never allow amnesty after the last two just brought more illegals into the United States. Why should we give people who come here illegally the right to stay in our country. When there are others who want to come to the United States, will obey American immigration laws, pass health check-ups and take all the shots that are required, have sponsors and can prove they will not be a burden to on the American citizens and pay to come in. If elected I wouldn't doubt McCain would demand that the Kennedy/NO McCain Amnesty Bill be passed in honor of Senator Kennedy.
I believe that if McCain is mouthing fences and saying he wasn't for amnesty, he's calling the American public liars. Why was it the Kennedy/McCain Amnesty Bill took so many of us by surprise. Millions of Americans were writing and calling our own Senators and Representative to get rid of the Amnesty Bill. Americans will never allow amnesty after the last two just brought more illegals into the United States. Why should we give people who come here illegally the right to stay in our country. They have no rights to think we have to let them stay. When there are others who want to come to the United States, will obey American immigration laws, pass health check-ups and take all the shots that are required, have sponsors and can prove they will not be a burden to on the American citizens. If elected I wouldn't doubt McCain would demand that the Kennedy/NO McCain Amnesty Bill be passed in honor of Senator Kennedy.

Plenty of other ethnic groups obey our laws and yet the illegals have been taken to the front of the line for no other reason than they broke our law(s).

VOTE INDEPENDENT - Maybe all three of the Senators will resign from the Senate. At least we'd get new ideas for the country. These two parties are way too much alike and you can't expect either will change.

9.

Mr. Cavanaugh spouts the usual lazy rhetoric of the pro-amnesty, open borders left: e.g. referring to McCain's "pro-immigration" candidacy and "immigration views" when actually it's McCain's rabid support of pro-amnesty legislation for millions of illegal aliens that concerns the vast majority of Americans who favor enforcement if offered this alternative (who Cavanaugh wrongly and derisively refers to as "restrictionists").

Remember 1986: The American people were promised enforcement along with the mass amnesty. What we received was the amnesty, but not the enforcement. Never again will we be fooled -- especially with the new media which is able to bypass the failing biased old media such as the LA Times.

10.

There will not be any better days for America, until we resolve the Illegal immigration crisis. We have one chance before either parties president over the White House , signs an AMNESTY bill. The majority of Republicans co-authored the Federal SAVE ACT (H.R.4088)even though it was a Democrat who first drafted the legislation.

It is only the dictatorship led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is trying to gut its purpose, as she has tried to rig committees against the border fence. Biased newspapers have not revealed the economic resurrection of Arizona, who enacted their own anti-illegal immigration law and that persons without legal status are fleeing that state.

11.

I read the media matters report and I also read the article in LAT yesterday.

I don't feel they are saying anything remotely like what you ascribe - "Imagined conservative misinformation campaign", huh? Media Matters is simply alerting readers to omissions, intentional or not, of which they should be aware. As a news hound (but not a regular OpinionLA reader) I was interested in what they had to say.

When an article appears at the top of the online edition of a paper in bold type twice as big as anything else on the page it is going to carry a bit more weight than commentary buried deep in the opinion pages. As such it is fair game for analysis - especially when it fails to comment on a matter so central the the campaign in the western states.

12.

McCain’s Immigration Insanity

McCain has been campaigning all across the country with various cronies muttering about securing the border first and that he never really supported amnesty. McCain and Lieberman were on a PR campaign together in NH earlier in the year and lying through their teeth on McCain's immigration record. At a town hall meeting in the granite state, McCain speaks for a while uttering his gibberish about illegal immigration and the illegal's are god's children (he obviously believes that they are a special type of god’s children and deserve some kind of extra compassion), etc. Lieberman takes the mike and says..."To say John McCain ever supported amnesty for illegal immigrants is a lie..." This is extremely disturbing that both of these Senators would try to deceive and directly lie to people for the express purpose of garnering votes. You can view this for yourself in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er3gSPhNSEM

McCain is trying to run from his actions and record. He is intentionally distorting (I call it lying) the irrefutable fact that he was a supporter of amnesty by claiming he was never for amnesty. He was a main architect, contributor and proponent of the Comphrensive Immigration Reform bills (s. 1348 and s. 1639) of 2007 that were written in order to grant amnesty to illegal aliens. McCain was so deep into the content and language of these bills that they were often referred to as the Kennedy-McCain Immigration Reform bills.

