Liberal College Kid

Rudy Giuliani is the Republican front runner nationally, but trails Mitt Romney in New Hampshire. Here is his first ad of the campaign which will air in New Hampshire. In the ad he discusses his great success as a mayor in pre- 9/11 New York.

He tells us we are not to expect perfection, which I can understand. In fact, I don’t think there’s a person in this country that has come to expect perfection from any President. Our current President is now the most hated since the advent of the Gallop Poll, and the one before that lost any chance of being regarded as one of our best Presidents because he hooked up with an intern and then lied about it. The notion that Rudy even needs to tell us he’s not perfect seems silly, so I’ll leave it at that.

The rest of his message is hard to argue with. New York really was a crime and drug ridden place when he became the mayor. Those who have read Freakonomics know there are several theories as to why crime dropped off in New York. But for argument’s sake lets just say Rudy led New York out of a dark time. He’s still a lousy candidate.

First of all, and I hate to go there but I must, is the lisp. I’ve said it on this site before, why can’t the President be the brightest and best spoken person this country has to offer? Every time he says “city” I shudder. However, that’s not a fair argument, it is not his fault he doesn’t speak well, and if the Decider has taught us anything, its that speaking well is not a requirement to be President.

Rudy, however, has many flaws as a candidate. First, his experience is in the executive realm of governance, but he was a mayor. Granted the mayor of the largest city in America, but nonetheless he was only a mayor. Now I know there isn’t a list prerequisites somewhere for President, but I would hope that the American people would not want someone who’s claim to fame is being in New York during 9/11. Being New York’s mayor at a time of crises does not make someone qualified for our nation’s highest office.

Then comes Rudy’s baggage. This recent story about Judith Regan won’t help matters much. As the Huffington Post said:

“Judith Regan, the former book publisher, says in a lawsuit filed yesterday protesting her dismissal by the News Corporation, the media conglomerate, that a senior executive there encouraged her to lie to federal investigators about her past affair with Bernard B. Kerik after he had been nominated to become homeland security secretary in late 2004.

The lawsuit asserts that the News Corporation executive wanted to protect the presidential aspirations of Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mr. Kerik’s mentor, who had appointed him New York City police commissioner and had recommended him for the federal post.”

Just another thing in the list of Rudy’s skeletons. Here I thought marrying his cousin was going to do him in, he’s actually picked up the endorsement of Pat Robertson even though he’s been Pro-choice and Pro-gay rights in the past. He’s also supported gun control, something his party hates, and he’s pro-immigration, something the racist side of the Republican party will not tolerate. And yes, I will make the claim that the anti-immigration movement in this country is based on racism.

For a more (read SCARY!!!) conservative take on Giuliani check out this article at Human Events.

All this said one would think the Republicans would make their way to another candidate. Regular readers know my stance that the only real Republican candidate in the race is Ron Paul. The fact that Giuliani keeps hanging around does give me some hope though: if the Republicans are ready for a pro-choice, pro-gay rights, pro-gun control, pro-immigration candidate there’s no way the Democrats can lose in 08!

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This is taken from Tom Tancredo’s website (sorry I refuse to link):

“U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo’s (R-CO) amendment to cut funding from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Bill (H.R. 2638) for cities that employ a sanctuary policy passed the House with strong bipartisan support today; 234 to 189.”

Tancredo had been pushing this sort of amendment for a while now, and with New Haven Connecticut making progressive steps to do the right thing when it comes to immigration, the Right is scared more cities will follow suit. For those that hadn’t heard, New Haven recently put into motion a plan that would grant ID cards to illegal immigrants in that city with the understanding that police officers will not be able to question a person’s residency status.  Awesome huh?

Tancredo’s bill states that cities that create their own programs for immigrants who seek “sanctuary” will lose their funding from Homeland Security.  While this may not sound like that big of a threat, remember that all kinds of funding comes from Homeland Security now that it has become responsible for things like police forces.  Cities need federal funding to protect their citizens.  Now, if they try to protect the immigrants who are keeping the city going, they will lose funding from the federal government.  That is, if the Senate approves this bill.

There were 49 Democrats who supported this bill. These idiots support Tancredo when immigration was something the Dems could have held the moral high ground on.  We are a nation of immigrants and who are we, as the descendants of immigrants, to make it illegal for people to come to this country?  The Republicans have a monopoly on “morality” in this country (atleast what they call morality) but immigration is something that the Dems can get behind and use it to show their humanity.  Once again,  the Democrats fail to act like they actually have a majority in congress.

