Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) spoke yesterday to Latino leaders in Washington and, in answer to a question, assured them:
“Immigration reform will be my top priority because we have the obligation to address a federal issue from a federal standpoint. I will reach across the aisle again and work in a bipartisan fashion. We will resolve the immigration issue in America and we will secure our borders.”
McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, was addressing the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). His statement seemed to indicate he will put immigration reform at the top of his agenda, above Iraq, the economy, and a variety of other issues. And while it may strike a chord with the Latino community, it’s difficult to see how it will accomplish anything positive with other American voters whose concerns lie elsewhere.
Last year McCain worked for a bipartisan immigration reform bill that failed primarily because voters insisted on border security first. A few months later McCain was saying he “gets it” and will insist on securing the border first. Now, to Latinos at least, he seems to have reverted to promoting the broader position of immigration reform. If this position didn’t pass muster with Americans before, it’s not likely to now, or next year. In the meantime, however, Latinos could help themselves by not re-igniting the debate with large public demonstrations and Mexican flag waving, demanding for illegals the rights they are not entitled to. And Congress would do well to stop talking about “comprehensive immigration reform” and instead address just “border security.” The longest journey begins with a single step; the all-or-nothing approach is more difficult, and the American public has already rejected it once.
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I know, this guy drives me crazy too. Jeez, I long for the days when Republicans were Republicans and Democrats were Democrats and little fuzzy creatures from Alpha Centuri were….
It’s gotten so, truly we can’t tell any of them apart, hasn’t it? The differences are so finely drawn you need a fricking magnifying glass to find them. Oy!
Annie
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And trying to focus on issues just complicates it for me, since I end up Democratic on some and Republican on others. And then the candidates start switching their positions, and get so fuzzy you don’t know where they’ll stand after the election. Choosing a candidate is like trying to hit a moving target while wearing a blindfold.
Immigration Reform: Because a $9 trillion war debt, 48 million uninsured, and air we can’t breathe aren’t important enough.
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I’d like to slap him silly for pandering like this when he already knows he’s failed once before to accomplish immigration reform. Or maybe he thinks if he grants amnesty to 12 million illegals, and then fines and taxes them, he’ll get enough money to pay the war debt, fix health insurance, and clean up our air.
“Last year McCain worked for a bipartisan immigration reform bill that failed primarily because voters insisted on border security first.”
This is one issue where both McCain and Obama share the same position. Failed. I can’t fathom voting for either of them.
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Nobody is going to make me happy on this particular issue, so I’ll have to decide based on other issues. I have differences with both of them, but I will be voting for one of them.
And BTW, what is your avatar? I’ve stared at it for weeks and can’t make anything out of it.