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March 27, 2006
It's All About Tom
Newsweek feeds Rep. Tom Tancredo's ego with an article.
Tancredo may not be a household name yet, but he's doing everything he can to change that. As the House and Senate debate the nation's immigration and border-security laws, the four-term Coloradan has positioned himself as the loudest, angriest voice against the estimated 11 million illegal aliens now living in the United States. They are "a scourge that threatens the very future of our nation," he says. He laments "the cult of multiculturalism," and worries about America's becoming a "Tower of Babel." If Republican presidential candidates don't put the problem atop the agenda in 2008, he says he'll run himself, just to force the front runners to talk about it. Not that he thinks he'd win the White House. He declares himself "too fat, too short and too bald" to be president. If the Republicans lose the election because he's too tough on the issue, he says, "So be it."Have I mentioned how much I dislike this guy? When it comes to style, I honestly believe that Tancredo is the second coming of Joseph McCarthy. Like McCarthy, the guy is right about the problem - America needs to curb the flow of illegal immigrants. Frankly, though, I think Tancredo's comments on the matter are more about advancing his career than they are about solving the problem. He is simply not a serious man, and I hope his recent media blitz keeps him firmly on the fringes of Republican politics.
Posted by slublog at March 27, 2006 12:00 AM
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Comments
He's a bit much, but he's a lightning rod for the anger amongst a significant faction of conservatives. And he's right to say that the administration has not represented the interests of that faction at all. He's a useful counterweight to immigration extremists, but he is Coulteresque in his rhetoric.
I do think he's very sincere about the immigration issue - it's a fair-sized issue here in Colorado.
Posted by: geoff at March 27, 2006 12:19 AM
I can understand the anger over immigration, but I don't think his rhetoric is particularly helpful to finding a workable solution.
Posted by: Slublog at March 27, 2006 09:30 AM
To me it’s about enforcing the current laws. The government has not been doing this as a gift to big business to keep their labor costs low. Those on the left who care about living wages should applaud this attempt to get the government to do something about this issue.
Simple economics 101 – the more people willing to do the work, the lower the wages. Pay US citizens a decent wage and you won’t have 11 million illegal immigrants in this country.
Keep the current system in place and we will all be in a race to the bottom as there are about 4.5+ billion other people in this world who would probably like to be in America and make more money and have a better standard of living.
If anyone thinks that a ‘better-educated’ US citizen will be able to compete against that onslaught you should have your head examined. Our nation can’t absorb all the people in the world that want a better life for themselves. It’s lunacy to do so at the expense of our own citizens. You want to help others who are less fortunate – great – send them a check or donate your time to helping them – DON’T GIVE THEM MY JOB.
We’re not just talking about migrant workers – the moronic Bushie proposals are set to increase legal immigration of all job types about a million a year. With just a couple hundred thousand ‘new’ jobs being created in this horribly anemic economy – how long will it take for you to be replaced by that ‘nice new immigrant’?
Hope you all enjoyed middle class because we’re heading back to the days of slave labor thanks to the new ‘global economy’ and the putrid efforts of most of our elected leaders who appear to be willing to do anything – including destroying the economic security of US citizens to get a few more corporate dollars.
Posted by: bostonBC at March 27, 2006 01:17 PM