Immigration Shapes Congressional Races

Predictions on the outcome of the next congressional election at this date are premature and likely to change daily. As it stands the consensus is the Republicans will get clocked. With the President's approval ratings down and the base up in arms over spending it is thought that the Democrats are poised to pick up some seats. Tossing in bills to address the marriage issue and fuel prices are not generating the expected enthusiasm, yet the Democrats fixation on ending the war isn't getting them anywhere either, clear evidence that advisors to both parties are disconnected from the voters.

Looking at the primary races is revealing the pivotal issue to be immigration. The voters are focused on the amnesty issue and will not settle for any version of it. The Senate bill has exposed those seeking office to a bear trap they can't dance around. It is a six hundred page effort to buy votes that neither solves the problem or fools the citizen. What it has become is a baton lying on the ground just waiting for someone to pick it up and run with it. The Republican candidates are picking it up. The Democrats are just too dependent on coalition politics and an anti war base to consider anything but fence straddling on illegal immigration.

California Republican Brian Bilbray has run on a secure border first platform that is generating much attention to his effort to win the seat vacated by Randy "Duke" Cunningham. It has even caused him to lose the support of Sen. John McCain who dropped a scheduled stop at a fund raiser for Bilbray. While the press sees McCain as a viable candidate for President the voters are likely to see this development as positive for Bilbray. Amazingly his Democrat opponent told Hispanics they need not have papers to vote.

At a Thursday meeting, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, a man in the audience told Mrs. Busby in Spanish: "I want to help, but I don't have papers."
After a translation, the Democrat replied: "Everybody can help, yeah, absolutely, you can all help. You don't need papers for voting, you don't need to be a registered voter to help." Mr. Bilbray responded Friday that Mrs. Busby's comment was not "exactly what you call the pinnacle of ethical campaign strategy."

In Tennessee, former Republican Rep. Ed Bryant who want's to succeed Sen. Bill Frist has stated the three big issues that he hears for voters are Immigration.

Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow from Michigan epitomizes the Democrat straddle on the issue.

Mrs. Stabenow vowed at the beginning of that debate "to vote against any immigration bill that puts Michigan jobs at risk," and in the end she voted "no" on final passage. But now she is being criticized at home and by Republican campaign officials for helping to kill several amendments to the bill that proponents said would reduce illegal-immigrant employment.

"Does voting against requiring employers to verify illegal immigrants help workers?" the National Republican Senatorial Committee asked in a recent broadside against the senator.

The NRSC pointed out that she voted for an amendment offered by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat, which said that "guest workers would not need an employer to attest forthcoming employment." His amendment passed 56-43.

The NRSC said she also voted against an amendment that would limit the total number of aliens given green cards to 650,000 per year, including their spouses and children. She also voted to allow illegals to receive Social Security benefits, but against mandating that guest workers with expired visas must leave the country.

Talk about "I voted for it before I voted against it" political non sense. I don't think politicians think anymore. Well maybe they never have, but they could at least learn from their fellow's stupid mistakes.

The Republicans may be struggling to grasp the mood of the voter, but the Democrats are still clueless. As the campaigns unfold I look to see the Republican challengers to both Democrats and incumbent Republicans hammering home the illegal immigration enforcement issue to their advantage. The only variable being whether or not they will carry that over to reality after they are elected.