Jackson Free Press

Interesting piece from GOP strategist Mark McKinnon, who takes the GOP to task for suggesting it makes sense to challenge the 14th amendment. Aside from the other arguments discussed here at the JFP previously (an "anchor baby" is not a quick path to citizenship for the parent and being a citizen-by-birth doesn't not immediately grant you immunity from deportation), McKinnon makes a broader argument that it's un-Republican (I'd say un-American) to worry over birthright citizenship when the real issue is securing our borders.

Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush embraced immigrants. Reagan granted amnesty to nearly 3 million. And Bush promoted comprehensive legislation creating pathways to citizenship for immigrants already in this country. His message: "Immigration is not a problem to be solved, it is the sign of a successful nation." It was this kind of compassionate conservatism that drew me to join the ranks of the GOP 15 years ago.

Again, people entering this country without the appropriate documentation and those companies who hire people to work without the appropriate documentation -- those are the problems.

Those issues are also informed by the civil policy decisions that we make about who and how many folks can come to this country for a better life. We can tweak those numbers, we can offer a path to citizenship for people with a desire to better themselves and partake of the American way.

Republicans are now throwing that heritage of liberty out the door to score cheap political points. I'd like to give my friends the benefit of the doubt and believe their motives are pure, but that's hard to do when it's a practical impossibility that the 14th Amendment can be changed.

Sen. Graham lit the long fuse with comments last month in an interview with Fox News: "We should change our Constitution and say if you come here illegally and you have a child, that child's automatically not a citizen."

Like McKinnon says... this strategy might get short-term political points in primary elections... or even in November.

But if that strategy ends up collapsing the GOP completely into the Tea Party, will it be worth it?

Previous Commentsshow

What's even more remarkable is that the Republicans are willing to write off a potentially huge voting bloc for cheap, short-term political gains. But it's their bed they have to lie in.

golden eagle

Aug 16 2010

Another one of those good iTodd blog posts that I don't read quickly enough. And good to see that there are smart Republicans not caving into tea-party hype out there.

DonnaLadd

Aug 17 2010

In regards to the bigger picture all of this is true - but down south that kind of stuff gets them points and makes Fox News give a $1,000,000 donation to Haley Barbour's GOP govenors association. When the elections come up in Novmeber - Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Louisiana, West Virginia, Virginia and Texas are going to be redder than Faygo's Red Pop.

Duan C.

Aug 18 2010

Duan: I'm not sure there's a causal relationship between some GOP'ers stance on immigration and News Corp giving $1 mil to the GOP governors association. While I agree that some of this demagoguery could lead to short-term gains at the polls, one has to wonder if and when fiscal conservatives will start the leave the GOP to the crazies, particularly if they don't get national leadership (ala Reagan and Bushes) who are more reasonable on immigration issues.

Todd Stauffer

Aug 18 2010

Todd you know I respect your opinion, but I was looking at an interview between George Stephanopoulos and Karl Rove this morning and George said Karl give me an objectionable opinion? That fella said three objectionable words and after that, red meat, right wing rhetoric. The republicans have their foot on the gas and they are not letting up, not all, not one iota and if it means taking the tea party agenda with them, then all on board. I'm sorry T-money, I don't trust these jokers and they are playing hard line politics and doing it while we are in a funk as a country. Todd I know your looking at it from broader perspective, but everything I have seen in the last year has me pretty nervous about the things to come in this country.

Duan C.

Aug 18 2010

Todd I know your looking at it from broader perspective, but everything I have seen in the last year has me pretty nervous about the things to come in this country. I am quite nervous too. The kind of attacks that were thrown at Obama were only going to get worse if he won the election. Of course, he did and we're now seeing all the crazies who've come out of the woodwork to express their displeasure. We've seen murders of police officers who thought the government would take their guns, a man flying an airplane into an IRS building and Democratic congressional members threatened with physical harm for their vote on health care reform. I'm afraid that more retribution will be targeted towards Hispanics as the furor over illegal immigration heats up and towards Muslims as the GOP whips up fear against them, particularly over the community center near Ground Zero.

golden eagle

Aug 18 2010

Hey Golden - I was watching the news the other day and just when I screw the top off the "BL" and took the first swig, the news is going and all you hear is, "The President was asked today whether or not a Muslim Mosque should be built close to ground zero?" Then the camera pans in on Obama and I'm just thinking to myself, "Please don't say anything, please don't say anything, god please don't let him say what I think he's going to say?" Then bam - I hear "They should!" I was like, nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! lol!!!! Before you knew it, it was spread like wildfire - "Obama thinks the Muslims should build the mosque close to the ground zero" I mean we are up hear talking about a Mosque being built in NYC and you hvae 9% of the nation unemployed and 11% of Mississippians unemployed, the guy that is okay with the mosque being built is trying to send money to this state to help with education and get people employed again, but we have naysayers stoping all that at the front door. This article gives the Republican party a little credibility by saying there are a few in there that still has some pretty good god given common sense - but 95% of the Tea Party/Republicans are listening to them.

Duan C.

Aug 18 2010

The republicans are acting like they just graduated from the Lou Dobbs hate-a-Mexican school of philosophy. All they have going for them these days is hatred or xenophobia. I dreamed Obama put on his wet suit, oxygen equipment, swam the Gulf of Mexico and stopped the oil leak. I was so happy and proud until I saw GOP News aka Fox News reporting "Obama Can't Hold His Breath."

Walt

Aug 18 2010

You're so right, golden. The GOP will end up with blood on its hands if it doesn't tamp down the mosque rhetoric. And, of course, they are just going to make "those who hate us" hate us more. It's all really unbelievable. Have we learned nothing from our history!?

DonnaLadd

Aug 18 2010

The worst thing about this is how our so-called political leaders continue to placate hate by either not speaking out or even egging them on. That's all the issue of the community center in New York is. If a mega-church wanted to build there, it'd barely make a blip on the news. But because the Muslims want to build there, we have to make them public enemy #1. Isn't it ironic that we were being sold on the idea of going to war in Iraq was to win freedom for the Iraqis, but now the same leaders who sent us there want to deny others the right to practice their religious freedom here? It sickens me that our politicians forget the basic premises of our Constitution--you know, the document those on the right says the president is shredding to pieces? From the community center flap to overturning the 14th Amendment, it's rather embarrassing to be an American right now because I know it's a country that knows better. But yet our leaders only want to stoke our worst fears and create an "us v. them" chasm rather than engaging in the best of us for cheap and partisan political points.

golden eagle

Aug 18 2010