It's Politics: Illegal immigration becomes the wedge issue in GOP fight for governor (Cal)

[pampango]

Source: Pasadena Star News

Illegal immigration could decide the Republican race for governor and Meg Whitman's got to be sweating.

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, Whitman's opponent for the GOP nomination for governor, has sliced through a 50-point Whitman lead to move within striking distance as election day draws near. A Public Policy Institute of California survey released Wednesday finds the former eBay CEO leads Poizner by 9 percentage points, down from a 50-point advantage in March.

For Poizner the secret may lie in a series of attack ads he's aired in recent weeks. Not only has he tied Whitman to the Goldman Sachs debacle, Poizner's recently unleashed "Twins" an spot linking Whitman to Sen. Barbara Boxer's stand on illegal immigration.

"Liberals Whitman and Boxer support amnesty for illegals, and oppose Arizona's immigration law," a soothing woman's voice intones as black-and-white images of Boxer and Whitman float side-by-side on screen. "Poizner opposes amnesty, supports Arizona's new law," the voice continues. "He'll cut taxes and spending."

Read more: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_15135362

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"Cut taxes and spending" and use the "A-word" as often as possible. What novel republican campaign tactics! :banghead:

Looks like amnesty may be replacing charges of socialism and gay marriage as the repubs' favorite wedge issue of 2010.

[Voice for Peace]

1. amnesty, empathy, honesty, integrity, humanity

who needs that stuff when you can have power, money, and lots of oil to glue it all together?

[Bette Noir]

2. How far has California sunk, when Jerry Brown looks like our best hope?

And when can I move to Oregon?

[Bluenorthwest]

3. I moved to Oregon 5 years ago. Elect Jerry and I might come

back. He was the best governor of CA thus far in my lifetime. He is without a doubt the most communicative and empathic politician I have ever met. Also one of the most intelligent. Jerry is your best hope. Why is it that you do not support him fully? Please, be specific, and detailed.

[Tempest]

11. California wouldn't be in this mess if Brown was listened to

When Brown was governor he had plans and ideas for energy conservation and regulations which would have prevented the housing market crash and the energy crisis of 2001.

It was unfortunate he was ridiculed by the right and ignored by the Democrats.

[quakerboy]

14. If you don't like Jerry Brown, what the hell

makes you think you will like Oregon any better?

[John Q. Citizen]

4. Good. If Poizner can beat Whitman the Dems look good to win the statehouse.

[Tempest]

10. Brown beats Whitman and Poizner in the polls

Let the Repugs beat each other up for nothing.

[Bluenorthwest]

5. Amensty is not replacing the other issues

They have always rotated in importance. A few short years ago, when Whitman's man Pete Wilson was governor, the whole conversation was about immigration. Prop 187, denial of services to immigrants, the works. The whole Arizona sort of thing. Now that is coming back into style, with the departure of Arnold, who could not carry that message with the accent and all...

[bongbong]

6. It was good enough for Raygun!

raygun amnestied millions of illegals in the 80's...although not "technically" amnesty, all you had to do was wait a few years and you would get it.

Somebody needs to ask the repigs why they hate raygun's policies so much.

[Igel]

15. The response I would get was simple and straightforward.

And also fairly well grounded in fact.

"It failed. They know it failed. And they know that this will fail. The difference is that while we were stupid and believed the lies last time, they think we're stupid and will believe the lies this time."

All the rest is prettifying the pig. And with communalist thought on the increase in the US, that's the best we can hope for until we decree that mud and slops are beautiful and haute cuisine.

1986: One-time amnesty, firm deadline. Increased enforcement to decrease illegal immigration. Employer verification system. So said Reagan. So said the Democratically-controlled Congress.

One-time amnesty lasted a decade, the deadline was wisp. Trivially increased enforcement, with protests against it by those who supported the amnesty but not the deal that provided the amnesty even as illegal immigration soared, and then soared again. The Democratically-controlled Congress not only didn't institute a decent verification system, the newly Democratically-controlled Congress tried to thwart one. Until it was politically expedient and in place, then it was their idea all along.

Now the difference is that we're promised a one-time amnesty and increased enforcement. We'll have a verification system, well, sort-of/kind-of. And we'll greatly increase the immigration quotas, at least for some ethnic groups that should form a potentially large voting block, thus decreasing the need for illegal immigration. And we're told that this will work, unlike the last one which; although, to be honest, many of the same people guaranteeing this one also guaranteed the last one.

Hard not to be cynical.

As for empathy, all empathy is (1) selective, partial, and biased, (2) incapacitating or (3) trivial, either meaningless or ignored. For every illegal immigrant that we empathize with there are 100 would-be immigrants that we ignore, often simply because they don't have the opportunities that the actual illegal immigrants have. Or because we don't have the same racial dynamic classifying them as suitably oppressed. Or it's not trendy and doesn't provide suitable preening opportunities. Or it doesn't provide suitable political ammo. Etc. (I note the asymmetries in empathy and conclude that they reflect a difference in underlying structure of the person's value system or in the worth assigned to that particular person. It's a reasonable assumption, but doesn't always say what the actual values are.)

[Bennyboy]

7. Her drop in the polls is not the immigration issue...

She is annoying as hell. Her ads are horrible and are playing here every five minutes.

And to that end, the single issue fight between the Reps assures an easy win for Jerry Brown come November.

Too much of annoying thing is horrible.

The thing we gotta watch out for is Carly Fiorina for US Senate who is coming off like a real winner...Her ads are great.

[NBachers]

9. I can't imagine a single Californian who isn't sick of her by now

In my daily routine, I can't escape her face on TV or her voice on the radio. My god, won't it ever end? And we'll be stuck with it for at least four years if she's governor.

Arnold recalled Gray Davis in a special election by promising to root out corruption and find vast resources of wasted money in California government. Now Meg Whitman is promising to do the same. It's a broken record and it doesn't work.

I agree about Carly. I support Boxer and have faith that we can keep her in office, but everybody's gonna have to donate and push hard to make it happen.

[truedelphi]

17. The S F Chronicle came out in an editorial today stating the

Obvious - none of the three running for governor can really do anything about the huge deficit.

All three want to claim that under their leadership, things will change for the better. But until someone who gets the governorship actually goes to Washington on a special trip and demands that the state get more than 73 cents for every dollar we send off to them, things will remain rather bleak.

I haven't seen a single Carly ad. It doesn't excite me that someone can run for office just because they ran a major company into the ground. I have seen far too many of the Whitman ads though.

[Tempest]

12. Her ads are great?

I live in the most conservative part of California (Kern County) and her ads, especially the sheep ads, are seen as a bad joke here.

[Retrograde]

13. Fiorina's the sheep lady, Whitman's the ubiquitous one

I know it's hard sometimes to keep the two separate.

So that's why the Whitman ad I heard recently talks about how tough she's going to be on immigration.

[Bennyboy]

16. A Fiorina ad? haven't seen a cow one here in Sac....

She is just talking on TV, but it is very eefective, using her back story, about going from Secretary to CEO of HP (and neglecting her demise there).

[happygoluckytoyou]

8. $50 Brazillion ..... and she still is going to LOSE