The term "strange new respect" was coined by Tom Bethell to describe the terms with which Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices are hailed by the prestige media after they arrive in Georgetown and start to Go Native.
Of course, the process works in the opposite direction, too. In the last couple of weeks, our media-appointed Dictator of Demographic Destiny, Marco Rubio, has expressed hints that he's having cold feet about this whole amnesty/citizenship juggernaut.
Hence, from the NYT:
WASHINGTON — When Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, last appeared with a bipartisan group of senators to discuss their plans for a broad overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, he looked optimistic, apple-cheeked — and slightly nervous.
Given the disdain some conservatives reserve for Republicans who consort publicly with Democrats, he had reason to be.
The next time Mr. Rubio is likely to appear with his colleagues in the eight-person bipartisan group could be an even bigger moment, when its members officially introduce joint immigration legislation this month. The probable tableau seems ready-made for problems in the 2016 Republican presidential primary fight in which many expect Mr. Rubio to partake: images of Mr. Rubio, smiling and celebrating alongside Democratic senators and maverick Republicans as he claims co-authorship of an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws that many Republicans will reject.
And so the question percolating on Capitol Hill has become: Will Mr. Rubio, an up-and-coming young conservative elected on a 2010 Tea Party wave, ultimately sign onto the immigration bill that he has been helping to draft ever since the November election?
“We have to see if the Boy Wonder plays ball or not,” said Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice, a pro-immigration group.
Can anybody imagine the Boy Wonder won't ultimately kow-tow?
Rubio will do what they all do: what's best for Rubio. I reckon he will equivocate until its passage becomes inevitable, then jump on board and declare he was on board all along, and in fact was a leader on immigration reform from the beginning!
ReplyDeleteSend a check to a sympathetic conservative House R, preferably one in or near leadership, with a short note repeating Coulter's line "I'm a single issue candidate, no amnesty." That will send the message as well as anything else. The House is where the battle will be fought.
ReplyDeletehttp://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19670105%2FREVIEWS%2F701050301%2F1023
ReplyDeleteA Negro, ghouls, crying kids, and the rating system.
Guys,
ReplyDeleteThis is a really important moment for the future--not what it will be but whether it will be--of our nation. Is there anything we can do to stop this?
The pro-invasion lobbies are obviously organized and employing their sticks and carrots with the lawmakers. At least some of their activities are widely reported in the press. What can we do?
The reason Rubio hesitates is not because he has a conscious. It's because he knows if the amnesty goes through, 2016 will go to the Democrats. 2020 will go to the Democrats. And so on. Even if there was no amnesty, that's likely the general pattern.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, his presidential dreams are crushed. He's been told all that hype about "get amnesty going and hispanics will flock into GOP arms". Now he's realizing that it was always a lie. But he can't off now.
He knows his presidential dream is finished. The only way forward is switching sides now, but that won't play well in a WH bid. You can get away with it on a state level(like Florida) but not nationwide. Too much ad money pouring in to make sure it won't happen.
Creamed, Mr. Rubio is.
"The pro-invasion lobbies are obviously organized and employing their sticks and carrots with the lawmakers. At least some of their activities are widely reported in the press. What can we do?"
ReplyDelete30 years too late. Even if immigration halted tomorrow, the births are going in one direction and one direction only. The average age of whites is 42, well past prime child-rearing age. The average age for hispanics is around 27-28.
Also, who owns the U.S. media? This has always been the weak spot of the other side. It never understood that if you own the media and your buddies too, whoever is the candidate is of little importance. But that lesson is apparently something most people even to this day haven't learned. They still think a political campaign will do wonders.
Application deluge for high-tech visas forces lottery. The U.S. got more than 85,000 requests from employers within five days of the April 1 opening date.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sun-sentinel.com/la-me-ff-high-tech-visas-20130406,0,3676792.story
A Microsoft executive said in a recent blog post that the company has 3,400 unfilled openings for high-tech workers.
"These open positions are a direct loss to the U.S economy today and risk forcing companies to look to base these positions in other countries — permanently removing them from the U.S. economy," wrote Brad Smith, general counsel and executive vice president for legal and corporate affairs.
"We're just not producing enough graduates to fill the demand in the U.S.," said Katie Hays, a government affairs manager.
Easy for them to say; the US government isn't importing "general counsels" and "government affairs managers."