McCain has consistently supported amnesty for illegal aliens since at least 2003 as reported by hotair.com from a Tuscon Citizen article…“McCain Pushes Amnesty, Guest-Worker Program,” reported the Tucson Citizen of May 29, 2003. The senator is quoted as saying: “Amnesty has to be an important part because there are people who have lived in this country for 20, 30 or 40 years, who have raised children here and pay taxes here and are not citizens. That has to be a component of it.” The newspaper also quoted McCain as saying: “I think we can set up a program where amnesty is extended to a certain number of people who are eligible and at the same time make sure that we have some control over people who come in and out of this country.”

An in-depth interview in June 2007 conducted with WBT radio Charlotte, NC illustrates McCain’s lack of knowledge of the details in his own Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill. His arrogance, disdain and condescending attitude to those who disagreed with him on the amnesty issue can also be heard: http://jeffkatz.wbt.com/audio.cfm;jsessionid=2e30fbce04aa6e53e62082817536929611f5TR?ID=7

During the ABC News presidential debate on January 5, 2008 McCain said: “Let me just say I've never supported amnesty. A few nights ago, Joe Lieberman and I had a town hall meeting together. It was a rather unusual event. The issue came up. Joe Lieberman said John McCain has never supported amnesty, and anybody says he does is a liar, he's lying.”

One day later at the Fox News presidential forum, McCain said, “I have never, ever supported amnesty, and never will”.

During the Fox News presidential debate on January 10, 2008 McCain said: “I know how to secure the borders. I come from a border state where our borders are broken. More people come across our border illegally every year than most any other state. And I will secure the borders first…The remaining 12 million…we must then, in my view, address it in as humane and compassionate way as possible. The three GIs who were missing last year in action, one of them was still missing in action, his wife was about to be deported from this country. I'm not going to deport the wife of a fighting serviceman who's missing in action. I'm going to handle it in a humane, compassionate fashion.” EARTH to McMARS; if you know how to secure the borders, why is your home state’s border still unsecured (McCain has been in Congress for 26 years, the last 22 as a Senator), so much so that more illegals come across your border than anywhere else? What have you been waiting for? Amnesty (again)? Furthermore, what does a GI wife’s situation have to do with the 20 to 36 million illegal aliens here, many of which came across those borders you know how to secure but have done nothing to secure?

It’s readily obvious that McCain hasn’t changed his views on illegal immigration. “Actually, I didn’t change my position…” McCain told Sean Hannity on January 19 right after he was declared the winner of the SC Primary. McCain is constantly saying that conservatives opposed his plan because they didn’t trust the federal government. But that's only partially true. They opposed the amnesty plan because they disagreed with forgiving the crimes of 20 plus million illegal aliens crashing through our borders by giving them amnesty and putting them on a special path to citizenship. Watch the video below carefully on the interview Sean Hannity conducted with McCain right after he was declared the winner in the SC Primary. When Hannity brings up the 'Kennedy-McCain Comp. Immig. Reform' bill, McCain’s arrogance flares as he starts laughing, dismisses the question with the "actually I've never changed my position", babbles about he's from a border state so he knows how to secure the borders (remember he has been in Congress for 26 years and has done nothing); then he quickly moves in another direction to avoid addressing Hannity's question any further.

Just a few days later during an interview with Tim Russert on MSNBC, McCain was asked if he’d sign his immigration bill if he were president and it came to his desk. McCain said, “Sure I’d sign my bill.”