Further, for a party that is supposedly about “small government” how can the Republicans push through a bill that strips cities of their sovereignty?   They want to give local governments the rights to determine what to do about abortion but not what to do about immigration.  You can’t have it both ways folks, either respect local government to make decisions that are in the best interest of those they represent or make every law federal.  After all, it certainly seems that that is the way the Bush Administration is pushing this country.  Using the almighty dollar to strip local governments of their sovereignty is wrong.  But then again, what more can you expect from the party of big business?

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President Bush said yesterday the he was determined to see the bipartisan immigration reform bill he supports make it through Congress. The President said this before departing Europe after an eight-day trip through the continent which included the G8 summit in Germany. His new found desire to support the bill politically is interesting considering the fact that it has stalled so much in Congress that many are already considering it to be a lost cause. His decision to only come out in support of the bill now that it has fallen on hard times makes sense, however, because of the huge importance he has placed on his legacy.

The way George W. Bush will go down in history is one of the greatest motivational factors in his Presidency. It is one of the main reasons he feels the need to continue to sacrifice American lives in Iraq and why he turns a deaf ear to critics, even those from within his own party, who assail his policy decisions. Bush feels that textbooks will vindicate him in the years to come as the President who was able to curb terrorism around the world and who spread democracy to the Middle East. He also appears to assume that these textbooks will conveniently leave out the fact that Bush trampled on the Constitution with regards to his treatment of “enemy combatants” and his less than honest build up to the war in Iraq. He has only to look at Abraham Lincoln, and how he likened his complete disregard of the Constitution during the Civil War to the need of a doctor to remove a limb in order to save the patient, to be emboldened in his belief that in the end he will be vindicated.

George W. Bush also wants to leave the Executive branch stronger then it was when he assumed power and would love to be able to strengthen it back to where it was pre-Watergate. This, Bush knows, will fortify his legacy even if the quagmire in Iraq fails to turn as he expects it to. For this reason Bush has stood quietly on the sidelines as his immigration reform bill has puttered through Congress. Bush was hopeful that the knowledge that this bill is near to his heart would be enough to push a fence sitting Republican towards approval of the bill. He also knew that with the primary campaign already in full swing Republican candidates would be leery of linking themselves to Bush by voting for the bill if he came out very strongly in support of it. He hoped that he was not yet a big enough lame duck as to nullify his support of the bill. He thought wrong.

Bush is now in a position he must hate; having to kowtow to the power of the Legislative branch of by appearing at the Senate Republicans policy luncheon in order to win votes for this bill. He is forced to admit that the powerful Executive branch he strove to create has not materialized, a fact that has been especially clear since the Democratic wins in 2006. Soon he will also be forced to realize that his atrocious approval ratings and arrogant stance on policy issues will cost him the ability to campaign for the Republican nominee for President in ’08. Many individuals involved in Senate and House races in 2006 asked that Bush not campaign for them in hopes that their ties to the White House wouldn’t cost them the race. As the Presidential election approaches it is almost a foregone conclusion that the Republican nominee will ask for Bush’s support in word only and the President will be forced to stay away from all but the most perfunctory of campaigning duties.

So, this week President Bush will trek up Capitol Hill, his tail slightly between his legs, and ask for Republicans to support a bill that a President from their party has been backing since its inception. Bush will most likely get the support he needs and we will soon be talking about a new immigration policy for America and 12 million new permanent residents. Wouldn’t it be ironic if that ends up being the legacy that George W. Bush leaves history with?

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I’ve been listening to a lot of Ed Shultz lately, and seemingly everyday he has people call in and talk about immigration. This is great as I encourage dialogue on such difficult issues. The beef I have with Big Ed, though, is that when callers make a statement that is down right inflammatory (like “I’m calling from WalMart, or Chuck Schumer is a Nazi”) or just wrong he doesn’t do anything to correct them. Sure he calls Republicans funny names, but that’s pretty much where his “progressive” stance ends. Anyway, back to my point: Immigration.

One caller on Wednesday said that he has seen his salary as a carpenter and house builder drop from $38,000 to $18,000 in the last few years. He blames it on “illegal” immigrants doing his job for less. When Big Ed asked him why he didn’t move the caller responded that he had “been there longer than them (meaning Mexican immigrants)” because his family had lived in California since 1849. I immediately called big Ed’s number but wasn’t able to get through. Fortunately for me, I write for this wonderful blog, so I can vent here instead of on the Ed Shultz show. Here is what I would have said, had I been given the chance.

First and foremost, California was a part of MEXICO, so the argument that a white guy’s family has been there longer is laughable. My next question was if he was a member of a carpenter’s union, but that’s not as important here. The fact is, people are reduced to accusing immigrants of lowering wages for citizens doing the same blue collar tasks.

