Appearing before La Raza (“The Race”) today, John McCain finally decided to own his immigration stance and went after Barack Obama’s immigration votes:
I spoke recently at both the NALEO and LULAC conferences, as did Senator Obama. I did not use those occasions to criticize Senator Obama. I would prefer not to do so today. But he suggested in his speeches there and here, that I turned my back on comprehensive reform out of political necessity. I feel I must, as they say, correct the record.
At a moment of great difficulty in my campaign, when my critics said it would be political suicide for me to do so, I helped author with Senator Kennedy comprehensive immigration reform, and fought for its passage. I cast a lot of hard votes, as did the other Republicans and Democrats who joined our bipartisan effort. So did Senator Kennedy.
I took my lumps for it without complaint. My campaign was written off as a lost cause. I did so not just because I believed it was the right thing to do for Hispanic Americans. It was the right thing to do for all Americans. Senator Obama declined to cast some of those tough votes. He voted for and even sponsored amendments that were intended to kill the legislation, amendments that Senator Kennedy and I voted against.
I never ask for any special privileges from anyone just for having done the right thing. Doing my duty to my country is its own reward. But I do ask for your trust that when I say, I remain committed to fair, practical and comprehensive immigration reform, I mean it. I think I have earned that trust.
Having criticized McCain for not taking this approach before NALEO and LULAC, I give him his due now, though he should not have had to be provoked to do it (it could be faux indignation, natch). I may have strongly disagreed the McCain-Kennedy approach to (illegal) immigration, but since McCain took the stand, he ought to take what credit he can for it before groups like La Raza and stick it to Obama for his role in killing the bill. Indeed, he should blame Obama for creating the situation in which it is now necessary for McCain to at least rhetorically promote the “security first” approach.
Incidentally, Newsday links to a post by Marc Ambinder which attempts to argue that Obama’s votes did not kill the bill. Ambinder relies on an AP article cited by Team McCain, but the New York Times gives a fine account of how the Dorgan Amendment(s) scuttled the bill — which was my primary source for previously writing:
The final blow was the union-backed amendment to phase out the bill’s temporary worker program after five years, the passage of which left the bill’s supporters stunned on the floor for more than an hour after the 49-48 vote.
Obama was one of those 49 who delivered that final blow. Team McCain might want to add the NYT account of the bill’s demise to their fact sheet. Ambinder might want to study the issues he covers.
Update: Next, McCain should mention that Obama once wrote about his own nativist sentiments.
Once again, the pain in my crotch has brought me to my knees.
McCain just can’t seem to help himself when it comes to kicking me in the balls. He just doesn’t get it.
GET CONTROL OF OUR BORDERS, SENATOR!
Most of us are willing to deal with what has already happened, but until the borders are secured, any “comprehensive reform” is just an invitation to tens of millions more illegals to come here and suck us dry – legally!
The money I use to take care of my family is slowly shrinking because I can’t live in a three room house with twenty five other people, and send half my money to a country that costs one tenth of what it costs to live here. In ten to fifteen years, these illegals leave and use their American made money to live like kings in their home countries. Meanwhile, every year I live more and more like what the immigrants come here to avoid. (I am in construction, BTW)
I do not hate these people at all (in fact, for the most part they work their butts off, and are good people), but I just can’t compete with people who can live on $10.00 an hour.
McQuack-quack needs to wake up to the reality of illegal immigration, and stop looking at it as a matter of compassion. It IS a matter of compassion, but unfortunately, McQuack-quack wishes to extend his compassion to illegals, and not to the hundreds of thousands of Americans that are dying a slow financial death because of illegal immigration. And I do not leave greedy contractors out of this equation. Hire for $10 – charge out for fifty. Good deal! Until these guys start bidding jobs at $10 an hour.
I am scared to death of O!, but McQuack-quack seems to be going out of his way to keep me at home on election day. Even though I am pinching my nose as hard as I can, the stench is getting almost unbearable.
This election year sucks!
“I did so not just because I believed it was the right thing to do for Hispanic Americans.”
– How far does anyone expect to get in the whole border control fuckup, when the very people charged with leadership can’t tell the damn difference between “Hispanic Americans”, and illegal aliens.
– The idiots pols just chap your ass over and over and over. I don’t even know what the fuck either McCain or Obama are talking about most of the time. Its like they’re describing some imaginary country with issues that are either non-existent, or ridiculously mis-defined. Real all non-American political double-bullshit-speak. Distraction, as a technique, is still alive and well in politics.
I’m ready for the debates already. No one really warned us that Baracky was going to be so boring and droney. He’s supposed to be charismatic, but he’s really not. He just sort of wanders around with a stick up his butt doing his schtick for whoever’ll have him. At least McCain proposed a for real break with policy and wants to let us actually drill our own oil. That was actually surprising and interesting. This Baracky though isn’t holding my attention. Today he wrote a whole freaking oped to announce that there’s no change in his Iraq policy. Good Christ get on with it already.
I’m ready for the debates already.
ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, BEEYOTCH.
………give me two dates and I’ll think about it. Moderated and not that fucking Charlie Gibson either.
“Today he wrote a whole freaking oped to announce that there’s no change in his Iraq policy.”
– At this point Barack is effectively arguing with himself. From that statement, we’re left to assume he is dis-agreeing with the comments he made just last week. His message, I believe is intentionally garbled, because should his ideas ever solidify, and become defined, he’ll have a hard time holding on even against Hillery.
I do not agree with Sen. McCain on this issue, but I admire him for having the political guts to stand for what he believes is right and not for what is popular.
No weathervane he.
#3 haps – It seems Sen. Obama is a great actor so long as he has a script and a stage. He just can’t seem to ad-hoc very well. The presidency is an office that requires ad-hoc ability because the president has to react, sometimes very quickly, to events.
The senate is the better place for Sen. Obama. It is a stage and scripts can be adhered to.
‘I never ask for any special privileges from anyone just for having done the right thing.’
Really, why then Sen McCain did you go about ‘immigration reform'(so following the current immigration laws are not enough that they need reform) behind closed doors without an iota of input from the American citizen?
No Sen McCain you did not ask for ‘special privileges’, you simply took your privileged position and rammed your corrupt ‘reform’ down every American’s throat then used your privileged positon at the bully pulpit to attack anyone who disagreed with your backdoor approach as hateful bigots, racists.
Sen McCain you’re like the Fannie/Freedie privileged, break all the laws then lecture on about your compassionate humanity.