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December 01, 2006
The War of Words Heats Up
Earlier this week, Tom Tancredo called Miami a "third world country." Jeb Bush, Florida's governor, has responded to Tancredo, calling him a 'nut.'
Then on Wednesday, Bush -- the President's younger brother -- called Tancredo a "nut."I've got to go with Bush on this one. Doesn't Tancredo have a district to represent?Talking with reporters, Bush said Miami is just as American as suburban Denver.
Both Bush and Tancredo are Republicans. But Tancredo, who represents the Sixth District, south of Denver, has repeatedly argued for tougher immigration laws.
I've spent some time this week debating immigration with fellow conservatives on Hot Air. It has not been an entirely pleasant experience. I am in favor of a wall at the border and limited deportation (basically, if you're an illegal immigrant who has committed a violent or drug-related crime, you're out).
Where I differ from others who support immigration reform, however, is in my view of those who happen to be illegal immigrants. Many of those on the other side of the debate engage in tactics that I believe are simply intended to demonize those of Hispanic descent who cross the border from Mexico. I've read countless posts about "lazy Mexican immigrants" who are just here for the welfare and read countless anecdotes about how immigrants raise the crime rate. At one point, a few posters even said that they were tired of "all of those wetbacks" who crossed the border.
And that's where I went from concerned about quasi-nativist rhetoric to plain old pissed off.
I'm well aware that a lot of those who enter this country illegally are Mexican. My great-grandfather immigrated from Mexico, so I'm not that far removed from this subject. That personal connection to the issue doesn't make me less convinced of the need for strong laws to stop the flow of illegal immigrants, but it does make me sensitive to the extremist rhetoric used on the pro-enforcement side.
I believe a lot of Hispanic Americans agree that stricter measures are needed to control illegal immigration, but those potential allies in this debate are being alienated by the invective hurled at Mexicans by the immigration extremists. No one likes to be insulted, or find common cause with people who despise those like you.
So that brings me to this - I'm not sure I really want to be in the same party that tolerates Tom Tancredo and his increasingly unhinged and hateful acolytes. So on my lunch break during the day, when I go to city hall to (belatedly) register my car, I am going to stop by voter registration and change my party affiliation.
I'm leaving the Republican party and registering as an independent.
It's something I've been thinking about doing for awhile, given the sheer ineptness of the Republicans in charge of the party (Trent Lott? What?). I'm still a conservative, but I don't want the "R" after my name. Tancredo is the final straw, though. I honestly believe he's the 21st century equivalent of Joseph McCarthy - right on the issue, wrong on the approach.
And I just don't want to be affiliated with that nonsense anymore.
UPDATE - I do recognize the argument that one should stay inside the party and try to be an agent of change, rather than leave it. I'm not going to be a Democrat, simply an independent who votes conservative.
This has actually been in my mind for awhile, while the Republicans were bumbling their way through the last few months of governance. As the party grew more incompetent, the neo-nativist wing of the pro-enforcement side (not all of them, just the extremists) grew louder with the offensive language.
Then the GOP lost the election, and the party leadership decided the best way to deal with the loss was to pretend it never happened and go on as before, even to the point where Trent Lott was allowed back into the leadership.
The convergence of those two things was helped along by another - the fact that being a Republican in Maine doesn't mean all that much. The Maine GOP has a terrible ground organization, picks clunker candidates and generally runs awful campaigns.
I'll likely change my mind in a couple of years, before the presidential primaries in 2008, because I want to influence those races (Anybody but Tancredo and McCain). For the moment, however, this is just my personal solitary (and given how many Republicans there are - probably mostly symbolic) protest vote against a party that I believe has lost its way.
UPDATE II - Well, that was easy. Check a box, sign a form and I'm no longer a Republican. Goodbye to all that.
Posted by slublog at December 1, 2006 12:00 AM
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Comments
Well, I figure I owed you a comment over here, since we were discusisng this at HA but you've done a post on it here. And yeah, I'm mostly just pasting my HA comments, but no one has to know that...
Tancredo doesn’t use slurs or demonize ethnic groups. That’s not to say he doesn’t necessarily approach the issue poorly, but it’s not the same thing as the ugliness you’re accurately identifying elsewhere. You’re right to decry that ugliness, but strong words on this subject have a tendency to get blurred together with that ugliness, even when those words are coming from people who can’t fairly be said to use slurs or to demonize ethinic groups. And inbetween there's stuff that isn’t necessarily wrong but can too easily be expressed in a way that is impolitic.