Of course, these are the same people who defend the free market vehemently as well. Here’s a quick econ lesson: if there are people willing to work for a lower wage, the wage paid to all workers will decrease. Supply and demand right? Now to throw in some Marxist thought, all one is truly worth is the value of their labor. If that decreases, they are left at the mercy of the market to set what they will make. But is all of this really the immigrants’ fault?

The whole influx of Hispanic immigration stems from the guest worker programs that allowed workers to come across the border to pick fruit and harvest American crops. These people made money in the summers and fall then returned home to be with their families the rest of the year. However, there became a demand for these people in other fields of work. So much more so that they were able to bring their families across with them and work year round. Add to this the fact that anyone, regardless of parentage, born in the United States is a US citizen, and it’s easy to see all the motivating factors that make people want to cross the border. The northern parts of Mexico, in large part, have much less social mobility than the rest of the country and are fairly rural and poor. The idea that within three generations a family can go from barely getting by to being college educated with an American accident is what the American dream is all about.

Of course, then came September 11, 2001 and things changed about how we look at our borders. No one paid attention that all of the men who were responsible for high jacking the planes entered the country legally… They did not sneak through the Mexican border; but the Republicans, and some Democrats as well, have turned immigration into a national security issue. I mean, I can see the logic in thinking that if people are sneaking in that bad people could too. But the fact is that the people that have actually attacked us are not coming through that border. Period. Further, Hispanics are not attacking us, and they are the sole reason our population has continued to grow and that we are still able to have the quantity and low price of produce in this country. Hispanic immigrants fill the low income jobs that Americans simply won’t do.

Most importantly, people seem to have come to the conclusion that all Hispanics are illegal. According to census data, there are around 36 million Hispanics living in the United States. Of course, that does not count the 12 million or so who entered “illegally.” That means more than 75% of Hispanics are here legally, and they should receive their just deserved respect as citizens and or legal residents of this country.

The Statue of Liberty says,

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

This used to be our immigration policy, back when the American dream still existed. My friends, we are a nation of immigrants who have also been resentful and prejudiced of the newest people to arrive. These people are in our country making a positive contribution and their occupations and contributions to society are what sustain our current life styles. It is beyond unacceptable to think about deporting these people who have American children and families here. After all, if a professional baseball player from another country can have his family move to the US and live here legally, why can’t a baby have the same right for his family?

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Today the Senate has brought forward an immigration bill that (gasp!) has been praised by President Bush.

“The bill would provide an opportunity “right away” for millions of illegal aliens to correct their status” -from the New York Times

Basically the gist of the bill is that it would take the roughly 12 million people who are residing currently in the United States without resident status to expedite the process of residency. At the same time the bill would increase border security and create harsh penalties for employers who are hiring undocumented workers.

Um, this bill is AWESOME!! This is exactly the kind of bill that the left should be pleased with, and yet there are people to the far left of the party (where we are usually) who aren’t in favor of this bill. Even Senate Majority leader Harry Reid has said, “We need to improve the bill as it moves through the legislative process.” For me, this bill is dead on right now.

This bill does not penalize the children of people who immigrated to this country. Under current restrictions, these children who played no part in their parents actions crossing the border are considered “illegal” and denied in state tuition for colleges and universities. Under this new legislation, their process of becoming a legal resident will be expedited.

Tancredo and others who are vehemently racist in their advocacy against immigrants are forgetting a fundamental element of the American economy. Immigrants, especially Hispanics, comprise a huge number of the minimum wage earning, service industry, and agricultural work force in this country. In fact, we are dependent on the these people for our economy to function under its current conditions. There is no need to discriminate against these people, especially when they are contributing positively to the country. Further, studies show that Hispanics inter-marry at a much greater rate than African Americans, and fit every pattern of assimilation by the third generation.

We have a history in this country of intolerance to immigrants, when we are ourselves all descendant of immigrants (with the obvious exception of Native Americans). This bill is more than a step in the right direction, it is the right thing to do.

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May 1, 2007 saw an immigrant’s rights rally go horribly wrong as LAPD beat and accosted protesters in what is becoming an extremely controversial incident.

(- from blogging.la)

Police beat several protesters, shooting non-lethal bullets and gas into the crowd while forcing them to disperse. The Los Angeles Times reported that ” A spokesman for Telemundo confirmed that one reporter and three camera operators from Channel 52, the Spanish-language TV station, had been injured and had been taken to a hospital by police. Another TV station, Fox 11, showed video of a Fox camerawoman apparently being struck by a baton-wielding police officer.”