In April of 2006, McCain spoke at an ALF-CIO convention. During his speech some questioned his immigration plan, which included putting illegal aliens on a path to citizenship. When McCain insulted the attendees work ethic by saying that illegal immigrants do jobs Americans won’t do, a number of the crowd started to boo and one shouted out, “Pay a decent wage.” McCain said he’d heard that before and that illegal immigrants do jobs Americans won’t. Then he said that he’d offer anyone present $50 an hour to pick lettuce in the hot, brutal Arizona sun for a season. When a number of people shouted they’d take it, McCain said, “You can’t do it, my friends” then hurriedly left the podium and disappeared.

Michelle Malkin sums up his contemptuous nature well. Her recent article states, “His admission of the shamnesty failure is grudging and bitter…For all his supposed newfound enlightenment about what most Americans want—protection against invasion, commitment to the rule of law, meaningful employer sanctions, an end to sanctuary cities, enforcement-by-attrition plus deportation reform, and an end to special illegal alien benefits that invite more law-breaking—The Maverick remains a Geraldo Rivera Republican. Instead of emphasizing the need for local and state cooperation with federal immigration authorities to prevent the release of illegal alien criminals or discussing 100 percent preventable crimes by illegal alien thugs who should never have been on American soil in the first place, McCain harps on open-borders sob stories.”

After the massive illegal alien protests of 2006 in American cities, McCain made the following statement; “If such demonstrations continue, I think we will have a bill for the President to sign soon. The more debate, the more demonstrations, the more likely we (illegal alien supporters) will prevail.”

Under McCain’s immigration bill, even members of Mexican drug gangs would have received amnesty by simply signing a statement in which they renounce their gang affiliation; the so-called ‘background checks’ that illegal aliens would have received were only of the 24-hour variety, which reveal very little (if anything) and would have then been given a six month worker card; Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would have traveled the country handing-out amnesty applications to suspected illegal aliens (Not kidding!), and all immigration enforcement would have ended.

On June 2, 2006 (Le Mars, Iowa) when McCain was questioned about why he didn’t support immigration law enforcement, his response was ``In case you hadn't noticed, the thousands of people who have been relegated to ghettos have risen up and burned cars in France,'' McCain said. ``They've got huge problems in France. They have tremendous problems. The police can't even go into certain areas in the suburbs of Paris. I don't want that in the suburbs of America.'' That’s right, John McCain, seeking to be President of the United States is afraid of enforcing our laws because of upsetting a group of people who are illegally present in America. Why would anyone vote for a candidate who lacks the faith, commitment and optimism to believe that America is capable of enforcing the law? What we have here is a presidential candidate who uses fear mongering and deceit to advance his commitment to giving amnesty to illegal aliens. It is also irresponsible and reckless, because it conveys a very dangerous message, which is: America is governed by the rule of law, except when the threat of anarchy and violence is too great. In which case, congress and the president will simply change the law to legalize what had been illegal, thereby pacifying those guilty of behavior once considered unlawful.

A revelation regarding McCain’s presidential campaign that had been totally overlooked by the MSM is that his “Hispanic Outreach Director”, Juan Hernandez, is the same guy who was a close advisor to Mexico’s President Vicente Fox! Hernandez headed up a Mexican bureaucracy called the “Presidential Office for Mexicans Abroad.” It was designed to allow Hernandez to travel across the U.S., meddling with local, state, and federal immigration enforcement on behalf of millions of illegal aliens in America. ” Hernandez has been quoted as saying, "I never knew the border as a limitation. I'd be delighted if all of us could come and go between these two marvelous countries… There are twenty million people, like myself, who have one foot in Mexico and one foot in the United States, and we're very proud of it… We must not only have a free flow of goods and services, but also start working for a free flow of people.” U.S. born dual citizen Juan Hernandez is very notorious for having said of Mexican Americans on Nightline on June 7, 2001, “I want the third generation, the seventh generation, I want them all to think Mexico first.” Does John McCain agree that they should always “think Mexico first?” With Hernandez as his “Hispanic Outreach Director”, I don’t think there is any question. Is there any reason that anyone should think open borders fanatic Dr. Hernandez wants President McCain to secure the border? Is there any reason that anyone should trust a man to secure the border if he is getting his “Hispanic Outreach” advice from Dr. Juan Hernandez? Is there any reason why anyone should not think that John McCain is committed to giving amnesty to the 20 million illegal aliens in America? When McCain was questioned about his immigration advisor by an attendee at a Florida town hall meeting during his campaign, his response was “He’s on my staff because he supports my policies…I don’t know what his previous positions are or [his] other positions are, he supports mine.” Mr. Hernandez does indeed support Mr. McCain — and that speaks volumes.