Doesn't it have to pass the House, too? As time goes on and gets closer to the 2014 mid terms, would Republican House members be more or less likely to go along with amnesty? I would think "less likely."
ReplyDeleteSo then Rubio would have hurt himself in the 2016 primaries to accomplish nothing.
I don't understand how this immigration amnesty makes any sense anyway. They do not pay taxes on very much of whatever they are making and there is no way they are going to pay "back taxes" on income for which there is no documentation. Can I pay my income taxes by just self-certifying how much money I made?
"We're just not producing enough graduates to fill the demand in the U.S.," said Katie Hays, a government affairs manager.
ReplyDeleteWhat actual evidence is there that we are not producing enough graduates? Idea for a future article, Steve?
"We're just not producing enough graduates to fill the demand in the U.S.," said Katie Hays, a government affairs manager.
ReplyDeleteWhat actual evidence is there that we are not producing enough graduates? Idea for a future article, Steve?
A couple of ideas:
--Look at wage rates in those sectors.
--Look at employment statistics for STEM bachelors, masters, and doctoral graduates.
A Microsoft executive said in a recent blog post that the company has 3,400 unfilled openings for high-tech workers.
ReplyDelete"These open positions are a direct loss to the U.S economy today and risk forcing companies to look to base these positions in other countries — permanently removing them from the U.S. economy," wrote Brad Smith, general counsel and executive vice president for legal and corporate affairs.
Someone (Steve? Chuck Ross?) should follow up on this and look into these 3,400 allegedly unfilled openings.
"What actual evidence is there that we are not producing enough graduates?" - Why that wages aren't 0 yet.
ReplyDelete"Rubio will do what they all do: what's best for Rubio."
ReplyDeleteThat is the interesting thing though. For the old guys when they were young there was still enough of a white vote for it not to be completely tribal and now they're old they can take their final 30 pieces of silver and retire.
However the younger ones have to consider it might become increasingly difficult for them to get elected to positions at the pre-presidential candidate level if they don't start representing their voters instead of their donors.
"What actual evidence is there that we are not producing enough graduates?"
ReplyDeleteAnd even if it was true then it begs the question why not train more then?
http://www.thenation.com/article/173593/why-was-paul-krugman-so-wrong?rel=facebook
ReplyDeleteThe Republicans just need to increase their share of the white vote a little and they can win. The pandering to minorities is delusional and suicidal. I guess they don't really want to win for now. Hopefully that will change.
ReplyDeleteSo the Sailer Strategy is to increase the GOP white share if the vote. Well right now it is already 60% or so and not enough except for a tiny majority in the House.
ReplyDeleteHow do Republicans appeal to these center left white voters? They already have the right and centrist ones. They need to appeal to those who want more middle class entitlements, gay marriage, and who rarely or never go to church.
The only specific idea Steve has ever mentioned is to cool off their support of vouchers and opposition to more environmental regulations. Those are good starts I suppose, but you need to find a replacement for the massive campaign cash Big Oil and Big Coal currently give the GOP.
Steve also suggests to cool off on the public sector union hate. This actually works for the rump state parties in the NE where republicans buy the support of public sector unions, but the Midwestern parties are going the other direction.
The Republicans just need to increase their share of the white vote a little and they can win.
ReplyDeleteThis.
"What actual evidence is there that we are not producing enough graduates?"
ReplyDeleteAnd even if it was true then it begs the question why not train more then?
Jobs Americans won't do?
o/t
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2304938/Mark-Zuckerberg-People-tech-represent-powerful-political-forces.html
"The 28-year-old is planning to launch a new political advocacy group made up of Silicon Valley figures which will initially concentrate on immigration and education reform."
Rubio's been conspicuously omitted from the All-Amnesty All-Star lineup on the Sunday talk shows tomorrow morning.
ReplyDeleteThat'll learn him. He'll straighten right up.
How do Republicans appeal to these center left white voters? They already have the right and centrist ones. They need to appeal to those who want more middle class entitlements, gay marriage, and who rarely or never go to church.
ReplyDeleteYour post contains a number of questionable factual assumptions.
Republicans do not already have the right and centrist voters. Many of them are so disgusted or uninspired by Republican positions on immigration and foreign policy that they vote third party, stay at home, or even vote Democrat. What was the turnout at the last election.
Republicans need to appeal to the essential interests of center and right (and left) Americans. They are not doing this now.
