Gingrich urges action against illegals

[ckramer]

Newt Gingrich is demanding that the Bush administration get serious about stopping illegal immigration.
The former House speaker wants the United States to completely seal off its border along Mexico and Canada, deport illegal aliens within 72 hours of their arrest and exclude U.S. courts from reviewing such deportations.
"Let's be serious about sealing off our borders or have open borders," Mr. Gingrich told more than 1,000 cheering conservatives on Saturday.

"It's a complete misreading of the 14th Amendment" to the Constitution to think that illegal aliens are entitled to the same rights as U.S. citizens, he said on the closing day of the 32nd annual Conservative Political Action Conference.

wt

[colonel odis]

1. but what about all that cheap labor illegals provide?

if they get rid of all the illegals, then who'll work for below minimum wage in unsafe conditions, newt?

get your talking points straight, missy.

[SouthernDem2004]

3. They want to establish a worker program like the one during WW II.

The name of which escapes me at the moment.

[Bridget Burke]

8. They were called "Braceros"

Generally speaking, the Latin American migratory worker going into west Texas is regarded as a necessary evil, nothing more nor less than an unavoidable adjunct to the harvest season. Judging by the treatment that has been accorded him in that section of the state, one might assume that he is not a human being at all, but a species of farm implement that comes mysteriously and spontaneously into being coincident with the maturing of the cotton, that requires no upkeep or special consideration during the period of its usefulness, needs no protection from the elements, and when the crop has been harvested, vanishes into the limbo of forgotten things -until the next harvest season rolls around.

He has no past, no future, only a brief and anonymous present.

More information here:

www.farmworkers.org/benglish.html

[TheFarseer]

2. Talking out both sides of their mouth

It's a really great scam they have going on here. They're pushing looking the other way on illegal aliens more than anyone and blaming it on us. Empty promises, empty promises, that's all the republicans have.

[trudyco]

4. Actually it is a smart idea...

way back when I watched MSM daily I saw a Lou dobbs report (I think) that claimed 70% of Americans want illegal immigration to be taken care of. One of my family members voted Republican hoping that they'd work on that. Bush is still hoping to get the Hispanic percentage in his corner so he isn't playing. Democrats also.

But Republicans running for midterm elections may use this to their advantage. The Democrats should really think this through. People are feeling this all over the US, not just the border states. Millions of people got amnesty, then used that to legally bring over family members as well as additional illegals came over. A lot of lies and xenophobia could be fanned up - the typical Republican way: take a concern of Americans the Dems aren't facing and twist it to something really sick.

Democrats should face up to the fact that this is one of the few issues they are against the majority of Americans on. Illegal immigrants should be either deported or given a temporary worker permit (with caps on how many a year). Businesses should be fined often and hard for harboring illegals.

I guess in this instance you may consider me one of those Republican Lite Dems, but my main principal is that in a democracy the majority should be in charge - and I believe the majority want a curb on illegal immigration. They probably also want any legal immigrant/guest workers to be treated fairly, and they probably also want businesses to be punished for harboring illegals. It is my belief that Democrats usually side with the majority, they do not push their beliefs on the democracy (and thats what makes them better than Republicans), but in this case they have.
trudyco

[AndyTiedye]

5. This Would Allow Extraordinary Rendition of Anyone

and exclude U.S. courts from reviewing such deportations.

That is the kicker. They want to use this to limit judicial review.
That allows them to "deport" whomever they please, without recourse!
Without judicial review, they do not have to prove that you ARE an
illegal alien in order to "deport" you to some unpleasant country.

[trudyco]

7. I agree on that part -it is bad to not have review -nt

[BlueManDude]

6. I support these measures - I wish a Democrat would advocate them

This is a great issue for Dems on a number of levels but they're too wedded to interest group politics to take action. Bush on the other hand just loves the cheap labor and neo-Confederate economy that unchecked illegals bring.

People here laugh at Gingrich as washed up but he could ride this issue all the way to the WH. He is a very dangerous man.

He is running and he has ideas (albeit mostly fucked up ideas) and he can talk a buzzard off a meat wagon. He'll also have plenty of $$$. The only question is his "likeability" or rather un-likeability.

[Bridget Burke]

9. "If Newt is warning DeLay about ethics, times are bad"

Speaking of Gingrich, Houston Chronicle columnist Cragg Hines wrote today: Talking with Newt Gingrich about ethics may be like talking to Willie Sutton about bank robbery. You listen carefully to such an experienced practitioner, but you wonder: If he's so smart why did he get caught so often....

In his brief reign, Gingrich was assessed a $300,000 penalty for misleading the House Ethics Committee about his use of a tax-exempt organization for political purposes. He edged past other ethics skirmishes, including 22 checks bounced in the House bank scandal and a $4.5 million book advance from conservative media magnate Rupert Murdoch, which looked a touch too lucrative to be strictly a business deal. He gave it up for a sweet royalties arrangement.

Gingrich also was having an affair with a congressional aide amid one of his divorces, even as he condemned President Clinton for dalliances with a White House intern....

As for running for president, Gingrich will be in Iowa and New Hampshire soon, but, "It strikes me as implausible." So, there's more than one thing on which Newt and I agree."

www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/outlook/3052707

If you want to take your talking points from Newt, go ahead....