Given what happened to John McCain, I can't help but think that as the Republican electorate learns more and more about what Rudy Giuliani really thinks about immigration, he's going to be in big trouble. He managed to somehow pass himself off as an opponent of the comprehensive immigration measure, but the reality is that as mayor he turned New York City into a giant "sanctuary city" and sought vigorously through the courts to preserve that status. This was all unremarkable in what's probably the most pro-immigration jurisdiction in the country, but it's really, really, really not where the GOP base is.
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Giuliani on Immigration
08 Sep 2007 02:13 pm
Comments (18)
I think Ed Koch actually initiated the sanctuary city policies in the 1980s, but as you said, Giuliani certainly defended and maintained them.
Giuliani's continuing candidacy is surreal--I can't believe it's lasted this long. I keep waiting for it to implode, but it never does ...
One of the side effects of the nominee likely having been determined before the first day of spring is that if Giuliani has it won, there is going to be a huge call for the third-party candidacy. If Tancredo wants to give up his House see (very questionable) he might just bolt and go off and get 10-15% of the vote in the national election, and end any chance of the GOP winning.
yave begnet -
Nice post. I agree about the "Why hasn't Rudy imploded yet??" question. I think one explaination was McCain. He had big issues with the Base, was seen as a treacherous guy who loved to step up to the camera with his "good friends" Teddy and Chuckie Schumer to announce he was betraying his base about once a year. His embrace of Amnesty was just the final step.
The media desperately - in their "We are all Immigrants" spin mode, tried to make McCain's collapse about his "prowar" support as if that is what alienated prowar conservatives - but it was immigration.
Giuliani got a pass while McCain was being bayoneted for McCain-Feingold, McCain & the Gang of 14, McCain sabotaging the Patriot Act, McCain sabotaging Bob Dole back in the Day, and ultimately the Kennedy-McCain-Graham deal on Open Borders.
Giuliani's bayoneting time is coming. Most likely on his welcoming the mass invasion. Maybe on his many skeletons in the closet...
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This election is happening when the tide is really turning on the people in 1st world countries wanting their cultures and way of life threatened in the post-communist era mass "refugee" and illegal alien invasions.
Switzerland woke up to find, in an historical instant, that their population had gone to 24% non-Swiss. They are now talking mass illegal alien deportation and collective repercussions on families - one refugee family member commits a felony, the whole family goes. "They" meaning not the fringe right, but the ruling liberal Democrat Party. Same in Scandinavia, where they are "enjoying" mass crime wave like Scandanavia never experienced before, frank discussions about the "Muslim welcome mat" being rolled up.
France is now having as big a Open Borders debate as America is.
In America, the debate is complicated by corporate donors wanting depressed wages and those in both parties seeking Hispanic votes...but the trend of Americans (including blacks though they will always vote Democrat as their bosses tell them to) and legal immigrants is it must end.
Even environmentalist NGO "Elites" who run the various green organizations, who tried fence-sitting on immigration are getting it from their members: How can our environment and high quality of life be preserved if we go from 230 million in 1973 to 300 million today thanks to legal & illegal mass immigration, to 363 million by 2030, to 420 million by 2050, to 800 million by 2100?
In the near future we may see environmentalists split into Stalinist regulators flying in Lear jets telling people to use no hydrocarbons and no nuclear and one sheet of toilet paper a day siding with Democrats. And "enough people are here already!!", wise use of resources for quality of life, habitat preservation environmentalists siding with Republicans...
It does look that immigration will replace abortion as the fault line between Parties, and if so, that makes Giuliani (and all-but-dead) McCain the odd men out as Democrats embrace Open Borders..
This was all unremarkable in what's probably the most pro-immigration jurisdiction in the country, but it's really, really, really not where the GOP base is.
It's not where the majority of the country is, either, but you go to an election with the candidates you have. And building walls is probably more popular than deporting illegals.
God, what a vile racist you are, Chris Ford. How can you stand yorself?