Americans of all stripes need to be brought out of their stupor and helped to see their interests clearly the the Cathedrals mass disinformation. Republicans can help do this by simply taking these positions openly and we the citizenry can help by talking with each other about interests and the good--but this should (and can) be done using a moral language*.
This might not be difficult. People can be pretty quick to perceive their interests when the choices are actually presented to them. So getting the policies on offer before the public may be the biggest obstacle for us. If the policies are ever actually available to people, I think we will see an astonishing sea change. Our people can be galvanized. The potential is still there. The Cathedral knows this and that is why there was such hysteria about even a Ron Paul.
*Moral language can include warnings of threats, dangers, appeals to fairness, self defense, reciprocity.
So the Sailer Strategy is to increase the GOP white share if the vote. Well right now it is already 60% or so and not enough except for a tiny majority in the House.
ReplyDeleteHow do Republicans appeal to these center left white voters? They already have the right and centrist ones. They need to appeal to those who want more middle class entitlements, gay marriage, and who rarely or never go to church.
This has been discussed. The GOP pushes polices that favor the rich through their continual support of tax cuts. free trade and turning a blind eye towards offshoring and bringing in immigrants that has the effect of decreasing wages.
Pushing gay marriage is not going to attract these discouraged voters in the former industrial parts of the Great Lake states and the Northeast. They need to adopt a more populist agenda, something like what Pat Buchanan advocates without the strong religious themes. Of course this would include dismantling affirmative action, at the very least for recent immigrants who have no beef against America. They would even benefit from a more Buchanan-like foreign policy. The current invade the world model does not benefit working class whites at all.
The center left whites that would be attracted by issues like gay marriage are already democrats and would not vote for the GOP anyway. If the GOP adopted gay marriage tomorrow, they would find another reason to criticize them. It is the working class guys who are trying to support their families and worry about their kids' schools being overrun by NAMs overnight that the GOP could appeal to with a more populist economic agenda.
Im getting somewhat optimistic Rubio knows this is poison for both him and the national party. Hes a young man. If he fucks up hes gotta live with it for a long time. But lets bombard his office with one message-I will never be voting fora presidential candidate who votes with Mccain and Schumer on amnesty. They have money and media but we have voters and numbers. Lets try to stop this with Rubio, then to the house.
ReplyDeleteSend a check to a sympathetic conservative House R, preferably one in or near leadership, with a short note repeating Coulter's line "I'm a single issue candidate, no amnesty."
ReplyDeleteDo the same with any Democrats who might be persuadable -- there are still a few of those left.
To the extent possible, we restrictionists need to cultivate both parties. That's how the Jews get what they want on Israel: they work both sides. Immigration restriction should not end up like abortion or gay marriage: a strictly partisan issue in which the Democrats are fiercely on the left side and the Republicans pretend to be on the right to stir up the rubes but just screw them in the end because the party bigwigs know that the rubes are a captive voting bloc.
I surely qualify for some of those 3400 positions, but I haven't applied for them. Being in the industry, I'm already well aware that they don't want me -- they want cheap foreigners. I'd rather stay where I am and plug away at freelance work than move across the country for guest-worker wages.
ReplyDeleteRobert Cringely has done some good work on this topic already. In his words, "H-1B visas are about journeyman techies and nothing else." Here's an article where he talks about a company in Memphis, TN, that got fed up with IBM's outsourcing, so they held a job fair one day and 1000 IT workers showed up. In Memphis! Here's another about H1-B's specifically, with links to six studies showing that there's no shortage of STEM workers whatsoever.
As always, it's about wages. Pay well enough and people will get the necessary training and show up for work, whether the job is programming computers, slaughtering animals, or picking cabbages. Pay as cheaply as possible and pay politicians to let you hire foreigners for wages Americans can't afford, and yes, Americans will stop training for and applying for your jobs. Imagine that.
He's not having "cold feet." He's playing his role in a very public game of good cop/bad cop.
ReplyDeleteHis part is to come out near the end of negotiations and pretend to have doubts, therefore causing Chuckie Schumer and the Other Assorted Gang of 8 Assholes to say, "Oh, well, I guess we have to give in to Senator Rubio's tough, tough demands." They (allegedly) yield, on a point of no real substance, since none of this enforcement bullshit is going to happen anyway, and Rubio comes out announcing he's toughened up the bill to make it acceptable to him and all of America, The End.
"A Microsoft executive said in a recent blog post that the company has 3,400 unfilled openings for high-tech workers."