At the Global Competitiveness Roundtable meeting of California technology executives on May 22, 2008 McCain, with Schwartzenegger beaming at his side, advocated the comprehensive amnesty legislation he had backed with Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy last year as a solution to provide more visas for technology workers. McCain, as before, advocated a humane approach that treats illegal workers as “God’s children.” McCain has repeatedly stated his ‘God’s children” refrain ad nausem whenever he gets questioned on illegal immigration. Earth to Deep Space John: All people are “God’s children”, John. It’s just that the vast majority of Americans are adamantly opposed to giving amnesty to those that are foreign nationals with no regard of our nation’s soverignity and laws by illegally entering our country.

Lest we forget or if anyone is unsure as to what the definition of amnesty is, I will provide it below:

AMNESTY, in relation to immigration matters, is legislation to forgive the breaking of immigration laws and to make it possible for illegal aliens to live permanently in the United States. Amnesty represents a system of federal rewards and assistance for illegal aliens, and they entice an even greater number of foreign nationals to illegally enter a country. Amnesty rewards illegal aliens with the very thing they seek by illegally entering our country…legalization of their presence here.

AMNESTY:
1. A general pardon for offenses against a government
2. An act of forgiveness for past offenses, esp. to a class of persons as a whole
3. Forgetting or overlooking any past offense

Not only is McCain a supporter of amnesty, he is not fond of any fencing for immigration control or for security reasons. McCain said, “By the way, I think the fence is least effective. But I’ll build the goddamned fence if they want it.”[Prisoner of Conscience - Vanity Fair, February 2007

”We are not going to erect barriers and fences” (June 5, 2007 CNN Republican Presidential Candidates Debate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5G3kH1PvvU ) That’s surely true if McCain gets his way as he has demonstrated over and over again how anti-fence and border security he is. In 2006, McCain voted for the Specter Amendment to the Senate’s Immigration Bill that required consultation with Mexico to seek their approval before constructing any border fence. He’s so concerned with hurting Mexico’s feelings at the expense of our border security that he made sure the consultation language was put into the main body of the 2007 Kennedy-McCain Amnesty legislation attempt. That’s right, the Straight Talk Express who now says he’s all for border security is committed to consultations with Mexico to ask them if it would be OK if we built a border fence.

I suppose McCain has never heard of the 14-mile double-layer fence between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico. Its benefits in stopping illegal entry into the U.S. were immediate and long lasting. According to a 2005 Congressional Research Service report illegal alien apprehensions along the fence region dropped from 202,000 in 1992 to 9,000 in 2004, a reduction greater than 95% .

Particularly galling is that December’s omnibus spending bill did not include the appropriations for construction of the double layer 700-mile border fence, which was passed into law just a few months earlier. Additionally, the requirement of a double-layer fence mandated by the Secure Fence Act of 2006 was removed, so if funding is ever restored, a truly effective fence being constructed is unlikely.

I’m sure if McCain was somehow elected President; one of his first official acts would be to take down the fence surrounding the White House and the Green Zone in Bhagdad…right John?

Fight illegal immigration. Find out more here: http://www.alipac.com/



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