Bill Winter (CO-06) is winning over Repubs - Tancredo CAN be beaten

[Oreo]

This is from a speech Winter made this morning to a conservative group.
Be sure to read the comments. There is an exchange of comments between Winter and Barry Welsh who is running for the 6th district House seat in Indiana.


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/8/28/113225/256

It's my understanding that my opponent, Tom Tancredo spoke to you last week and that he tried to wrap up all the problems facing America today in one word--immigration.

Well I submit to you that Mr. Tancredo has lost touch with those of us who live and work down here at the regular American level. I submit to you that his eight years in Washington have gone to his head and he's no longer interested in representing us.

And I say that because he is clearly fixated on HIS issues and not on ours. I say that because he is clearly more interested in running for President or for the United States Senate than he is in representing us here in CD6.

And I will also say that I do not believe that Mr. Tancredo offers us any realistic solutions on the immigration issue and I don't believe the reasons he gives for his personal crusade.

With regard to solving the immigration issue I stand with the President, and with my former boss, Senator John McCain, in supporting the comprehensive immigration reform package passed by the United States Senate this year.

And I will say right now that Mr. Tancredo is simply not serious when he says his immigration crusade is about national security. Mr. Tancredo's crusade is not about national security, terrorism, or keeping America safe, and it's time we spoke honestly about that.

If Mr. Tancredo really cared about National Security, he would be talking about the Canadian border, where we have 3 thousand miles of border protected by one agent for every 300 miles, and where the majority of the 9/11 hijackers crossed into America. (NOTE: I am trying to contact his campaign to let him know that this is not true)

If Mr. Tancredo really cared about National Security, he would be talking about our ports, where 95% of all containers entering this country are still not searched.

If Mr. Tancredo really cared about National Security, he would be talking about our airports, where more than 50% of all commercial baggage checked onto airplanes is not screened at all, but where you and I can't take toothpaste or nail clippers on board!

If Mr. Tancredo really cared about National Security, he would be talking about a federal government that insists on spying on it's own citizens instead of doing the hard intelligence work that actually leads to breakthroughs.

For those of you who don't know, the recent breakup of the terrorist plot by the British was NOT a result of wire taps and internal surveillance. It was the result of actual human beings on the ground in Muslim Countries infiltrating terrorist organizations.

The United States hardly does that kind of intelligence work anymore and we have to get it back. I want to know why we are more interested in wire tapping Americans than we are in infiltrating Al Quaeda.

And if Mr. Tancredo really cared about National Security, he would be talking about a military in the United States that is past the breaking point. According to the generals in charge of readiness in the regular and reserve Army, more than two thirds of our Army brigades are not certified combat ready right now, mostly due to massive shortages in manpower and equipment.

But we don't hear Mr. Tancredo talk about any of these things, do we? So I suggest to you that he isn't really interested in national security at all.

And to suggest, as Mr. Tancredo does, that every problem in America today is caused by illegal immigration defies reality.

We don't have an education problem in America because of illegal immigration. We have an education problem in America because Mr. Tancredo and the Washington bureaucrats are trying to tell us how to run our schools.

We have an education problem because Mr. Tancredo and this Congress keep cutting every single program that helps hard working Americans send their kids to college.

We don't have a health care problem because of illegal immigration. We have a health care problem because 44 million Americans can't get health care coverage and because our businesses can't compete with foreign companies that don't have to pay for health care.

And what about the Iraq War and national security?

What about the fact that we don't have enough water here for all the people who want to use it?

What about skyrocketing fuel prices?

What about the price of prescription medications and the absolute fiasco Mr. Tancredo and his friends in Congress gave us in Medicare Part D?

What about cut after cut to veteran's benefits, undermining the very people who sacrificed so much to defend our great nation?

These are all important issues that affect the lives of everyone here, but my opponent absolutely refuses to address them.

Take water as just one example.

One of Tom Tancredo's most critical failures in this district is his absolute failure to provide any leadership in this critical issue.

He has failed completely thus far, and will fail in the future, to secure federal funding for water in this District.

Most of the large projects (e.g. upsizing of Chatfield Reservoir, upsizing of Cherry Creek Reservoir, aspects of the Ruder-Hess Reservoir plan, etc.) that will provide the water we need to survive here will require some level of federal cooperation and funding.

Mr. Tancredo's failure to work with anyone to do this is simply inexcusable. Are you all ready to take a 20% to 25% hit on the price of your homes because Tom Tancredo cannot be bothered to do anything about our water problems?

And it's not a new problem either. We knew about this issue in Castle Pines North a long time ago as a result of the bankruptcy of our water district in 1992.