But Puerto Rico, whence Microsoft claims much of its profits originate, is just filled to the brim with genius programmers!
Seriously, why do we give a shit whether Microsoft profits or not? It gets major tax breaks thanks to "operating" in Puerto Rico, it hires most of its programmers from overseas, and Bill Gates spends most of his charitable dollars outside of the US. Gates and Ballmer can move to Nigeria, for all I care.
Is it so certain that the CIR is a done deal? The unemployment numbers that came out on Friday were terrible. If the trend continues, it will be increasingly harder to sell, especially the closer we draw to the 2014 mid-terms.
ReplyDelete"What actual evidence is there that we are not producing enough graduates?"
ReplyDeleteAnd even if it was true then it begs the question why not train more then?
Yes, what ever happened to the idea of companies training the workers they need? When did it become the norm to assume the government schools would train everyone to do everything, and you could show up to your white-collar job and just start right in being productive on day one? Remember terms like "apprentice" and "on-the-job training"?
Anyone with the slightest bit of aptitude for computers could be trained as a Microsoft code-monkey in a month, maybe less. I don't see why Microsoft shouldn't be responsible for that investment in their future profits.
They try to portray it as a long-term thing, like we have to get pre-schoolers using calculators now and hope they'll turn out to be techies in 20 years, but in the meantime we need guest workers (who were lucky if they got a month of real training, by the way). That's crap like all their other claims.
ReplyDelete"How do Republicans appeal to these center left white voters? They already have the right and centrist ones. They need to appeal to those who want more middle class entitlements, gay marriage, and who rarely or never go to church. "
It is super easy to appeal to whites who don't go to church- politicians could simply stop talking about religion so much.
Do the same with any Democrats who might be persuadable -- there are still a few of those left.
ReplyDeleteTo the extent possible, we restrictionists need to cultivate both parties. That's how the Jews get what they want on Israel: they work both sides.
Good point. Democrats, purely on principle, should be restrictionists anyway. Are they not the party of the working class?
This shouldn't be hard, at least not as hard as it looks. We can do this.
Do the same with any Democrats who might be persuadable -- there are still a few of those left.
ReplyDeleteTo the extent possible, we restrictionists need to cultivate both parties. That's how the Jews get what they want on Israel: they work both sides.
We need to go farther than that. We must be single issue voters on importing more people. Full stop. There needs to be a ban on it.
We're just not producing enough graduates to fill the demand in the U.S.," said Katie Hays, a government affairs manager.
ReplyDeleteIt's a tautology that there is always enough supply to meet the demand if the market is allowed to operate and set a price. Ms. Hays can't accept this.
Instead, she wants the government to intervene to produce a supply (at the public's expense) that will artificially depress the market-clearing price.
I surely qualify for some of those 3400 positions, but I haven't applied for them. Being in the industry, I'm already well aware that they don't want me -- they want cheap foreigners.
ReplyDeleteApply and then write about your experience. If you don't have time for that, contact the reporter who did the LA Times story that carried the quote. She might just bite. Reporters are always looking to continue developing a story.
As always, it's about wages. Pay well enough and people will get the necessary training and show up for work, whether the job is programming computers, slaughtering animals, or picking cabbages. Pay as cheaply as possible and pay politicians to let you hire foreigners for wages Americans can't afford, and yes, Americans will stop training for and applying for your jobs. Imagine that.
ReplyDeleteBut is there even evidence that Americans are no longer training and applying for these jobs? There is something missing to the story.
If Rubio wants the nomination for President, ever, from the Republican Party, he'll do his best to deep six CIR. If he doesn't, he won't. Simple as that. And no, he's got no chance other party. Which is increasingly dogmatic about all sorts of upper class things.
ReplyDeleteThe GOP doesn't really do much of anything to benefit poor whites or lower middle class whites, we just vote for them because the Democrats are evil incarnate.
ReplyDeleteThe GOP could get more turnout from these demographics by actually offering them something (besides a policy of destroying the country slightly lower than the other guys).
"How do Republicans appeal to these center left white voters? They already have the right and centrist ones. They need to appeal to those who want more middle class entitlements, gay marriage, and who rarely or never go to church."
ReplyDeleteNo they don't.
The issue is immigration and off-shoring aka the rich waging economic warfare on the rest of the public.
Obviously the GOP nationally support impoverishing the middle class because that is what their donors want however on an individual level they also want to get elected to state level office.