As for Tancredo’s associations, that’s a fair point, but also a sticky one: a politician can’t go around rejecting every creepy group that shares his position on something because then you start validating any kind of guilt-by-association line of attack.
But it’s true too that this cause isn’t going anywhere (or at least not as quickly and effectively as it should) without, much as I hate to sound all liberal, genuine sensitivity from its public faces.
This isn't to disuade you from going independent, by the way. I'm independent. Try it, you'll love it!
Posted by: Alex Kranz at November 30, 2006 11:07 PM
Let's try that again. This was supposed to end the second paragraph:
I also get you’re critiquing two things: saying stuff that’s tactically problematic in a credibility way (NAU), and saying stuff that’s both tactically problematic and inherently offensive (slurs). And you're right about both of them, but they are different. And inbetween there's stuff that isn’t necessarily wrong but can too easily be expressed in a way that is impolitic.
Posted by: Alex Kranz at November 30, 2006 11:10 PM
So that's what the "K" stands for. :-)
I think my major issue is with my fellow conservatives. I've really become disillusioned, reading the comments of some at Hot Air.
Posted by: Slublog at November 30, 2006 11:14 PM
I feel your pain, but I think the whole purpose to remain INSIDE the party is to make it accept your viewpoint or at least work to accommodate it.
You know, a lot of Independents and Democrats have strong anti-immigration views and are racist as well, so you are not really escaping the bastards.
But its your call. Maybe you should be hanging around more moderate GOP websites to avoid the nativist wing?
Posted by: Aaron at December 1, 2006 05:20 AM
But I like Hot Air. Allah's a good blogger, and the Vent is usally pretty good. I just wish some of the commenters were a bit more measured in their criticism.
Posted by: Slublog at December 1, 2006 08:37 AM
So by analogy with RINO, you're a RIBO (Republican in Booth Only) now? ;-)
Posted by: mainiacjoe at December 1, 2006 02:17 PM
Ha. Some would say I'm a RINO as well, I guess.
Posted by: Slublog at December 1, 2006 02:32 PM
Hey, just wanted to say me too, me too!
Now that the HA thread is pretty much dead, I commented.
My father's family is Mexican. His first language was Spanish, same for my grandparents. All born in the U.S. So I'm not amused by the "Ah, I heard Spanish today!" comments.
I grew up in California with a Hispanic last name (though looking thoroughly Anglo). I know first hand about the bias of low expectations from teacher after teacher in the public schools.
Now I'm living in a border town--Del Rio, TX--and really liking it. The people are friendly, bilingual and much more law-abiding than all the horror stories you hear from LA, Arizona, etc.
Anyway, I'm nodding my head agreeing with you even when I don't have a chance to post.
Posted by: MamaAJ at December 1, 2006 04:43 PM
Thanks. That is appreciated.
The comments over there annoy me, as well. But in the end, I just remember that our food is better. :-)
Posted by: Slublog at December 1, 2006 06:43 PM
Slub,
I read your posts at HA and Ace's and I generally agree with you. I think you're making a mistake in changing your registration however. You carry a lot more weight in influencing the Rep party as a registered republican than as an independent. Politicians secure the base and then try to finesse the independants.
Make them pander to people like us i.e. people who think illegal immigration has gotten out of control, but understand the motivations of those who do emigrate from Mexico.
Posted by: billy at December 1, 2006 11:36 PM
Billy, if the last election didn't making the GOP leadership listen to the base, I don't know what will. It doesn't matter whether we are registered Republican or not, the reigning oligarchy isn't listening anyway.
Posted by: mainiacjoe at December 3, 2006 09:09 AM
Billy, you seem to be pandering to the wrong party. Being a libertarian I happen to agree with my wayward brother. Sadly I tend to vote republican rather then vote my towards my ideals.
Carlos Mencia did say it best, if it wasn't Mexico on our border, it'd be anyone else. They'll still gather around Home Depot.
Billy, you don't seem to understand. We'll gather around Home Depot, its easy to understand the motivation those from mexico.
Posted by: coldmexican at December 4, 2006 03:52 AM
"But in the end, I just remember that our food is better. :-)"
That's one of the main reasons I support more legal immigration from all countries. Not only can we get the best people, they bring along all their foods, too! Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Posted by: Aaron at December 5, 2006 09:12 PM