Folks, we pay federal taxes here just like everyone else. We are entitled to have some of that money spent here to make our lives better. That won't happen as long as Tom Tancredo is the Congressman from Congressional District 6.

We deserve better from our Congressman. We deserve leadership.

We deserve someone who will fight for us, who will bring jobs to the District for us, and who will make sure our tax dollars are spent here instead of continually being exported somewhere else.

[sharp_stick]

1. To bad he makes a common repuke mistake.

Ask this guy to name a single one of the 9/11 Hijackers that crossed over from the Canadian border? It pisses me off to no end when a supposed Democrat can't remember what really happened 5 years ago. Each and every one of those hijacking pricks came into this country legally and overstayed their VISA's.

When anyone makes such a moronic and so obviously wrong comment it makes me wonder if he/she even has one foot stuck in reality. One of the most important issues to hit our country in modern times and they consistently screw it up.

[Oreo]

3. I'll point that out to him

You have a valid point

[sharp_stick]

4. Thanks, that would be great

It makes a really easy soundbite and I've seen politicians repeat it ad-nauseum across the country. The cynic in me says they do it to make the attacks someone elses fault when really it's probably just a case of a mistake being repeated often enough becomes the truth to a lot of people.

I would really like to see a democrat take out Tancredo. Ever since DeLay decided to chicken out Tancredo has taken his place on my "God I hate that guy" list.

Good luck.

[Oreo]

5. I will do everything I can to let them know

Here's an article from the CBC with Newt Gingrich of all people apologizing for saying the hijackers came from Canada.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/04/21/gingrich-mckenna050421.html

Thanks for your post... it's important that these things are set straight.

[Oreo]

8. Winter replied to my post

Here's Winter's reply:

I knew that... (0 / 0)

...the 9/11 hijackers entered legally using valid Visas, but I was pretty sure they came across from Canada. Do you know where they did actually enter?

The visa issue illustrates part of our immigration problem in America, which is that we ask far more of our agencies than what we actually equip them to handle.

Somewhere close to 40 to 50% of all people in America illegally today actally came here legally on some kind of visa. When the visas run out, our agencies do not have the manpower or resources to follow up and either get the visas renewed or make sure the holders leave the Country.

But Tom Tancredo thinks tax cuts to the top 2% of Americans are more important than actually funding the agencies responsible for enforcing our immigration laws.

Go figure!

I posted info from the 9/11 Commission that tells where the entries were made.
http://www.9-11commission.gov/staff_statements/staff_statement_1.pdf

Thanks for your reply.

I found a link to relevant info from the 9/11 Commission that tells what airports they entered from. This only proves that it's not only the borders we need to secure like Tommy boy tries to make everybody believe.

http://www.9-11commission.gov/...

The 19 hijackers entered the United States a total of 33 times. They
arrived through ten different airports, though more than half came in
through Miami, JFK, or Newark. A visitor with a tourist visa was
usually admitted for a stay of six months. All but two of the
hijackers were admitted for such stays. Hanjour had a student visa and
was admitted for a stay of two years, and Suqami sought and was
admitted for a stay of 20 days. The four pilots passed through INS and
Customs inspections a total of 17 times before
9/11. Hanjour came to the United States to attend school in three
stints during the 1990s. His final arrival was in December 2000,
through the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airport. The other three
pilots, Atta, al Shehhi, and Jarrah, initially came in May and June

2000. They arrived for the last time between May and August 2001. All

made a number of trips abroad during their extended stays in the
United States. Of the other 15, only Mihdhar entered the United
States, left, and returned. Nawaf al Hazmi arrived in January 2000
with Mihdhar and stayed. Al Mihdhar left in June 2000
and returned to the United States on July 4, 2001. Ten of the others
came in pairs between April and June 2001. Three more arrived through
Miami on May 28.

[sharp_stick]

9. Thanks for clearing it up for him

It's nice to see that he actually replied and seems willing to listen. I appreciate you doing it.

[Oreo]

10. No problem

It's really nice to be able to deal with a politician that shows real interest in his (soon-to-be) constituents.

Who knows... maybe Tancredo will say something about 9/11 hijackers coming over the border and Winter can call him on it because you questioned it... and he listened.

[otohara]

2. Wouldn't It Be Lovely

If this district came to their senses?

[marmar]

6. I hope so...

If there's one psychotic, worm-ridden piece of filth I'd love to see defeated, it's Minuteman Tom.

[paulk]

7. it's a good tactic

to point out that Tancredo is more interested in national issues - and is neglecting local ones. This was the tact taken against Musgrave last time around, and it almost worked.

Hitting the "water" issue is key - it's how John Salazar won the western slope in 2004.

Pointing out that the Colorado economy is in the tiolet might work, too.


All politics really is local.