God, what a vile racist you are, Chris Ford. How can you stand yorself?Posted by rea
Better than the mild treason of someone who shouts racist! racist! racist! to anyone questioning the wisdom of Open Borders and mass illegal immigration.
From the American black community to the environmentalist community, that smear, which you think is intimidating, no longer flies.
News, rea...even in Europe, those natives that are concerned about a 3rd world invasion overwhelming their nations and cultures are now calling the enablers "traitors" and that such opposition to the tidal wave is no longer a "right wing thing".
"Better than the mild treason..."
Oh, fuck off, you racist twit.
GOP primary voters are more hawkish than the electorate in general (duh!) and Giuliani has a story that can be readily adapted to tap into hawkish sentiment. This is a big advantage, and to a considerable degree can overcome past transgressions like friendliness to gay people and lack of immigrant bashing.
But I’ve come to the conclusion Rudy’s biggest single advantage may be his media savvy: the guy’s smooth and articulate in front of a camera, and I think in large part that’s simply the result of where he happened to cut his political teeth. You can’t thrive in the hothouse environment of the world’s media capital without developing a pretty keen sense of how to spin, how to bullshit, how to make answers sound plausible in middle class living rooms, and how to perform in front of a camera.
It has been said that hailing from New York City is a big disadvantage in American politics. Maybe we’re all about to learn how utterly false this notion is.
McCain made himself central to the Axis of Amnesty, along with George W. Bush and Ted Kennedy. The collapse of McCain's candidacy is a direct result of his choosing that role for himself.
Chris Ford is a guy who throws off comments that blame the "Left-Jewish" conspiracy for America's defeat in Vietnam. I look forward to many more racist rants from this troll - entertaining in a sort of Little Green Footballs or Völkischer Beobachter way.
It's really a shame. Chris Ford was a very good 3-point shooter in the early 1980s. Then he lost some of his luster with his coaching stint at the beginning of the Celtics' decline. And now he posts crazy shit in Matt's threads.
Another fond childhood memory ruined.
Giuliani's got nothing to worry about. He's the 9/11 guy. Immigration pales in comparison.
Just for the folks who are busy burying McCain, Mr. Yglesias' second favorite columnist, David Broder, declares in todays Washington Post that the McCain campaign is alive and well(as we all know, his favorite columnist is Charles Krauthammer).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/07/AR2007090702249.html?sub=AR
Now for more of those things that MattY doesn't understand.
Both most of the GOP base and almost as large a part of the Dem base support our laws and oppose massive government corruption. It's the leaders of both parties that are completely corrupt and which support businesses - and even the feds - profiting from massive illegal activity.
Eventually someone is going to ask Hillary this:
youtube.com/watch?v=Q_l4Lawj14A
Or, someone is going to ask Obama this:
youtube.com/watch?v=EiullH5jU1A
And, I don't think their base is going to be too very happy with their answers.
Nothing Chris Ford said is anything worse then you hear in the Israeli Knesset every week.
Nothing Chris Ford said is anything worse than you hear in the Israeli Knesset every week.
I agree with Guiliani. It's a minor civil thing and even Americans are sometimes in violation of immigration laws when they travel and fall ill and then overstay in hospitals overseas somewhere. Should we be marked as felonies then too?
What does it matter where you are from and what your skin color is and where you are living and working? Just be nice.
The no border policy works great in Europe. The big move-in move-out never happened. 99.9% of the4 people didn't move at all. But people buying second homes in other european coutries skyrocked.
Comments closed September 22, 2007.
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Heads in the Sand
I've been predicting that Huckabee will win the GOP primary, on the grounds that Giuliani's views on social issues, abortion, and immigration are so far from those of most GOP voters, and because of the "weirdness factor."
But the GOP base thinks that Saddam Hussein was flying the planes on 9/11 and that white males are an endangered species under attack.
Policy (ie, how a politician's views and votes affect the actual world) doesn't mean much to them. Giuliani hits the right emotional buttons because he talks tough about foreigners and pisses off Democrats. And that just might be enough.
Posted by Elvis Elvisberg | September 8, 2007 3:26 PM