The older ones can take a pay-off and retire but the younger ones have to balance the payoff from the open borders crowd with how much they could make over a 30 year political career. That's the weak point.
Which is what Coulter's check is saying but in a polite way.
But is there even evidence that Americans are no longer training and applying for these jobs? There is something missing to the story.
ReplyDeleteReporters don't dig for their own evidence anymore; they interview people and present their claims as evidence. So they interview the companies that want more guest workers, and quote them on the supposed lack of skilled American workers. Then they interview some government flack who agrees, because it's a win-win for big government -- either more guest workers to administrate or more funding for job training programs for Americans.
He doesn't interview any organizations that oppose the idea and get opposing "evidence" because either A) they don't exist (techies are notorious non-joiners, so there is not and never will be any meaningful sort of labor union of programmers), or B) they've been deemed racist (all anti-immigration groups) and therefore off-limits.
So all the "evidence" lines up on one side.
O/T: Editor Who Wrote of Racism in Cuba Loses His Post, Colleagues Say
ReplyDeleteH/T: Drudge
-meh
Latins are a thing of the past, sorry Rubio. The legalization willl just legalized laborseres not creaste voters as much since most just want jobs. If Robots can do some maid job and farmwork,then another 3 million would leave. Hopefully robots will replaced illegals. Fasftood and short order cook jbos are harder to get rid of them.
ReplyDelete"Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteGuys,
This is a really important moment for the future--not what it will be but whether it will be--of our nation. Is there anything we can do to stop this?"
Don't just write your Congressmen. Write your local and state Republican party chairmen. Those guys talk to each other and to the politicians. Tell them that they are destroying their own party - that, if they pass an amnesty, they will have nobody to blame but themselves when ordinary Republican voters stop giving them money and votes, and they become an electoral irrelevancy.
Reporters don't dig for their own evidence anymore; they interview people and present their claims as evidence.
ReplyDeleteIf you just want to sit on your hands while our country is taken from us and we and our descendents are led into danger, just save your breath and spare us the excuses.
Not all reporters are the same and, even if they were, many regard themselves as ethical and objective. Whether they are delusional isn't dispositive for this purpose: You can use their self regard to your advantage in confronting them with conflicting evidence, news they may be missing, etc.
Do the same with any Democrats who might be persuadable -- there are still a few of those left.
ReplyDeleteIn 2007 the Amnesty Bill failed 34-61 and a second attempt 46-53, in a 51 Democrat/Independent 49 GOP Senate, so lots of Democrats defected at least once last time.
Don't just write your Congressmen. Write your local and state Republican party chairmen.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest that you also mail back any donation requests from organizations that are pro-amnesty or have ties to amnesty-sympathetic politicians (i.e the American Conservative Union, the Republican National Committee, anything that includes a personal appeal from Rand Paul), with no donation and a quick note explaining why you are not donating.
If you get a call from a group that is associated with support for amnesty, tell the person calling that you can't give any money because they are pro-amnesty.
Even if the group is not explicitly pro-amnesty, explain that you can't give any money because all of your political money is reserved to give to anti-amnesty groups, and will continue to be so unless and until amnesty is defeated.
In addition, I think we should try to get some powerhouse lobbies to support us - contact Gun Owners of America and the NRA and tell them that amnesty will destroy gun rights by importing people who will eventually be voting, and who will almost certainly be voting anti-gun. Tell them that they need to come out against amnesty!
"We have to see if the Boy Wonder plays ball or not"--this out to be treated with a nice little 8x11" print-out located in Rubio's office somewhere at eye level. There's nothing blusts quite like bluster
ReplyDelete@Glaivester:
ReplyDeleteGood suggestions.
Prison Set in Plot to Attack Recruits, NYT, 04/08/13
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/09/us/washington-prison-set-in-plot-to-attack-recruits.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0
A second man who pleaded guilty to planning to attack a military recruitment center in Seattle in 2011 was sentenced Monday to 17 years in prison. The man, Walli Mujahidh, 34, had planned to storm the Military Entrance Processing Station with machine guns and grenades in retaliation for American military actions in Afghanistan. The other conspirator, Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif, also known as Joseph Anthony Davis, was sentenced last month to 18 years in prison.
I was going to quote Ann Coulter, "Why are they here?" But, maybe, these two are American NAM converts to Islam.
Don't forget - Rubio said he supports gun registration!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pRSPxS945I