p
……

She’s our Rock!

Oh, how they fear her…understandably.

She is the American Maggie Thatcher.

Matt Lauer of NBC was one of the first from the major media to interview Sarah Palin after her return to Alaska (Fox’s Greta van Susteren was the first.) Part one is the most interesting to me, as she discusses……

How does he even look himself in the mirror?

Unfortunantly it will be hard to win elections without the hispanic vote.

Last time I checked, Hispanics were still a minority. A growing one, yes, but a minority.

If a smart candidate can appeal to a person’s brain and not their skin color, the candidate can win the vote. It’s like a woman showing cleavage (intentionally or not) and having to say ‘hey, my eyes are up HERE!’ to the guy talking to her chest.

Have an intelligent dialogue with the citizenry regardless of their skin color and you will earn their trust. Pander to the race issues and you will lose.

She’s basically parroting McCain talking points on the issue, which is where he gets the idea she agrees with him. I doubt its an issue that really effects Alaska so much, unless they have illegal immigrants sailing over from Russia. She should visit areas adversely affected by illegal immigration before committing to a side politically.

If you think she’s going to jettison her position on amnesty now that she’s free of Team Maverick’s clutches, I think you’re kidding yourself.

Where the HELL do you get this from???

In Lauer’s interview, there is not one specific mention of immigration at all. Palin says early on in the first segment that one of the reasons they lost (of several) is that they didn’t get the Hispanic vote. That hardly translates to her saying “I’m pro-amnesty.” After that, not one other mention of immigration, or Hispanics in either of the clips with Lauer.

Searching the transcripts of the interview with Greta, one finds neither a single mention of Hispanics or the immigration issue. So you are basically basing your opinion of her as a McCain-like amnesty shill based on one mention of Hispanic votes in her interview with Lauer, and what was discussed on the previous post, in which she said:

As governor, how do you deal with them? Do you think they all should be deported?

There is no way that in the US we would roundup every illegal immigrant -there are about 12 million of the illegal immigrants- not only economically is that just an impossibility but that’s not a humane way anyway to deal with the issue that we face with illegal immigration.

So here you penalize her becasue she didn’t fall for the strawman of “you can’t deport them all” which was used by those who were pushing amnesty. Nice.

Do you then favor an amnesty for the 12 or 13 million undocumented immigrants?
No, I do not. I do not. Not total amnesty. You know, people have got to follow the rules. They’ve got to follow the bar, and we have got to make sure that there is equal opportunity and those who are here legally should be first in line for services being provided and those opportunities that this great country provides.

Here she comes out and directly says she does not favor amnesty. Probably not good enough for you, because she qualified it with the word ‘total’ – after which she directly state that those who are here legally should be first in line and that people should follow the rules. On balance, that’s hardly a pro-amnesty position – so where you get that she shares McCain’s lust for amnesty is still a mystery.

To clarify, so you support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants?
I do because I understand why people would want to be in America. To seek the safety and prosperity, the opportunities, the health that is here. It is so important that yes, people follow the rules so that people can be treated equally and fairly in this country.

Here’s the only quote where you really have anything, because of her “I do” at the beginning of her answer. But then she states nothing more than she can understand why people want to be in the US (hardly controversial) and then again goes back a second time to stating that it is important that people follow the rules, which could arguably be interpreted as anti-amnesty. This answer might need some clarification, but again, it hardly makes her pro-amnesty in the same manner as McCain.

You are simply being dishonest to portray her that way. Get a job at the NYTimes.

Secure the borders first and then decide how to deal with the illegal immigrants already inside the country. In other words an ounce of prevention is much better than a cure.

…But rather than fight for a bill that made sense, we just said “aww, f— it” and condemned the entire effort. And that really turned Hispanic voters off.

Outlander on November 11, 2008 at 1:25 PM

Actually, No. Many of us tried to push for a little law enforcement, a la the Dec. 2005 Sensenbrenner bill (unfortunately with it’s Democrat-voted poison pill ‘felony’ amendment) and the almost successful SAVE Act, sponsored by a Democrat, Heath Schuler, but not allowed a vote by Pelosi and friends.

Attrition through enforcement is favored by the vast majority of Americans, and it would have made a winning issue for either a Democrat or Republican presidential candidate. Just look at the numbers. Both native born citizens and legal immigrants respect the law. Mistakenly trying to out-pander the Democrats for “The (sic) Hispanic vote” by flaunting respect for the law earned McCain his loss of the Republican and Conservative base (including 40% of Hispanics!!), hurt his fund-raising, and eventually cost him the election.

Let’s face it, Anchorage isn’t being overrun by Mexicans wading across the Bering Straits. And it is thus easily possible that Palin hasn’t really sat down to ponder the net-gain/net-loss electoral calculus that exposes the Tamar Jacoby/Wall Street …

You bring up one of the most important arguments regarding the entire issue.

How long has DC been telling us Social Security is going bankrupt?

Now we’re supposed to believe adding 20 million additional mouths
(most of whom have not paid into the system) is not going to make the SS issue more critical? Many of the hispanic immigrants are hard working; but every dime they make gets sent back to Mexico while they continue to bleed our health and social systems dry.

I live in NE Pa. I’m the granddaughter of Welsh immigrants. Legal immigrants. My father and his 2 brothers didn’t finish high
school because my grandfather was injured in a mine accident.
I asked my Dad why they didn’t hold on and at least finish high school. He said it was a matter of pride. If the family would have put out its’ hands for charity with 3 healthy sons in the family, they would have been shamed. He said in those days charity was for widows with children too young to work.

NE Pa. is still an area with citizens barely 2 generations from immigrant status; yet this area was very open with its’ disgust at the amnesty DC tried to foist upon us. These people played by the rules; many of them from eastern bloc countries where their lives were at risk. Their sense of fair play was being challenged.

A well run guest worker program would be acceptable to most of us. Uncle Sam showering its’ goodies upon one group while strictly enforcing immigration laws upon all other groups will always be met with resentment and resistance.

HornetSting on November 11, 2008 at 3:48 PM

Don’t forget other problems like identity theft.

thecountofincognito on November 11, 2008 at 3:49 PM

Illegal immigration has its fingerprints all over the current problems of the United States. We cannot burden our economy with another country’s welfare seekers and uneducated. Oh, and their criminals.

Don’t forget other problems like identity theft.

The thing is…..Democrats and Republicans BOTH agree on this idea that illegals should be forced to follow the rule of law.

Yes, they are here for jobs. But, at what expense. They are lowering wages, taking jobs from high school students and those not wanting to attend college.

They have taken over the construction, landscaping, hospitality, service industries. Americans would do these jobs if they paid a living wage. They need these jobs because they cannot be outsourced overseas. They are secure jobs.

If they came over and paid taxes, worked hard, and obeyed the law. Fine. But, they come over and overwhelm our medical system, don’t pay taxes and lower wages, and game the welfare system.

It is not fair for American tax payers and we need to work it from that angle. Americans can understand the bottom line. They can understand that they are hurting and these people are TAKING from their wallets!

Turnout was closer to 60%.

I think the immigration debate hurt Republicans. We are losing voters and hispanics are among them. I am not saying that we have to give up a secure border or anything like that, but sometimes the way you say things matters almost as much as what you say. And I think some folks on the right were too strident in their rhetoric and in the process they did not just alienate illegals, they alienated an entire demographic. I know people don’t like hearing that, but we have got to stop running people off. The Democrats just love to stir stuff like this up in the hopes that they can create divisions and exploit the situation. That needs to stop.