Jim Pinkerton writes in Newsday:
'Those who are looking to find fault with this bill will always be able to find something." That was George W. Bush at his press conference Thursday, defending his proposed immigration legislation. He didn't quite say to critics, "Bring 'em on" - but was close enough to get this critic going.
Of course, the president immediately went on to laud the "comprehensive" virtues of his bill, urging its congressional enactment. But if we examine the legislation, we will indeed see plenty of faults - such that "comprehensive" becomes a catalog of costly flaws. As the old business joke goes, "We lose money on each sale - but that's OK, because we make it up on volume!" [More]
My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer
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5 comments:
i stand behind my previous conclusion. bottom 5 president of all time.
If Redstate.com and National Review are any indicators, they've all abandoned Bush on this issue, perhaps permanently.
National Review has even called Bush a Liberal.
i stand behind my previous conclusion. bottom 5 president of all time.
If Bush's amnesty goes through, he'd be lucky to make it into the bottom 5.
America is in the process of transforming itself from a nation into a Middle Eastern bazaar. It's all about get while the getting's good. There is no common language, set of beliefs, or anything else. There is no sense of duty towards your countrymen. Why put your life on the line defending something like that?
Such a nation won't last - can't last. It is a giant contradiction waiting to come unglued - and someday, it will.
National Review has even called Bush a Liberal.
Wrong, Bush's conservative credentials are actually enforced by this bill. Bush wants the price of labor to drop, as does any right-wing conservative Republican capitalist. Illegal immigration is one of the weapons in his arsenal against labor.
The social conservatives in the Republican Party are simply the biggest tools in America. They ARE the voter base. What do they get in exchange? Some small bones tossed their way, like abortion, faith-based initiatives, etc. Of course, none of that has any meaningful effect on the liberalization of our culture.
The ONLY AREA that the Republicans could actually reward social conservatives with something meaningful is by controlling the border. But the GOP is stabbing them in the back. And I'm fully confident that the social conservatives will still vote 100% Republican in the next election.
Bush wants the price of labor to drop, as does any right-wing conservative Republican capitalist.
Well, "right-wing conservative Republicans capitalists" are a pretty diverse crowd, and I consider myself one. Yet dropping the value of labor isn't the reason
I bought in to the Reagan revolution. Social conservatism, respect for tradition, respect for country, and respect for the free market. That's what unified the Reagan coalition. But the Republican leadership has clearly demonstrated that "free markets" are the only thing they respect - and then only when it benefits their friends and cronies.
The social conservatives in the Republican Party are simply the biggest tools in America. They ARE the voter base. What do they get in exchange? Some small bones tossed their way
Indeed. 27 years into the Reagan revolution and what have they gotten? Is abortion illegal? Is Planned Parenthood getting less government money? Is pornography more difficult to get? Is television any cleaner? Are we that much closer to school choice? Is the academy more or less controlled by the left? Has affirmative action been outlawed?
And is the gap between rich and poor smaller, or larger?
They'll respond, however. They're starting to realize how they're getting shafted. Bush simply tried to do too much at once: open the borders AND eliminate taxes on the rich.
I'm fully confident that the social conservatives will still vote 100% Republican in the next election.
I wouldn't be so sure. The religious base is less unified and less intense than it's ever been. Lots of them are aware that their grand bargain has gotten them nowhere. Their support can no longer be assumed.
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