This comes just days before the yearly celebration of Mexican independence, or Cinco de Mayo. What this incident really points out, though, is the growing wave and culture of racism towards Hispanics (especially Mexicans) in our society. We often blame the police officers in incidents like this and move on, but I don’t think that’s enough any more. The policemen in this situation represent a larger view that is sweeping this country: Mexicans are bad for America.

Where is it written in stone that people can not retain any traditions and culture from their country of origin? Have there not always been immigrants coming to this country that retain characteristics of their native country? Everyone who is not Native American is descendant of immigrants to this country. Many states are now introducing an official state language to prevent immigrants from being fully able to participate and eventually assimilate into society. There is even a push to make the official national language English. Why must we be so Anglo-centric? And why can we not be understanding that it takes time for people to learn a new language? Instead, we make it illegal for teacher’s to instruct in any language other than English, thus stripping immigrant children who had no say in their families move from succeeding academically.

Mexican workers fulfill the ugly side of our capitalistic economy. That is, they fulfill many of the mundane, minimum wage earning occupations that most of the dominant ethnicity would never want to do. Mexicans are not taking jobs away from Americans, Americans are taking jobs away by moving their production overseas and across the border. We need to stop blaming immigrants for the elite big business owner’s decisions.

I agree that there needs to be some kind of immigration program. And I think it’s a good idea that we know who is coming into the country and what their background is. But this country has far greater problems than a family of four coming across the border so that their children can lead a better life. There are larger issues we must face in this country, and immigration serves as a great racist distraction from tackling real issues that this country has far too long ignored. Like what? Health care, global climate change and civil rights just to name a few.

We’ve seen countries build walls in the past… I fear the one some politicians plan to build from California to Texas won’t serve to keep people out, though, it will serve to keep our hate in.

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I recently was forwarded this picture and others in an email. Apparently at Montebello High School in California the students played a prank and hung the Mexican flag on top of an upside down American one. The last line of the email was “If this ticks YOU off…PASS IT ON!” Here is my response:
There are a lot of different ways to react to these pictures. On the one hand, it is horrible that we are in a society in which people have more pride in another country than the one in which they currently reside. Of course, hanging the American flag upside down is much more offensive than simply hanging an Israeli, Irish, or Italian flag outside one’s house.

What may be more important than these pictures, though, is the fact that this email is being sent out. Does this really make people that angry? This seems like a teenage prank to me, and it’s just a piece of fabric we hang on poles. Of course it represents something larger, but is this really the most pressing issue to Americans right now? These kids in a high school in California hanging the American flag upside down?

More than 3,300 Americans have died fighting a war with a country that never attacked us, nor threatened to attack us. They went for a president who told them that Iraq had ties to the people that planned and executed September 11, 2001. That same president said that Iraq possessed nuclear weapons that they planned to use against us. The only study done to examine how many Iraqi civilians have died came up with slightly over 650,000 people. Not to mention the millions who have become refuges or simply fled the country for fear of their own lives.

But this flag thing… I mean, they put the Mexican flag ON TOP of the American one. I can accept the fact that we’ve sent more than 3,300 of our own people to early death and been the cause of 650,000 deaths in a country that never attacked us… But those Mexican kids in a California high school?! That’s what’s wrong with America, right?

Perhaps it’s because we hate Mexicans. They come to our country “illegally” and take our jobs. Yeah, because there’s so many white Americans who are waiting in line to be janitors, fast food workers, and other minimum wage non-union jobs. What, do you think Mexicans come over and become executives for Fortune 500 companies? Even more egregious, most Americans of Mexican decent arrived here legally, or were born here. But they don’t pay taxes right? Sales tax is the number one revenue generator for every state that has one. If you shop and buy food, you are paying taxes.

And so the war that we supposedly won four years ago rolls on. More people die and we hear more rhetoric about “supporting the troops” and withdrawal deadlines. And we get distracted when celebrities with huge boobs die and when some kids at a high school in California play a practical joke and put the Mexican flag above an upside-down American one.

So if I was supposed to get “ticked off” by this email, I’m sorry. I’ve been ticked off since 2000 when the Supreme Court circumvented democracy and elected our president for us. I’ve been ticked off since people attacked us in 2001 and we still haven’t caught the man responsible. I’m ticked off that we went to war with a country that had never invaded us when we were in the middle of a different war all together. I’m ticked off that the administration ousted a CIA officer because they didn’t like her husband. I’m ticked off that the administration fired eight attorneys because they wouldn’t drum up charges against Democrats.

And, finally, I’m ticked off that Americans have gotten to the point that they are more upset about some teenagers pulling a prank than they are about the deaths of the troops that they claim to support.

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